Mercedes-Benz VIN Decoder

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Mercedes-Benz VIN Check: What is a Mercedes-Benz VIN?

Although the first Mercedes-Benz wasn’t built until 1926, the company traces its roots to the dawn of the automobile. Since its inception, they’ve taken the company’s slogan, “The Best or Nothing”, to heart. For decades, the S-Class has been the gold standard of luxury vehicles, debuting most of the technology we take for granted in cars today. Along with luxury cars, Mercedes is also a major player in motorsport and commercial vehicles. Today, their lineup includes everything from vans to high performance AMG models.

Want to know more about a Mercedes you want to buy, or a car you already own? Every vehicle comes with a unique VIN number. Our Mercedes-Benz VIN number decoder will tell you the information this code contains, so you know how your vehicle was equipped at the factory.

List of Mercedes-Benz Models

Mercedes-Benz VIN Number Lookup

The Vehicle Identification Number is issued by the company when they build the vehicle. Each VIN is unique, but it’s more than just a production number. The vehicle identification number includes codes for where and when the vehicle was built, as well as the model and factory equipment. A VIN check translates this code into useful information.

Looking for the best VIN decoder? Our search site can show you an organized report containing all of the VIN’s information, free of charge. Want to know about the history of the vehicle? Take your search a step further by ordering a full VIN report. This gives you information from official databases, including government and private resources. This report includes information on title brands, accident reports and more.

Where to Search for the VIN?

To use our Mercedes-Benz VIN decoder, you will need the VIN. The company puts this number in at least two places on every vehicle. Here are some places you can check to find this code:

  • Look at the driver’s side corner of the dashboard through the windshield. You should see the VIN printed on a small plate.
  • Open the driver’s door. Look at the door pillar just above the door jamb, and you should find one or two stickers listing the vehicle’s specifications. The VIN is printed on one of these stickers.
  • Open the hood. Look at the top of the firewall, next to the windshield cowl. You should see the VIN number engraved in the metal. If you don’t see the VIN here, check the inner fender well, next to the passenger’s side strut tower.
  • Many of the company’s new models have the VIN number somewhere in the rear of the vehicle. Open the trunk or hatch and lift the carpet. The VIN is printed on a sticker close to the rear seats.
  • Look under the front passenger’s seat. You will see a small flap of carpet that covers the rear passenger foot vents. If you lift up this flap, you should find a small sticker with the VIN number.
  • Open the front passenger door. Look for a sticker on the A pillar and on the inside of the fender near the door hinge.
  • Remove the trim on the rear arm seat center armrest to uncover a VIN sticker.

Are you looking for the VIN on a Metris, Sprinter or one of Mercedes-Benz’s other commercial vehicles? You will usually find it printed on the front driver’s side wheel well, directly behind the wheel. Open the driver’s door, and you’ll also find a couple stickers on the side of the step. These are the same specification stickers placed on the B pillar of passenger vehicles. One of these stickers usually has the VIN number.

Since the VIN is unique to each vehicle, it’s used to identify cars on paperwork. You can also find the VIN on titles, insurance cards and repair receipts.

Where to find VIN on a vehicle?

Comprehensive VIN Decoder Guide

CodeCountryCodeCountryCodeCountryCodeCountry
G 1986 T 1996 6 2006 G 2016
H 1987 V 1997 7 2007 H 2017
J 1988 W 1998 8 2008 J 2018
K 1989 X 1999 9 2009 K 2019
L 1990 Y 2000 A 2010 L 2020
M 1991 1 2001 B 2011 M 2021
N 1992 2 2002 C 2012 N 2022
P 1993 3 2003 D 2013 P 2023
R 1994 4 2004 E 2014 R 2024
S 1995 5 2005 F 2015 S 2025

What kind of information can you get by checking the VIN? Here’s what each character in this 17 digit code is used for, and some examples of the meanings of these letters and numbers.

The first character is the country where the vehicle was built:

CodeCountry
1 or 4United States
2Canada
3Mexico
JJapan
KKorea
SEngland
WGermany
ZItaly

Sometimes, this character indicates the location of the manufacturer’s headquarters, not the location of the plant. On Mercedes-Benz vehicles, it’s common to see a “W” here, even if the car was built in another country.

The second character is the manufacturer code. All Daimler-Benz and Daimler-Chrysler passenger vehicles use the letter “D” for this character. Mercedes’ commercial division uses a “1”.

The third character is the vehicle type or manufacturing division, which is “B” for Mercedes-Benz passenger vehicles and “F” for commercial vehicles.

The fourth character is the model or series. These are based on chassis codes. For example, a W126 S-Class uses a “C” for this character, while a W140 S-Class uses a “G”. Commercial vehicles use numbers in this position.

The fifth character is either the body style or engine:

CodeBody Style
ARoadster
BLong body (long wheelbase sedan)
FSedan
GLong wheelbase sedan
HWagon
JCoupe
KCabriolet and Roadster
MOlder AMG models
RUsed on some W463 G-Class SUVs
AGasoline engine
BDiesel engine
DGasoline engine with 4matic all wheel drive
0 or 3Van

The sixth and seventh characters identify the model.

The eighth character is the safety restraint system. All letters indicate the use of seat belts and emergency pretensioners.

CodeSafety Restraint
CSeat belt and pretensioners only
DDriver front airbag
EDriver and passenger front airbags
FFront and side airbags

The ninth digit is a check digit. This verifies the VIN is correct, helping avoid problems with data entry errors.

The tenth digit is the model year. This alternates between numbers 1-9 and letters A-Z. “O” and “Q” are not used for date codes. 2023 models use the letter “P” for this position.

The eleventh digit is the production plant. Here are the most common plant results you’ll get when you use our VIN decoder Mercedes-Benz site:

CodePlant
A-ESindelfingen, Germany
F-HBremen, Germany
JRastatt, Germany
XGraz, Germany
TKarmann Factory, Osnabrück, Germany
MWoking, UK

Digits 12 to 17 are the serial number, which Mercedes calls a chassis number. While this number is repeated, no two vehicles have identical VINs.

Mercedes-Benz VIN Samples

Here are a few examples of Mercedes VIN numbers, and the information you can get from them using our Mercedes VIN decoder:

  • W1W4ECVY2NT103157:  2022 Sprinter with a 3.0 liter diesel built in the United States
  • WDCYC3HF8FX230657:  2015 G-Class with a 5.5 liter V8 built in Austria
  • WDC0G4KB9KV133809:  2019 GLC Class with a 2.0 liter engine built in Finland
  • 2000 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    2000 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E0YA181300
    Listed for sale on:
    12/17/2009
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    220,137 km
  • 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    1999 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E1XA070236
    Listed for sale on:
    04/09/2015
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    468,110 km
  • 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    2002 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E12A304724
    Listed for sale on:
    09/05/2019
    Price:
    $2,900
    Odometer:
    219,710 km
  • 1998 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    1998 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E0WA026243
    Listed for sale on:
    03/29/2013
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    232,709 km
  • 2001 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    2001 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E01A233255
    Listed for sale on:
    09/30/2013
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    274,269 km
  • 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    1999 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E1XA068776
    Listed for sale on:
    11/20/2018
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    261,532 km
  • 2001 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    2001 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E11A222474
    Listed for sale on:
    06/04/2015
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    157,842 km
  • 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    1999 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E0XA134265
    Listed for sale on:
    12/20/2016
    Price:
    $3,390
    Odometer:
    0 km
  • 1999 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    1999 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E0XA123038
    Listed for sale on:
    09/14/2015
    Price:
    $1,500
    Odometer:
    303,824 km
  • 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    2002 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E02A316718
    Listed for sale on:
    06/06/2012
    Price:
    $7,627
    Odometer:
    307,719 km
  • 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    2002 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E12A360825
    Listed for sale on:
    07/20/2015
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    250,458 km
  • 2002 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    2002 MERCEDES-BENZ M-Class

    VIN 4JGAB54E02A317478
    Listed for sale on:
    08/04/2016
    Price:
    $5,495
    Odometer:
    241,401 km

Frequently Asked Questions

Locations vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. However, there are three places you can find the code on most vehicles:

- Look through the windshield at the dashboard. On the driver’s side, you should see a small metal plate with the number stamped into it.
- Open the driver’s door. Look at the front and side of the door pillar for an I.D. sticker. It usually has the manufacturer’s logo on it. The code should be on this sticker.
- Open the hood. You may see a sticker on the firewall or near the passenger’s side strut tower. Some cars have the number engraved in one of these areas.

Since this number is used to identify the vehicle on official documents, you can also find it on the title, the window sticker, and on insurance policies.

We also decode numbers for RVs, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. If you need to decode an RV number, make sure it’s the one issued by the chassis manufacturer, not the RV outfitter.

No. Canadian and Mexican cars usually use the same format. Other countries use their own formats.

It’s up to the manufacturer to determine what they want to include for some parts of the number. For example, some companies don’t include information about transmissions or trim levels.

Usually, no. A few manufacturers stamp the code into the engine. If the VINs on the engine and car match, then it’s the original engine. On most vehicles, there isn’t anything that ties an engine to a specific vehicle. At most, looking up the vehicle on our website will tell you if a different type of engine was installed. For example, if someone swaps a V8 into a Ford Mustang, our site will tell you it originally came with a V6.

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