The Best Electric Van To buy in 2023: A Detailed Overview
There's an electric van to fit any need or price range. Check out some of the...
Read moreCheck vehicle information with Toyota VIN
Looking for the VIN?
Here is there you’ll find it:
Toyota isn’t just one of the largest manufacturers in the world, they’re also one of the most influential.
The Corolla is the best selling car in history. The Hi-Lux and Land Cruiser are legendary for their reliability. The Prius almost single handedly created the hybrid market. The Celica, MR-2 and Supra have seen major racing success, while the LF-A is one of the world’s most celebrated supercars.
No matter what type of vehicle you’re looking for, Toyota builds something for you. How can you be sure the car or truck you’re buying is genuine? By using a VIN check to verify factory information matches up with the vehicle you’re being sold. Our decoder translates this 17 digit code into valuable information about when and where the vehicle was manufactured, as well as its original equipment. Want to know more? If you order a VIN report, you’ll get a history of the car drawn from official state and private databases, including previous owners, accidents and more.
The VIN is issued by the manufacturer when the vehicle is built. It’s written on stickers, plates and engravings that will last the life of the vehicle. This makes a VIN check invaluable when you need to verify the authenticity of a rare, valuable car. For example, a 90s Supra with a factory-installed 6 speed manual and turbocharged engine is easily worth twice as much as a car with an automatic or a naturally aspirated engine. While it’s possible to do an engine and transmission swap, it will never be as valuable as a genuine car.
There are several places you can find the VIN number on your Toyota. Keep in mind that some tags refer to the VIN as the “frame number”.
It’s also common to find VIN stickers on hoods, doors and tailgates. This makes it easier to trace stolen parts. However, these stickers may not match. if the vehicle was in an accident, it may have salvage parts from a different vehicle.
Since VINs are unique to each vehicle, this number is used as an I.D. on official documents. You can find the VIN on the title, registration, and insurance policy. Some auto repair shops also put the VIN on service receipts.
The VIN Number is 17 digits long. 10 of these digits identify aspects of the vehicle, including the chassis and engine. One digit is used for error correction, while the rest are a serial number. Here’s the information you can get from each of these digits when you decode them.
This is where the vehicle underwent final assembly. Here are the most common country codes for Toyota vehicles.
Code | Country |
---|---|
1, 4 and 5 | United States |
2 | Canada |
3 | Mexico |
J | Japan |
V | France |
While most manufacturers use just one code, there are two letters you may find in this position for Toyota products.
T:Toyota
Scion and Lexus vehicles also use “T” as their manufacturer designation.
N:NUMMI
NUMMI was a California-based joint venture between Toyota and General Motors. Corollas were built here from 1987 to 2010, while compact pickups were built at the plant from 1991 to 2010.
This digit identifies the vehicle category.
Code | Vehicle Type |
---|---|
D, G, K, X, 1, 2, 7, N | Car |
A, B, F, M, 4 | Truck |
E, L, 3 | Multipurpose passenger vehicles, including SUVs and crossovers |
5 | Convertible |
This digit identifies the body style, as well as whether the vehicle is two wheel or four wheel drive.
Cars
Code | BODY STYLE |
---|---|
A | Two door, two wheel drive sedan |
B | Four door, two wheel drive sedan |
C | Two door, two wheel drive coupe |
G, K | Four door wagon, two wheel drive |
H, L | Four door wagon, four wheel drive |
Z | Five door wagon, two wheel drive |
S | Three door liftback four wheel drive |
Trucks
Code | BODY STYLE |
---|---|
N | Two door, two wheel drive |
P | Two door, four wheel drive |
T | Extended cab, two wheel drive |
W | Extended cab, four wheel drive |
E | Four door, two wheel drive |
B, D, L | Four door, four wheel drive |
Other Vehicles
Code | BODY STYLE |
---|---|
X | SUV |
M | Five door, two wheel drive van |
Y | Sport van |
With so many engines in Toyota’s history, the letters and numbers for this digit are frequently reused. If you want to know which engine the car was built with, use our VIN decoder.
This is based on the vehicle’s chassis code. This code is used internally by Toyota, and is included on the I.D. plate.
This position in the VIN covers the different types of seat belts and air bags installed at the factory.
Here are the codes for Toyota’s most popular models.
Code | MODEL |
---|---|
1 | Tundra |
A | Highlander, Sequoia, Celica and Supra |
B | Avalon |
E | Corolla and Matrix |
K | Camry |
N | Tacoma and compact trucks |
P | Camry and Solara |
R | 4Runner and Corolla |
U | Prius |
V | RAV4 |
This digit is calculated using a mathematical formula based on other digits in the VIN. It verifies the authenticity of the vehicle identification number.
This alternates between numbers and letters. 1-9 was used from 2001-2009. I, O and Q aren’t used, so they won’t be confused with 1 and 0. 2022 models use the code “N”, while the following year uses “P”.
Code | Year | Code | Year | Code | Year | Code | Year |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
This is where the vehicle was manufactured. Toyota operates plants all over the world. Here are the most common factory codes.
Code | PLANT |
---|---|
0-9, K | Japan |
C | Cambridge, ON |
R | Lafayette, IN |
S | Princeton, IN |
U | Georgetown, KY |
W | Woodstock, ON |
Y | San Antonio, TX |
Z | Fremont, CA |
This number is usually issued sequentially. Occasionally, the company occasionally jumps to higher numbers during the model year.
Here are some examples of the information you’ll get when you look up your VIN on our site:
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.
Discover expert tips, news and advice on buying and maintaining used vehicles
There's an electric van to fit any need or price range. Check out some of the...
Read moreOur team will tell you about sensors for cars.
Read moreThis article explains how to decode your Mazda VIN to identify important vehic...
Read more