Vehicle VIN Year Identification: How to Read the Model Year From a VIN

The short answer

On most vehicles built for the US market since the 1981 model year, the model year is encoded in the 10th character of the 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Each letter or digit in that position stands for a specific model year, and the codes repeat every 30 years. That means an "A" can mean 1980 or 2010. For cars, light trucks and multipurpose passenger vehicles in North America, the 7th character usually settles which cycle applies: a number in position 7 points to 1980–2009, and a letter points to 2010–2039.

Two conditions change this answer. First, the VIN gives the model year, not the date the vehicle was built. A vehicle can be manufactured in one calendar year and sold as the next model year. Second, vehicles from before the 1981 model year, and some vehicles built for markets outside North America, do not follow the same standardized pattern. In those cases the 10th character may not represent the year at all.

Key terms

VIN: a unique 17-character code assigned to a road vehicle that identifies the manufacturer, vehicle attributes, model year, plant and serial number. Model year: the year the manufacturer designates for a vehicle's design and specifications. It is used for registration, parts compatibility and recalls, and it can differ from the calendar year of production. Check digit: the 9th character on North American VINs. It is calculated from the other characters and helps detect typos or altered VINs. Vehicle Descriptor Section: positions 4 through 8. The manufacturer uses these positions to describe the model, body, restraint system, engine or similar attributes. Position 7 falls in this section.

Model year codes for the 10th character

The table below covers the standardized North American cycle. The letters I, O, Q, U and Z, and the digit 0, are not used as year codes. This avoids confusion with similar-looking characters.

Code | First cycle | Second cycle; A | 1980 | 2010; B | 1981 | 2011; C | 1982 | 2012; D | 1983 | 2013; E | 1984 | 2014; F | 1985 | 2015; G | 1986 | 2016; H | 1987 | 2017; J | 1988 | 2018; K | 1989 | 2019; L | 1990 | 2020; M | 1991 | 2021; N | 1992 | 2022; P | 1993 | 2023; R | 1994 | 2024; S | 1995 | 2025; T | 1996 | 2026; V | 1997 | 2027; W | 1998 | 2028; X | 1999 | 2029; Y | 2000 | 2030; 1 | 2001 | 2031; 2 | 2002 | 2032; 3 | 2003 | 2033; 4 | 2004 | 2034; 5 | 2005 | 2035; 6 | 2006 | 2036; 7 | 2007 | 2037; 8 | 2008 | 2038; 9 | 2009 | 2039

Code "A" is listed for 1980 because it belongs to the cycle. The fully standardized 17-character format, however, began with the 1981 model year. A 1980 vehicle may carry a manufacturer-specific VIN instead.

Step by step: reading the year from a VIN

1) Find the VIN on the vehicle itself, not only on paperwork (locations are listed below). 2) Count the characters. A modern standardized VIN has exactly 17. If it is shorter, the vehicle is likely pre-1981 or built to a different standard, and the steps below do not apply. 3) Read the 10th character from the left and look it up in the table above. This gives two possible years, 30 years apart. 4) Look at the 7th character. On a North American car, light truck, SUV or van, a digit indicates the earlier cycle (1980–2009) and a letter indicates the later cycle (2010–2039). 5) Sanity-check the result against the vehicle's design, condition and documents. A vehicle cannot be a decade older or newer than its styling and equipment suggest. 6) Confirm with a VIN decoder, such as the free decoding tool offered by NHTSA. A decoder also reports make, model, body style and engine, which helps catch a mistyped VIN.

Example

Suppose a VIN has "L" in position 10. The table gives 1990 or 2020. If position 7 is a letter, the later cycle applies and the model year is 2020. If position 7 is a digit, it points to 1990. A vehicle's appearance and features would normally make the correct choice obvious, and a decoder will confirm it.

Position: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17; |-- WMI --| |-- VDS ------| CD YR PL |-- serial --|; WMI = World Manufacturer Identifier; VDS = Vehicle Descriptor Section (position 7 helps pick the year cycle); CD = check digit (North America); YR = model year code; PL = assembly plant

Where to find the VIN

Lower corner of the windshield on the driver's side: a plate on the dashboard, readable from outside the vehicle. Driver's door jamb or door edge: printed on the safety certification label. Title, registration card and insurance documents. Other locations that vary by vehicle: the firewall or engine bay, the frame on body-on-frame trucks, and stamped or labeled body panels. Some engines and transmissions carry a partial VIN. Service records and many vehicle apps or infotainment menus.

The VIN on the dashboard, the door label and the title should match exactly. A mismatch is a reason to stop and investigate before buying, registering or ordering parts.

Look-alikes and common mix-ups

Manufacture date versus model year: the door jamb certification label shows the month and year of production. This often differs from the model year encoded in the VIN, especially for vehicles built in the second half of a calendar year. Emissions label: the under-hood emissions information label often states a model year. It is a useful cross-check, but it is a separate label, not part of the VIN. Similar characters: S and 5, B and 8, and G and 6 are easy to misread on worn plates or photos. Because I, O and Q never appear in modern VINs, a character that looks like one of them is almost certainly 1, 0 or another valid character. Reading the wrong position: miscounting by one character is a frequent error. Position 9 is the check digit, and position 11 is the plant code. Neither indicates the year. Part numbers and date stamps: codes on glass, seat belts, tires and other components carry their own date markings. They indicate when the part was made, not the vehicle's model year.

When the VIN alone may not settle the year

Pre-1981 vehicles used manufacturer-specific numbering of varying length. The year may appear in a different position or be encoded differently, so you need a decoding reference for that specific make and era. The 7th-character rule for choosing the 30-year cycle applies to light vehicles built for North America. It may not apply to heavy trucks, trailers, motorcycles or vehicles built for other markets. Some vehicles imported from outside North America carry VINs whose 10th character is not used as a year code. In these situations, combine the vehicle's documents, production label, decoder results and design features. If the stakes are high, as with a purchase, registration or an insurance claim, ask a dealer for that brand or your state motor vehicle agency to confirm the identification.

Choosing your next step

Ordering parts: give the full VIN to the parts supplier rather than only the year. Mid-year changes can mean two vehicles of the same model year need different parts. Buying a used vehicle: confirm that the year from the VIN matches the title and listing, and check that all VIN locations agree. Checking recalls: use the full VIN in NHTSA's or the manufacturer's recall lookup, since recalls are tied to specific vehicles, not just model years. Older or imported vehicles: use a make-specific decoding reference or consult a dealer or marque club for that brand.