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How to Read a Toyota VIN Number
Learn the significance of each section in the VIN and how it can reveal essent...
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If you want to know exactly what your Chevrolet is, you need to lookup its VIN number. This factory-issued ID number is unique to your vehicle. It tells you where your vehicle was made, when it was made, and what equipment it came with. Our VIN search makes it easy to decode Chevrolet VIN numbers. The VIN is useful for establishing the provenance of classic cars, it’s helpful for ordering parts for new cars, and it’s required for insurance and title paperwork.
At one time, GM controlled 60% of the American car market, with Chevrolet making up most of those sales. Although designed to be the company’s most affordable brand, it has a long, storied history full of classics like the Corvette, Suburban, Nova and Camaro. The small block Chevy, in production since the 1950s, is the most popular engine choice for tuners.
By using our site to get a VIN report, you can find out what type of Chevrolet you have. Here’s what you need to know to find the vehicle identification number on your vehicle, and how to decode VIN to find out the model, transmission, chassis and engine.
Why is it important to look up your Chevrolet’s VIN? This identification number is issued by General Motors at the time of assembly. This VIN number includes information about where the vehicle was built, as well as the equipment it came with. Doing a VIN check lets you verify the vehicle hasn’t been modified since it left the manufacturing plant. This is especially useful for rare, desirable models, like the Super Sport cars, which are easy to duplicate. The VIN is also required for insurance and title paperwork, and it’s useful for verifying replacement parts will fit your vehicle.
Like most vehicles, GM prints the VIN on a small plate attached to the dashboard. To find this plate, stand next to the driver’s side door and look through the windshield. You should see the plate next to the bottom edge of the glass. The plate is positioned so it can be read from outside
On modern Chevrolets, you can find the VIN number printed on a tag located on the driver’s body pillar. Open the door, then look at the bottom of the pillar, near the door sill. You should see one or two stickers. The yellow and white sticker on the door pillar has information about vehicle loads and tire pressure. If that’s the only sticker you see, it will have the VIN number printed on it. You may see a second sticker on the outer side of the pillar, between the front and rear door sills. This gray sticker lists the VIN as well as the month and year your vehicle was produced.
The VIN is also stamped on the frame. Open the hood, and look for the number on the firewall, or next to one of the strut towers. The location of this number varies from model to model. Some vehicles also have the number stamped into the inside of the trunk, or under the carpet of the passenger foot well. If you have a truck or SUV, you can also find the VIN stamped on top of the driver’s side frame rail, behind the rear axle. However, depending on the body and frame construction used on your vehicle, you may not be able to see it.
Are you away from your vehicle? You can find the VIN printed on most vehicle paperwork, including titles, property tax receipts, vehicle inspections, insurance policies, and sometimes repair receipts.
On most engines, there’s a partial VIN stamped into the back of the engine block. The first digit identifies the GM division (Chevrolet), the second digit it the model year, and the third digit is the assembly plant. If it’s the original engine, the remaining digits should match the last 6 digits of the full VIN. This partial VIN is also stamped into the intake manifold on some older small block V8s. This stamp is close to the left side cylinder head, behind the carburetor or throttle body.
🟡 Basic Report Cost: | Free |
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🟡 Chevrolet VIN Database: | 54.4M+ |
🟡 Car-on-Sale Photos: | Up to 100 |
🟡 Full Report: | Extensive History |
The Chevrolet VIN number is a 17 digit code that lists information that is unique to your vehicle. Here’s what you need to know to decode this number, so you can identify your model, its manufacturing location, and its original equipment.
Characters 1-2 – This is the world manufacturer identity code, which tells you the country where the vehicle was built.
Code | Country |
---|---|
1 , 4 or 5 | USA |
2 | Canada |
3 | Mexico |
KL | Korea |
Character 3 is the brand. This is either 1, “A” or “Y” for GM products sold as Chevrolets.
Character 4 is the internal model designation:
Code | Model |
---|---|
M | M100 K, M200 |
T | T100 S, T200, T250 |
J | J100/J150 N, J200 |
V | V100 L, V100, V250 |
U | U100 C, C-100 |
Character 5 is the drivetrain type:
Code | Drivetrain |
---|---|
F | FWD, manual transmission |
A | FWD, automatic transmission |
M | RWD, manual transmission |
R | RWD, automatic transmission |
C | FWD, CVT |
G | AWD, manual transmission |
D | AWD, automatic transmission |
Characters 6 and 7 are the body type:
Code | Body Type |
---|---|
08 | Two door hatchback |
69 | Four door notchback with four windows |
19 | Four door notchback with 6 windows |
26 | Liftgate four door |
48 | Four door hatchback with four windows |
68 | Four door hatchback with 6 windows |
35 | Four door station wagon |
75 | Four door multi-purpose vehicle |
Character 8 is the engine:
Code | Engine |
---|---|
4 | 800cc SOHC MPFI L3 |
M | 800cc DOHC MPFI L3 |
0 | 1.0L SOHC MPFI L4 |
T | 1.2L SOHC MPFI L4 |
D | 1.2L DOHC MPFI |
C | 1.3L SOHC MPFI L4 |
A | 1.4L SOHC MPFI L4 |
7 | 1.4L DOHC MPFI L4 |
Y | 1.5L SOHC MPFI L4 |
V | 1.5L DOHC MPFI L4 |
6 | 1.6L DOHC MPFI L4 |
H | 1.8L SOHC MPFI L4 with fuel injection |
B | 1.8L DOHC MPFI L4 with fuel injection |
8 | 1.8L SOHC MPFI L4 with fuel injection |
3 | 1.8L DOHC MPFI L4 with fuel injection |
Z | 2.0L DOHC MPFI L4 |
K | 2.0L DOHC MPFI L6 |
W | 2.0L DOHC MPFI L6 |
S | 2.0L SOHC MPFI L4 |
2 | 2.0L SOHC L4 (LPG) |
L | 2.5L DOHC MPFI L6 |
F | 2.4L DOHC MPFI FII L4 |
G | 3.2L DOHC MPFI HF V6 |
P | 2.0L DOHC LPI L6 (LPG) |
R | 2.0DSL diesel rated at 150PS |
U | 2.0DSL diesel rated at 120PS |
Character 9 is the emissions standard:
Code | Standard |
---|---|
J | Euro-4 |
1 | Euro-3 |
L | Leaded gasoline |
E | Euro-2 and other standards |
Character 10 is the model year. This character alternates between letters excluding “I”, “O”, “Q” and “Z” and numbers 1-9. Letter “A” was used for 2010 and 1980 models. That means a 2022 model uses “N” for this digit, while a 2005 model uses “5”.
Code | Country | Code | Country | Code | Country | Code | Country |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
Character 11 – Manufacturing Plant
Code | Plant |
---|---|
5 | Bowling Green, KY |
6 | Ingersol, Ontario |
U | Hamtramck, MI |
F | Kansas City, KS or Flint, MI |
0 | Lansing, MI |
4 | Orion, MI |
7 | Lockport, NY |
Z | Fort Wayne, IN |
R | Arlington, TX |
B | Bupyung, Korea |
K | Kunsan, Korea |
C | Changwon, Korea |
Character 12-17 are the vehicle’s serial number. This is unique to your vehicle’s model and year of manufacture.
Here are some example Chevrolet VINs, and the information you get when you decode Chevrolet VIN numbers.
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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