The 10th character in a vehicle’s VIN identifies its model year, based on a standardised chart which was first introduced in 1981. Matching this character to the VIN year chart allows quick, accurate determination of a vehicle’s age. It’s important to keep in mind that the model year can differ from the manufacture and registration dates, particularly in the UK, which makes the VIN a valuable identifier.
Your VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) holds a lot of important information, including the model year. Each car has a unique VIN, and knowing how to read it can save you time and help you get accurate details about your vehicle.
You might wonder, why check your VIN number at all? It helps confirm your car’s age, verify its records and make maintenance and resale planning easier.
Digital tools are helpful for cross-referencing VINs with model years quickly, avoiding manual paperwork. Using a VIN year digital chart makes this process faster and hassle-free.
In this blog, we’ll provide a VIN year decoder chart to help you find your vehicle’s model year quickly and understand how to use this information effectively.
Every VIN carries specific information about a vehicle, and the 10th character is the key to identifying its model year. By referencing the VIN year chart below, you can quickly see which year your car belongs to. It’s worth knowing that VIN year codes repeat every 30 years – for example, A can mean 1980 or 2010 depending on context.
| A | 1980 | L | 1990 | Y | 2000 | A | 2010 | L | 2020 |
| B | 1981 | M | 1991 | 1 | 2001 | B | 2011 | M | 2021 |
| C | 1982 | N | 1992 | 2 | 2002 | C | 2012 | N | 2022 |
| D | 1983 | P | 1993 | 3 | 2003 | D | 2013 | P | 2023 |
| E | 1984 | R | 1994 | 4 | 2004 | E | 2014 | R | 2024 |
| F | 1985 | S | 1995 | 5 | 2005 | F | 2015 | S | 2025 |
| G | 1986 | T | 1996 | 6 | 2006 | G | 2016 | T | 2026 |
| H | 1987 | V | 1997 | 7 | 2007 | H | 2017 | V | 2027 |
| J | 1988 | W | 1998 | 8 | 2008 | J | 2018 | W | 2028 |
| K | 1989 | X | 1999 | 9 | 2009 | K | 2019 | X | 2029 |
With a clear VIN year chart, you no longer need to guess or rely solely on documents to confirm your vehicle’s age. By following this method, you can expect accurate results and save time whenever you need to verify your car’s model year.
Still unsure how VINs work? Here are answers to some common questions to help you get a better understanding of VIN year decoding.
VIN year codes exclude certain characters letters I (i), O (o), Q (q), U (u), and Z (z), along with the number 0 (zero), to avoid visual confusion with other letters/digits.
A VIN shows the model year, but the actual UK registration year may differ slightly depending on when the car was imported or on the timings of car registration.
The VIN year represents the model year, which can be earlier or later than the physical production date. As such, the VIN and the manufacture date are not always the same.
The standardised 17-character VIN year chart was introduced in 1981. VIN year codes track vehicles from that year onwards.
If you want to keep track of your vehicles’ model years reliably, having the right tools and references at hand makes the process much smoother. VIN details are also essential for garages managing service histories and parts ordering.
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