Anatomy of a Vehicle Indentification Number (VIN)

Smart car buyers consider many different factors when looking for a quality used car. One of the things they wouldn’t miss out on is the vehicle identification number (VIN). The 17-character VIN is every vehicle’s unique fingerprint. It was originally created in the early 80’s to help authorities track stolen vehicles, but has since been used for other purposes.

As an example, below is the VIN of a 2009 Range Rover Sport HSE SUV. The car has traveled 71,210 miles and operates on a 4.4-L V8 gas engine and a six-speed automatic transmission.

SALSK25489A213885

The first digit "S" means this car was made in England. The "A" means it was made by Jaguar. The "L" refers to the manufacturing division or type of the vehicle, which in this example is Land Rover. The fourth to eighth digits (SK254) identify the basic specs of the vehicle: weight and horsepower, platform (sedan, van, pick-up, etc), model-specific code, body type (convertible, 2-door, 4-door, etc), and number of cylinders.

The ninth digit determines the VIN’s accuracy. This digit is calculated through a specified formula, and can be anywhere from 0 to 9, or an “X” which is a “10” expressed in a single digit. The tenth digit identifies the model year, and the "9" in the example stands for 2009. The eleventh digit refers to the plant that made the vehicle. The last six digits collectively make up the Vehicle Identifier Section, and refer to the vehicle’s sequence in production.