How to Determine the Year of a Vehicle by Its VIN?
3 Answers
Method to determine the year of a vehicle by its VIN: The tenth digit of the VIN represents the year. The characters that denote the year are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, M, N, P, R, S, T, V, W, X, Y, totaling 30 characters, which cycle every 30 years. Starting from 2001, the character '1' was used. The VIN is typically located in the lower left corner of the front windshield, on the hinge pillar, door lock pillar, or door edge of the driver's side door, or sometimes in the engine compartment. The exact location may vary depending on the vehicle model, but these are the common places where you might find the vehicle's identification plate.
I remember when I was an apprentice at the repair shop, my master taught me that you can tell the year by looking at the letter or number in the tenth position of the VIN. This letter-number year correspondence chart needs to be memorized specifically: 1980 is A, 1981 is B, and so on until 2000 is Y. Later, in 2001, it started counting from the number 1 again, with 2001 as 1, 2002 as 2, 2009 as 9, and then switched back to A in 2010, with 2011 as B. This year, 2024, should be R. When actually checking the VIN, it's best to refer to a professional reference table for confirmation, as some years' letters might skip I and O to avoid confusion, and there may be slight differences in coding across different regions.
I've reviewed quite a few used car documents, and the simplest method is to locate the 17-digit VIN at the lower left corner of the windshield and directly check the 10th character. For example, if you see 'M', it means 1991 or 2021; if you see '5', it's 2005 or 2025. You'll need to determine the exact year by assessing the vehicle's overall condition. You can find complete correspondence tables online - remember that 2010 corresponds to 'A', and 2020 corresponds to 'L'. The letters reset after completing a full cycle. When inspecting, make sure to clean the VIN area thoroughly, as grease can sometimes make it hard to distinguish between '6' and '8'.
