What can you really learn from a VIN?

Everyone who has purchased and insured a vehicle knows what a Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN, is, but do you know what each set of numbers in the sequence can tell you about a specific vehicle? VINs are made up of 17 numbers and letters, and each set corresponds to a detail about that vehicle.

• The 1st character identifies the country where the vehicle was built.
• The 2nd and 3rd characters identify the vehicle manufacturer.
• Characters 4 through 8 identify the vehicle brand, engine size and type.
• Character 9 is a vehicle security code which confirms that the VIN has been authorized by the manufacturer.
• The 10th character identifies the vehicle model year.
• The 11th character identifies the at which plant the vehicle was assembled.
• Characters 12 through 17 are the serial number for the vehicle.

The VIN itself provides a basic overview of the vehicle, and if you search a VIN using catalog data, you can see standard features for that specific vehicle and all features that are optional add-ons. This is a great first look at the vehicle, but wouldn’t it be helpful to know if optional equipment has actually been installed on the vehicle you’re covering?

Explore the advantages of build data >

If you missed our catalog data post, you can catch up here >