Check vehicle information with Porsche VIN
Looking for the VIN?
Here is there you’ll find it:
While Porsche had a hand in designing the Volkswagen Beetle, they didn't build their first car until 1948. In 1964, they replaced the Beetle-based 356 with the 911, a clean sheet design that used a rear-mounted 6 cylinder engine. This sports car was wildly successful, both on the track and in showrooms. It was soon joined by a variety of sports cars, ranging from the four cylinder 914 to the V8-powered 928. While the introduction of the Cayenne SUV in 2002 was controversial, it created a new category for high performance crossovers. Today, the company builds a variety of sport-focused vehicles, including coupes, sedans, SUVs and electric vehicles.
EpicVIN offers a free VIN decoder Porsche buyers can depend on. Using our website, you can decode Porsche VINs easily, so you can get detailed factory information. This helps you find a car with the features you want, and it also helps you buy the correct Porsche parts when you need to repair your vehicle. Want more information? Look up a Porsche with our report system, and you'll get a full history from official databases. This helps you establish the vehicle's provenance, so you can avoid lemons and cars with legal issues.
The Vehicle Identification Number is a unique 17 character code issued to every vehicle sold in America. The VIN number isn't just a serial number. Most of the characters identify aspects of the vehicle, including who built it, where it was built, when it was built, and how it was equipped. Our Porsche VIN number lookup can tell you what all of these characters mean. This is a great way to verify information from sellers, so you know exactly what you're buying.
Want to make your next vehicle purchase less risky? EpicVIN is an official National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS) source. That means we have legal access to government and corporate databases connected to the VIN. When you order a VIN report, you'll get a full vehicle history, including title changes, accident claims, police reports, vehicle owner lookup and more. That way, you can avoid vehicles that may have hidden damage, washed titles, or legal issues that could lead to repossession.
For many of us, a Porsche is our dream vehicle, whether we're buying an air-cooled 911 or an electric Taycan. With so many model variations available, it's important to verify the vehicle you're buying is represented accurately. Our Porsche VIN decoder helps you match the seller's information with factory build information, so you can be sure you're looking at the exact model you want. Even if a model is faithfully recreated using factory parts, it won't have the same resale value as the genuine article.
Don't have your heart set on a Porsche? We have DMV VIN check tools for a wide range of vehicles, including heavy duty truck, RV, ATV and motorcycle VIN check. No matter the brand, if it was sold in North America, we can provide the information you need to make an informed buying choice.
If you want to use the VIN decoder Porsche search on our website, you first need to locate the VIN. This number is printed or stamped in several areas around the vehicle:
The VIN also identifies vehicles on paperwork. This number is usually printed on the title, insurance policies and registration. Does the vehicle have a valid license plate number? Our license plate lookup can find the VIN currently registered to the plate, giving you the same information you’d get by entering the VIN directly into our search engine.
Porsche uses three letter codes to identify vehicles internally. This is confusing, since some codes, like 911, are also model names. We've included these vehicle codes in parenthesis.
Do you think the car you're looking at might be an import? Characters 4-6 and 9 are all “Z” on European market vehicles. Even if a gray market import is legal, it can be difficult to title.
What can you learn about when you decode a Porsche's VIN? Here's a breakdown of each VIN character and what it tells you about the vehicle.
Character 1: Build Country
Porsches are built in three countries:
| W | Germany or Slovakia |
| Y | Finland |
Character 2: Manufacturer
P – Porsche
Character 3: Division
It's up to manufacturers to decide how they want to use this character, whether they divide vehicles by build location, vehicle type or nameplate. However, Porsche always uses “0” in this position.
Character 4: Model
Porsche frequently reuses characters in this position, but it's still useful for verifying trim levels for the vehicle you're looking at. For examples, if there's an “A” in this position, it could be any of these models:
- 911 Carrera, Carrera 4 or Carrera 4S Coupe
- 911 Turbo Coupe, GT2, Turbo AWD (997)
- 924
- 928 S-4 (1990 model year,) 928 (1991 model year)
- 944 coupe
- Cayenne
- 911 Carrera GT (990)
- Cayman, Panamera, or Macan
Character 5: Engine
Porsche frequently reuses characters for engine designations. For example, the letter “A” refers to at least 35 possible engines and applications. Our search engine can tell you which engine was installed at the factory.
Character 6: Safety
This character identifies the safety equipment installed at the factory.
| 0 | Pretensioning seat belts |
| 2 | Inertial seat belts or driver and passenger air bags |
Characters 7 and 8: Model
These characters identify a specific model and chassis. Here are a few examples:
| A1 | 918 Spyder |
| A2 | Cayenne (958) |
| A5 | Macan |
| A7 | Panamera |
| A8 | Boxster and Cayman |
| A9 | 911 (991 or 997) |
Character 9: Check Digit
All North American vehicles use a formula that calculates this character based on other characters in the VIN. This helps with error correction when entering the VIN into databases.
Character 10: Year
This is the year the vehicle was manufactured, not the model year. All vehicles sold in North America use the same letters and numbers for this character. Number 1-9 were used from 2001 to 2009, while newer vehicles use letters. Some letters are skipped, so they aren't confused with numbers. For example, a car from 2023 uses “P” for this character, while cars built in 2024 use “R”.
Character 11: Assembly Plant
| K | Osnabruck, FRG |
| L | Leipzig, Germany |
| N | Nekkarzyulm, Germany |
| S | Stuttgart Tsyufenhauzen, Germany |
| U | Uusikaupunki, Finland |
Character 12: Factory Code
This character matches the model, country and assembly plant. Characters frequently change between models and years.
Characters 13 to 17: Serial Number
VIN numbers are unique to each vehicle, but serial numbers may be reused.
Want to see how our Porsche VIN lookup can help you find your next vehicle? Try using it with one of these example 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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Read moreLooking for the VIN?
Here is there you’ll find it:
