Volkswagen (VW) VIN decoder

Paste a Volkswagen VIN and see the model year, model, body, engine and the plant it was built in, from the record Volkswagen files with NHTSA. Free, no email, and the VIN goes only to NHTSA’s decoder, never to WhichTrim.

Volkswagen vehicle identification number

17 characters. The letters I, O and Q never appear in a VIN. Find it on the driver's-side dashboard, the door jamb, your insurance card or the title.

Photo: Samuel Regan-Asante / Unsplash

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Volkswagen’s manufacturer codes (WMI)

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Volkswagen files 22 manufacturer codes with NHTSA. The first three characters of a Volkswagen VIN are one of them: they say who built the vehicle, what kind it is, and in which country. Built in United States (6 codes), Mexico (6 codes), Canada (5 codes), Germany (5 codes).

Code	Vehicle type	Built in	Filed by
1C4	SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV)	United States	Fca Us Llc
1C6	Trucks	United States	Fca Us Llc
1C7	Chassis for upfitting (incomplete vehicle)	United States	Fca Us Llc
1V1	Trucks	United States	Volkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
1V2	SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV)	United States	Volkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
1VW	Cars	United States	Volkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
2C4	SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV)	Canada	Fca Canada Inc.
2C6	Trucks	Canada	Fca Canada Inc.
2C7	Chassis for upfitting (incomplete vehicle)	Canada	Fca Canada Inc.
2V4	SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV)	Canada	Fca Canada Inc.
2V8	SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV)	Canada	Chrysler Group Llc(Usa),Chrysler Canada, Chrysler De Mexico
3C4	SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV)	Mexico	Chrysler De Mexico Toluca
3C6	Trucks	Mexico	Chrysler De Mexico Toluca
3C7	Chassis for upfitting (incomplete vehicle)	Mexico	Chrysler De Mexico Toluca
3VV	SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV)	Mexico	Volkswagen De Mexico Sa De Cv
3VW	Cars	Mexico	Volkswagen De Mexico Sa De Cv
9BW	Cars	Mexico	Volkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
WV1	Trucks	Germany	Volkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
WV2	SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV)	Germany	Volkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
WV3	Chassis for upfitting (incomplete vehicle)	Germany	Volkswagen Group Of America, Inc.
WVG	SUVs, vans and crossovers (MPV)	Germany	Volkswagen Ag
WVW	Cars	Germany	Volkswagen Ag

What each character means on a Volkswagen

Source: 49 CFR 565

Every Volkswagen VIN since the 1981 model year follows the federal format. Positions 4 to 8 are Volkswagen’s own code for the model, body, engine and restraints; the decoder reads them from Volkswagen’s filing, so they need no table here.

Position	Section	What it tells you
1–3	World manufacturer identifier	Who built it and where. 1, 4 and 5 are the United States, 2 Canada, 3 Mexico, J Japan, K South Korea, W Germany, S the United Kingdom.
4–8	Vehicle descriptor	Model, body style, restraint system, engine — the section that makes a VIN say which car this is rather than which unit.
9	Check digit	A checksum of the other sixteen characters. A VIN that fails it has been mistyped or invented.
10	Model year	A letter or digit, not the year itself: N is 2022, P 2023, R 2024, S 2025, T 2026. I, O, Q, U and Z are never used.
11	Assembly plant	The manufacturer's code for the factory that built this vehicle.
12–17	Serial number	The unit's own sequence number on that line.

Model year	Code (position 10)
2030	Y
2029	X
2028	W
2027	V
2026	T
2025	S
2024	R
2023	P
2022	N
2021	M
2020	L
2019	K
2018	J
2017	H
2016	G
2015	F
2014	E
2013	D
2012	C
2011	B
2010	A
2009	9
2008	8
2007	7
2006	6

Volkswagen models on WhichTrim

A decode that matches one of these opens its model-year page: recalls, owner complaints, service bulletins, crash ratings and fuel economy.

ArteonNewest on file: 2024 AtlasNewest on file: 2027 BeetleNewest on file: 2019 CCNewest on file: 2017 EosNewest on file: 2016 GLINewest on file: 2027 Golf / GTINewest on file: 2027 ID. BuzzNewest on file: 2025 ID.4Newest on file: 2026 JettaNewest on file: 2027 PassatNewest on file: 2022 TaosNewest on file: 2027 TiguanNewest on file: 2027 TouaregNewest on file: 2017

More for your Volkswagen

Source: where to go from here

Window sticker Volkswagen window sticker by VIN The original sticker: options, MSRP and fuel economy, where Volkswagen publishes it. Open →Service bulletins Volkswagen TSB lookup Every bulletin and campaign Volkswagen filed with NHTSA, by model and year. Open →Recalls Volkswagen recalls Every recall campaign on file, by model, with the free repair it names. Open →Title history What a VIN cannot tell you Title brands, odometer and total losses live in NMVTIS, sold by approved providers. Open →

Common questions

Source: NHTSA vPIC, 49 CFR Part 565

Is the Volkswagen VIN decoder free?

Yes, with no email and no account. The decode comes from NHTSA's vPIC database, the record Volkswagen files with the federal government for every vehicle it sells in the US.

Where is the VIN on a Volkswagen?

At the base of the windshield on the driver's side, readable from outside; on the certification label in the driver's door jamb; and on the title, registration and insurance card.

Does a decode show accidents or title brands?

No. A decode says what Volkswagen built. What happened afterwards (title brands, odometer readings, total losses) is in NMVTIS, sold by providers the Department of Justice approves.

Can I check Volkswagen recalls by VIN?

The decode opens the model year's page here, which lists every recall campaign on file. Whether this exact vehicle is still unrepaired is answered by NHTSA's lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls, which reads Volkswagen's own list.

Is my VIN stored?

No. The decode runs in your browser against NHTSA's public database. WhichTrim never receives it.