Decoding a Car’s VIN Can Tell You Where It Was Made—and More
Even American car brands build vehicles all over the world. Checking a car’s VIN is an easy way to find out where it was made, its safety features, and its history.
The vehicle identification number (VIN) applied to all cars (and their window stickers) can reveal key details—including where the vehicle was made. Knowing where a car was assembled can be relevant for shoppers considering the potential effects of tariffs or eligibility for purchase incentives. Plus, the VIN can help determine which safety features the car is equipped with, its EPA-rated fuel economy, and whether it has been recalled or reported stolen.
Photo: John Powers/Consumer Reports Photo: John Powers/Consumer Reports
How Can a VIN Tell You Where a Car Was Made?
If you have access to a vehicle, the easiest way is to check the driver’s-side doorjamb. There, the manufacturer will state where a vehicle’s final assembly took place and when it was assembled.
If you’re shopping for a new vehicle, the top right of the window sticker found on every new car shows where it was built.
Photo: Keith Barry/Consumer Reports Photo: Keith Barry/Consumer Reports
You can also look at the first two characters of the VIN. These are called a World Manufacturer Identifier, and they show where a car’s final assembly took place.
These are World Manufacturer Identifiers for vehicles sold in the U.S.:
1, 4, 5, 7F through 7Z, and 70: U.S.
2: Canada
3: Mexico
9A through 9E and 93 through 99: Brazil
AA through AH: South Africa
J: Japan
KL through KR: South Korea
L: China
MA through ME and MY through M0: India
ML through MR: Thailand
SA through SM: United Kingdom
TJ through TP: Czech Republic
TR through TV: Hungary
U5 through U7: Slovakia
VA through VE: Austria
VF through VR: France
VS through VW: Spain
W: Germany
YA through YE: Belgium
YS through YW: Sweden
YF through YK: Finland
XL through XR: The Netherlands
ZA through ZU: Italy
The VIN and door placard on Consumer Report’s Honda Prologue test vehicle show just how complex and international the automotive industry is. Although Honda’s headquarters are in Tokyo, the Prologue is built by General Motors—based in Detroit—at a factory in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico. Its batteries are assembled in the U.S. with parts from LG Chem, a Korean company.
Photo: John Powers/Consumer Reports Photo: John Powers/Consumer Reports
What Else Can a VIN Tell You?
The VIN is also a good way to find out, for free, if a car has open recalls or has ever been stolen.
Car recalls are free repairs to fix safety defects. There’s no federal law requiring that dealerships disclose whether a used car has a recall that hasn’t been repaired, so it’s best to check if one you’re considering has an open recall before you buy it. Enter a vehicle’s VIN at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recalls page to search the federal safety regulator’s official recall database. You can also use Consumer Reports’ Car Recall Tracker to check for recalls and receive recall notifications.
Use the VINCheck tool at the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s website to find out whether a car has been reported stolen or has a salvage title, indicating that it was seriously damaged due to a severe crash, a flood, or another issue. In most cases, buyers should avoid cars with that kind of history.
Photo: VINCheck/Consumer Reports Photo: VINCheck/Consumer Reports
Some dealerships will provide a used car’s service records based on its VIN. Note that not all dealerships offer this service, especially if the records identify the prior owner of the vehicle.
Paid vehicle history report services such as CarFax and AutoCheck can also tell you if a car has been involved in a crash and provide additional information, including how many owners it has had and whether it has been used as a rental car. But these services rely on insurance and police records and aren’t comprehensive. Not all crashes show up on a vehicle history report, which is why it’s wise to have a used car inspected by a professional before you purchase it or immediately after. Some sellers prohibit prepurchase inspections but allow you to return the car shortly afterward if your mechanic discovers a problem. In both cases, a mechanic can uncover signs of poor post-crash repairs or let you know whether a repaired car is still worth purchasing.
How to Decode a VIN—and What It Can Tell You
The different digits of a VIN correspond to different attributes of the vehicle. The eighth digit represents the engine, and the 10th shows the year of manufacture, for instance. But without a chart from the manufacturer, the easiest way for consumers to decipher it is through an online VIN decoder.
A lot of websites claim to be able to decode a VIN, but many of the ones we’ve tested are filled with ads. Others will try to sell you additional services. That’s why we like the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration’s VIN decoder, an official U.S. government service that offers a comprehensive look at how a car was originally equipped based on data submitted to NHTSA by automakers. It’s easy to use and totally free.
Start by entering your VIN and clicking on “Decode VIN.” Then select “Show All Vehicle Details.”
Photo: VINCheck/Consumer Reports Photo: VINCheck/Consumer Reports
The column on the right, “Value,” will tell you how your vehicle is equipped. The site isn’t perfect; if a column is blank, it means NHTSA doesn’t have information on whether a vehicle has the feature listed across the row. But you’ll probably learn at least a few details about the car that can be helpful, say, if you’re purchasing a used car and want to verify what the dealership says about which options are included.
We ran the VIN of the Chevrolet Trax in our test fleet, and NHTSA’s site confirmed that it’s a 1LT trim level with a 1.2-liter, 3-cylinder engine. NHTSA lacked data on its safety systems. But when we ran the VIN of a BMW 230i we tested a few years ago, NHTSA’s site showed that it came equipped with forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, lane centering, and adaptive cruise control.
