How to Determine a Vehicle's Age?
2 Answers
Methods to determine a vehicle's age: Check the vehicle's user manual, which will have clear markings. If the user manual cannot be found, you can check the vehicle's registration certificate. If neither the user manual nor the registration certificate is available, you can only check via the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The 10th digit of the VIN indicates the model year, which can be either a number or a letter. The vehicle scrappage age is a safety inspection system based on the number of seats and the period of use. It states that small and micro non-operational passenger vehicles, large non-operational cars, and wheeled special machinery vehicles have no usage age limit. For vehicles that reach a certain mileage, owners are guided to scrap them. The owner can sell the vehicle to a scrapped vehicle recycling and dismantling enterprise, which will handle the registration, dismantling, and destruction according to regulations.
I've been driving for several years, and the most straightforward method is to check the vehicle's nameplate or VIN code. The 10th digit of that 17-character chassis number represents the year—for example, T stands for 2020, and U for 2021, so you can quickly estimate the production date. Additionally, the vehicle registration certificate will show the first registration date, which reflects its actual age. Older cars depreciate faster, so when buying a used car, always verify this carefully—otherwise, repair costs might outweigh the savings. I once bought an older car without thorough inspection and ended up frequently replacing parts, losing all the money I thought I'd saved. For beginners, I recommend checking the vehicle history report to avoid accident-prone cars—safety comes first.
