Check vehicle information with Tesla VIN
Looking for the VIN?
Here is there you’ll find it:
While most car companies are started by auto enthusiasts, Tesla began life as the brainchild of computer science engineers. After working on an early ebook reader, Marc Tarpenning and Martin Everhard turned their attention to building the first lithium-ion powered electric vehicle. Elon Musk, who had just left PayPal, stepped in with capital funding. Their first car, the Roadster, first reached buyers in 2008. From there, they worked on more practical and affordable vehicles. The Model S was a massive hit, quickly becoming the best-selling large luxury car in America. This was followed by the Model X crossover, the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y crossover. Although several companies are entering the market, three out of four electric cars on American roads are still Teslas.
Whether you’re looking for low running costs, low environmental impact, high technology or insane acceleration, there are plenty of reasons to buy a Tesla. However, with so many motor and battery combinations available, buying a used model can be confusing. Getting a VIN check from out site makes it easier to find the model you want. Our site can decode this string of numbers and letters, turning it into something you can read. Worried that there might be some title issues or hidden damage? When you order a VIN report, you’ll get a history of the vehicle, including police reports, title changes and lien information.
While Tesla has only made 5 models since they opened their doors, these models come in several versions. As battery and charging technology have evolved, the company has introduced larger batteries and faster charging systems. Often, a model is offered with multiple battery sizes each model year. On top of that, there are options for single motor rear wheel drive models, two motor all wheel drive models, and performance models. The difference in acceleration and power consumption between these versions can be huge.
While you can’t open the battery pack to see what’s inside, you can use our decoder to find out how the car was equipped at the factory. This way, you know for certain the car is exactly as it’s listed by the seller.
Tesla prints the VIN number on several components, so it can’t be completely erased from the vehicle. Here’s where you can find these stickers and engravings.
Look through the windshield at the dashboard. You will see the VIN on a small metal plate on the driver’s side of the car.
Open the driver’s door, and look at the pillar near the door latch. You should see the Vehicle Certification Label. The VIN is at the bottom of this label.
Open the frunk and lift the center maintenance panel. You should see the VIN stamped into the firewall.
Open the hatch door. Most models have a small white VIN sticker on the right side edge of the door.
If you’re looking at a Roadster, turn the wheels all the way to the right. Look in the right front wheel well. You can see the VIN etched into the frame in front of the strut.
If you already have a Tesla account, log in and look for your vehicle. The VIN will be to the left of the vehicle image. Alternatively, you can open the app on your phone and scroll down to the bottom of the page. You will see the VIN number listed next to the software version.
The VIN is used to identify the car on official documents. You can find this number on the window sticker, the title and the insurance card. It may also be on service receipts.
The VIN is 17 digits long. 6 of these characters are the serial number, while the rest identify the assembly plant, equipment options and more. Here’s what each of these digits can tell you.
The first three digits identify the manufacturer. You will probably see one of these two codes:
| Code | MODEL |
|---|---|
| 5YJ | Tesla |
| 7SA | Tesla Model X or Y |
If the car is a gray market import, it may have one of these codes:
| Code | MARKET IMPORT |
|---|---|
| LRW | Tesla China |
| SFZ | Tesla Motors UK |
| XP7 | Tesla Berlin |
The fourth digit is the model:
| Code | MODEL |
|---|---|
| R | Roadster |
| S | Model S |
| X | Model X |
| Y | Model Y |
| 3 | Model 3 |
The fifth digit is the body type:
| Code | BODY TYPE |
|---|---|
| A | 5 door hatch, left hand drive (Model S) |
| C | lass E MPV, 5 door left hand drive (Model X) |
| G | MPV, 5 door left hand drive (Model Y) |
| E | Four door sedan, left hand drive (Model 3) or convertible (Roadster) |
The sixth digit is the region and drive position on Roadsters. For all North American vehicles, this is “1” for USA left hand drive. For all other models, it’s the safety restraint system:
| Code | EQUIPMENT |
|---|---|
| 1 | Front and rear side airbags, and knee airbags |
| A | Side inflatable restraints and front knee Airbags |
| D | 5 seat side inflatable restraints |
The seventh digit is the safety restraint system on Roadsters. This is “A” for seat belts and dual air bags.
On other models, it’s the battery or charger type:
| Code | BATTERY |
|---|---|
| E | Lithium battery |
| H | Lithium battery, high capacity |
| S | Lithium battery, standard capacity |
| V | Lithium battery, ultra-high capacity |
| Code | BATTERY |
|---|---|
| A | 10 kw charger |
| B | 20 kw charger |
| C | 10 kw charger with DC fast charge |
| D | 20 kw charger with DC fast charge |
The 8th digit is the drive unit:
| Code | DRIVE TYPE |
|---|---|
| 1, J, R, S | Single motor |
| 2, K | Dual Motor |
| 3 | Tesla M65 motor (Roadster) |
| 4, L | Performance dual motor |
| 5 | P2 dual motor |
| 6 | P2 tri motor |
| A | Single motor (Model 3) |
| B | Dual motor (Model 3) |
| C | Dual motor performance (Model 3) |
| D | Single motor (Model Y) |
| E | Dual motor (Model Y) |
| F | Dual motor performance (Model Y) |
| G | Base motor, 51-60 kWh battery |
| N | Base motor, 81-90 kWh battery |
| P | Performance motor, 81-90 kWh battery |
The 9th digit is a check digit. It’s generated using other digits in the VIN.
The 10th digit is the model year. This uses 30 characters, including most letters and numbers 1-9. “O”, “Q” and “L” are excluded to keep them from being confused with numbers. Unlike most car companies, Tesla’s model years don’t run through the same months. Depending on the model, the model year could start anywhere from February to December.
| Code | Country | Code | Country | Code | Country | Code | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E | 1984 | R | 1994 | 4 | 2004 | E | 2014 |
| F | 1985 | S | 1995 | 5 | 2005 | F | 2015 |
| 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 |
The 11th digit is the manufacturing location. “F” is the Fremont, California plant.
The 12th through 17th digits are the car’s serial number.
What information do you get when you use our website? Here are three real VIN numbers and their results:
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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Read moreLooking for the VIN?
Here is there you’ll find it:
