Check vehicle information with Volkswagen VIN
Looking for the VIN?
Here is there you’ll find it:
Originally designed as a “people’s car” in the 1930s, the Volkswagen Beetle became a smash success when it was first exported in the 1950s. Over the next few decades, the Type 1 became one of the most popular vehicles in history. In the 1970s, Volkswagen replaced their air-cooled cars and vans with modern replacements. Along the way, they created the first hot hatch, the Golf GTi, while making their other vehicles just a little bit nicer than their competitors. Today, they have a reputation for German quality without the high price tag of their luxury competitors.
Buying a car is a big financial decision, whether you want an Atlas to haul around your family, or a Golf R for track days. Using a VIN check lets you compare the vehicle you’re being sold with the features it came with off the factory line. Our decoder turns this code into easy-to-understand information about where the car was manufactured, its model year, and its equipment and engine. Want more peace of mind about your future purchase? With a VIN report, you’ll get a detailed history of the vehicle, including police reports, title changes and more.
Vehicle fraud can be minor or major, and a modified vehicle can change hands several times before these problems are discovered. Does something seem a little off about a car, like it doesn’t have some of its original components? Is that really a GTi, or did someone install plaid seats and add badges to a regular Golf? Either way, you could end up spending a lot more on a vehicle than it’s actually worth. If you look up the VIN, it’s easy to spot these types of changes, so you can avoid these vehicles.
Looking up the VIN is also useful for vehicles you already own. Sometimes, small changes are made to cars during production. Checking the VIN helps you identify the exact model you own, so you can buy the right parts for repairs.
VW applies the VIN to several locations in their vehicles. That way, this number stays with the vehicle over its entire life. Here are the most common places you’ll find the VIN on a Volkswagen.
Since the VIN is unique to the vehicle, it’s also used as an identifier on official documents. You can find the VIN on the title and on insurance paperwork. Some repair shops also print the VIN on receipts.
A vehicle identification number is more than a way to identify an individual vehicle. This code contains information about the car model, where it was built, and what equipment it came with. Here’s just some of what you can learn when you use ourVIN decoder.
Digit 1 is the country where the vehicle was made:
| Code | Country |
|---|---|
| 1, 4 and 5 | USA |
| 2 | Canada |
| 3 | Mexico |
| 9 | Brazil |
| S-Z | Europe |
European characters are sometimes used for several countries. For example, an “S” is used for Germany, while a “W” could be used on a German or Slovak-built vehicle.
Digit 2 is the manufacturer. The majority of VWs sold in the U.S. have a “V” in this position for “Volkswagen”. However, other divisions may use different characters. For example, Volkswagen Brazil uses a “B”.
Volkswagen doesn’t use the fourth, fifth and sixth digits on vehicles sold outside North America. If you see “ZZZ” in these positions, it’s a gray market vehicle.
Digit 4 is the safety restraint system installed at the factory:
| Code | EQUIPMENT |
|---|---|
| E, J or K | Front airbags only |
| H or L | Both front and side airbags |
Digits 5 and 6 identify the body and trim. Volkswagen frequently changes what these characters mean. It’s much easier to enter your VIN into our website to get this information.
Digits 7 and 8 indicate the model. Here are the codes for some of VW’s mos popular models:
| Code | MODEL |
|---|---|
| 1C | New Beetle |
| 1Y | New Beetle Cabriolet (convertible) |
| 1T | Touran |
| 3C | 6-8th generation Passat and CC |
| AU | 7th Generation Golf |
| 7L | 1st Generation Touareg |
| 7P | 2nd Generaiton Touareg |
Digit 9 is used for error correction. It’s generated using a mathematical formula based on other characters in the VIN.
Digit 10 is the year. All letters and numbers except “I”, ”O”, “Q”, “U”, “Z” and “0” are used. Numbers were used in the 2000s, switching back to letters in 2010.
| 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 |
Digit 11 is where the vehicle was built. Volkswagen has many plants all over the world, but not all factories ship to North America. These are the most common sources for cars sold in this market:
| Code | PLANT |
|---|---|
| C | Chattanooga, Tennessee |
| V | Westmoreland, Pennsylvania |
| M | Puebla, Mexico |
| A | Ingolstadt, Germany |
| E | Emden, Germany |
| H | Hanover, Germany |
| K | Osnabrück, Germany |
| N | Neckarsulm, Germany |
| P | Mosel, Germany |
| S | Salzgitter, Germany |
| W | Wolfsburg, Germany |
| 8 | Dresden, Germany |
| F | Resende, Brazil |
| D | Bratislava, Slovakia |
| G | Graz, Austria |
The last 6 digits in the VIN make up the serial number. Serial numbers are reused, but there will never be two vehicles that share the same VIN.
What kind of information can you get from our site when you decode the VIN? Here are a few examples.
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:
