Volkswagen VIN Decoder

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Volkswagen VIN Check: What is a Volkswagen VIN?

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.

List of Volkswagen Models

Volkswagen VIN Number Lookup

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.

Where to Search for the VIN?

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.

  • Look through the windshield at the dashboard. You should see the VIN printed on a small metal plate on the driver’s side of the vehicle.
  • Open the front left door. On the side of the body pillar, you should see a small black and white sticker next to the door sill. The VIN is printed directly above and to the left of the bar code.
  • Open the hood. Look for an engraving on the passenger’s side of the car, just in front of the hood hinge. This engraving is usually on the top lip of the outer fender.
  • Remove the rear license plate. The VIN is printed on a small sticker where the plate mounts to the body. Be sure to check this number with other VINs on the car. If the trunk lid or bumper cover was replaced with a salvage part, it may have a VIN sticker for another vehicle.
  • Look at the trunk or cargo floor, close to the rear bumper. You should find a small sticker with the VIN on it.
  • Slide the front passenger’s seat all the way back. Look for a small carpet flap between the seat rails. Lift this flap, and you will see the VIN engraved into the floorpan.

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.

Where to find VIN on a vehicle?
🟡 Basic Report Cost: Free
🟡 Volkswagen VIN Database: 9.7M+
🟡 Car-on-Sale Photos: Up to 100
🟡 Full Report: Extensive History

Comprehensive VIN Decoder Guide

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.

VIN Decode Guide?

Digit 1 is the country where the vehicle was made:

CodeCountry
1, 4 and 5USA
2Canada
3Mexico
9Brazil
S-ZEurope

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:

CodeEQUIPMENT
E, J or KFront airbags only
H or LBoth 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:

CodeMODEL
1CNew Beetle
1YNew Beetle Cabriolet (convertible)
1TTouran
3C6-8th generation Passat and CC
AU7th Generation Golf
7L1st Generation Touareg
7P2nd 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.

CodeCountryCodeCountryCodeCountryCodeCountry
E1984R199442004E2014
F1985S199552005F2015
G1986T199662006G2016
H1987V199772007H2017
J1988W199882008J2018
K1989X199992009K2019
L1990Y2000A2010L2020
M199112001B2011M2021
N199222002C2012N2022
P199332003D2013P2023

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:

CodePLANT
CChattanooga, Tennessee
VWestmoreland, Pennsylvania
MPuebla, Mexico
AIngolstadt, Germany
EEmden, Germany
HHanover, Germany
KOsnabrück, Germany
NNeckarsulm, Germany
PMosel, Germany
SSalzgitter, Germany
WWolfsburg, Germany
8Dresden, Germany
FResende, Brazil
DBratislava, Slovakia
GGraz, 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.

Volkswagen VIN Samples

What kind of information can you get from our site when you decode the VIN? Here are a few examples.

  • 3VW5DAAT4KM509496: 2019 New Beetle with a 2.0 liter engine built in Mexico
  • WVGEF9BP6GD000912: 2016 Touareg with a 3.6l engine built in Slovakia
  • 1VWCS7A35GC022865: 2016 Passat with a 1.8l engine built in the U.S.
  • 2009 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2009 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWAB71K49W125956
    Listed for sale on:
    05/16/2013
    Price:
    $9,739
    Odometer:
    128,604 km
  • 2008 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2008 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWAA71K28W305437
    Listed for sale on:
    04/16/2015
    Price:
    $11,599
    Odometer:
    100,717 km
  • 2007 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2007 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWAR71K47W130275
    Listed for sale on:
    02/19/2017
    Price:
    $4,995
    Odometer:
    154,067 km
  • 2008 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2008 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWAA71K78W066810
    Listed for sale on:
    07/13/2022
    Price:
    $1,100
    Odometer:
    267,072 km
  • 2007 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2007 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWAR71K47W227718
    Listed for sale on:
    02/15/2018
    Price:
    $4,850
    Odometer:
    178,355 km
  • 2008 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2008 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWBA71K48W128863
    Listed for sale on:
    12/27/2019
    Price:
    $4,185
    Odometer:
    172,471 km
  • 2009 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2009 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWAB71K59W115596
    Listed for sale on:
    05/08/2017
    Price:
    $5,777
    Odometer:
    192,113 km
  • 2008 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2008 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWAB71K88W084777
    Listed for sale on:
    04/25/2022
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    194,597 km
  • 2007 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2007 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWAS71K87W138013
    Listed for sale on:
    09/27/2016
    Price:
    $4,995
    Odometer:
    179,155 km
  • 2008 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2008 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWBA71K38W118549
    Listed for sale on:
    11/04/2014
    Price:
    $6,641
    Odometer:
    158,528 km
  • 2009 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2009 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWAB71K49W077245
    Listed for sale on:
    10/17/2014
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    187,029 km
  • 2007 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    2007 VOLKSWAGEN Rabbit

    VIN WVWAS71K27W074955
    Listed for sale on:
    10/01/2020
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    231,637 km

Frequently Asked Questions

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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