VIN Year Decoder
Quick Answer: The 10th character of a 17-character VIN is the model year. Enter your VIN in the tool below and it reads that character, applies the 7th-character rule to pick the right 30-year cycle, and shows your model year, with the full 1980 to 2039 chart underneath.
Decode Your VIN Year
Free, no sign-up. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or stored.
Find the VIN on the driver-side dashboard through the windshield, on the driver door-jamb label, or on your title. Leave out spaces and dashes.
Try a sample VIN:
How the 10th Digit Works
A VIN, or vehicle identification number, is a 17-character code that identifies one specific vehicle. The format is set by US federal rule 49 CFR Part 565 and by the international standard ISO 3779, and it has been used on cars built for the US since model year 1981. Every position in the VIN has a job, and position 10 has one job only: the model year.
The year code follows a fixed 30-code cycle. It starts with the letters A through Y, skipping I, O, Q, U, and Z, and then runs through the numbers 1 through 9. That gives exactly 30 codes. The first cycle runs from 1980 to 2009, and the second cycle runs from 2010 to 2039. So A means 1980 or 2010, J means 1988 or 2018, N means 1992 or 2022, T means 1996 or 2026, and 9 means 2009 or 2039. When 2040 arrives, the cycle resets to A again.
The letters are skipped for a simple reason. I looks like the number 1, O looks like the number 0, and Q looks like O and 0. U and Z are left out of the year position to keep the 30-year cycle clean. The digit 0 is never used as a year code either.
Because the same code repeats every 30 years, one character alone is not enough. A T could be 1996 or 2026, and an L could be 1990 or 2020. The VIN solves this with the 7th character. On cars, SUVs, and light trucks, a number in position 7 means the 1980 to 2009 cycle, and a letter in position 7 means the 2010 to 2039 cycle. The tool above applies that rule automatically and shows both possible years, so you can see how it decided.
How to Use This Decoder
Copy the VIN from your car, not from memory. Read it from the dashboard plate through the windshield, or from the certification label on the driver door jamb, then compare it with the title. Type all 17 characters into the box above. The result updates live as you type, and the tool highlights the 10th character in orange and the 7th in navy.
The result shows the model year, the 10th character and what it stands for, which cycle the 7th character picked, and the other possible year. It also shows the country grouping, the plant code, the serial number, and whether the check digit in position 9 passes the federal math test.
Watch for the three most common copy errors. The letter O is always the number 0 in a VIN, because O is never used. The letter I is always the number 1, because I is never used. And a VIN with 16 or 18 characters has a missing or extra character. Count the characters before you decode.
What Each Part of a VIN Means
The year is one character in a longer code. Positions 1 to 3 are the World Manufacturer Identifier, or WMI, which shows the country and maker. Positions 4 to 8 are the Vehicle Descriptor Section, which holds model, body style, engine, and restraint details, but each maker decides the exact layout.
Position 9 is the check digit. It is calculated from the other 16 characters using a formula in 49 CFR Part 565: each letter is turned into a number, each value is multiplied by a position weight, the products are added, and the total is divided by 11. The remainder is the check digit, and a remainder of 10 is written as X. A valid check digit proves the VIN is well formed. It does not prove the VIN belongs to the car in front of you.
Position 10 is the model year, covered above. Position 11 is the assembly plant, and each maker sets its own plant codes, so the same letter can mean different plants at different brands. Positions 12 to 17 are the production sequence number, which makes the VIN unique.
| Positions | Section | What it holds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) | Country and maker |
| 4 to 8 | Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) | Model, body, engine, restraints |
| 9 | Check digit | Math check on the other 16 characters |
| 10 | Model year | One character per year, 30-year cycle |
| 11 | Plant | Factory that built the vehicle |
| 12 to 17 | Serial number | Production sequence, unique to the vehicle |
Where Was the Car Built? The First Character
The first character gives a rough country grouping. The numbers 1, 4, and 5 mean the United States, 2 means Canada, and 3 means Mexico. J means Japan, K means South Korea, W means Germany, and L means China. Some letters need the second character too: KL to KR is South Korea, SA to SM is the United Kingdom, and ZA to ZR is Italy. The tool shows this grouping only. It does not guess a make or model from the WMI.
Model Year Is Not the Build Date
The 10th character is the model year the manufacturer assigned, not the month the car was built. A 2026 model can roll off the line in mid-2025. The build month and year are printed on the certification label on the driver door jamb, next to the VIN.
This matters when you buy parts, check recalls, or compare prices. Those use the model year from the VIN, not the build date. If a seller lists a car as a 2023 but the 10th character says 2022, trust the VIN and ask questions.
Worked Example: Reading a Ford F-150 VIN
Take the sample VIN 1FTFW1E51NF100001. The 10th character is N, which means 1992 or 2022. The 7th character is E, a letter, so this VIN uses the 2010 to 2039 cycle and the year is 2022. The first character, 1, means the United States. Position 11, F, is the Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan. This is a test VIN built for the worked example, not a known real vehicle.
Try the same steps on your own VIN. Find the 10th character, match it in the chart below, then check the 7th character to pick the cycle. That method works on any 17-character VIN built for the US market since 1981.
Full VIN Model Year Chart, 1980 to 2039
Find the 10th character of your VIN in the Code column. Each row lists both possible model years. The 7th-character rule tells you which one applies.
| Code (10th char) | Model Year (7th char is a number) | Model Year (7th char is a letter) |
|---|
Source: the model year encoding in ISO 3779 and US federal rule 49 CFR Part 565. The cycle resets to A again in 2040.
What a VIN Does Not Tell You
A VIN year decode is a structure read, not a vehicle history. It cannot return the make, model, trim, engine, or options, because those need a manufacturer database such as the NHTSA vPIC system. It cannot show title brands, accidents, theft status, salvage history, odometer readings, or open recalls. Those come from state and insurance records and from NHTSA recall lookup.
A readable VIN also does not prove the car is real or clean. A cloned VIN is copied from a real car onto a stolen one. If the year does not match the title or the features on the car, verify before you pay. A mismatch is a classic sign of VIN fraud.
For recalls, use the free NHTSA recall lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls and enter the full VIN. The year decoder tells you when the car was made. A history check tells you what happened to it since.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the 10th digit of a VIN mean?
The 10th character of a 17-character VIN is the model year code. For example, N is 2022, P is 2023, R is 2024, S is 2025, and T is 2026. The codes repeat every 30 years, and the 7th character tells the two cycles apart on cars and light trucks.
How many characters are in a VIN?
A VIN on a vehicle built for the US from the 1981 model year onward has exactly 17 characters, made up of digits and capital letters other than I, O, and Q. If you count 16 or 18, a character was dropped or added while copying. Older vehicles can have shorter VINs.
How do I tell 1996 from 2026 if both use the letter T?
Look at the 7th character. On cars, SUVs, and light trucks, a number in position 7 means the 1980 to 2009 cycle, and a letter in position 7 means the 2010 to 2039 cycle. So a T with a number in position 7 is 1996, and a T with a letter in position 7 is 2026.
Why are the letters I, O, and Q never used in a VIN?
Federal rules exclude I, O, and Q from VINs because they look too much like the numbers 1 and 0. If you think you see an O in a VIN, it is a zero. The letters U and Z are also left out of the 10th-character year code, and the digit 0 is never used there.
Where do I find the VIN on my car?
Look through the windshield at the driver-side dashboard, where the VIN plate sits near the left windshield pillar. It is also on the certification label on the driver door jamb, and on the vehicle title and registration. Read it from the car itself, then compare it with the title.
Is the model year the same as the build date?
No. The 10th VIN character is the model year the manufacturer assigned, not the month the car was built. A 2026 model can roll off the line in mid-2025. The build month and year are printed on the certification label on the driver door jamb.
What is the VIN check digit?
Position 9 is a check digit calculated from the other 16 characters using weights set by federal rule 49 CFR Part 565. If one character is copied wrong, the check digit usually catches it. A valid check digit only proves the VIN is well formed, not that it belongs to the car in front of you.
Can the VIN year be faked?
Yes. A cloned or re-stamped VIN can carry a year that does not match the car. If the 10th-character year seems wrong for the car condition, features, or title paperwork, verify the full VIN against the title and a history report before you buy. A mismatch is a classic sign of VIN fraud.
Reviewed by the AutoFixr Editorial Team. Year codes follow ISO 3779 and 49 CFR Part 565. This tool reads the VIN structure only. It does not return make, model, trim, or history, and a readable VIN does not prove it was issued to a real vehicle.