Is a VIN just a serial number? How is it assigned, and does it mean anything?

The auto insurance industry is dependent on accurate Vehicle Identification Numbers, or VINs. In 1981, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration standardized the format, requiring 17 digits. Before that, each manufacturer used their own serial numbers. Of course, many vehicles using these numbers are still on the road.

While the 17 digit standard is used throughout the world, it varies slightly in Europe, Australia, etc. This post will discuss the codes used in the United States and Canada.

Each of the 17 digits identifies a specific characteristic of the vehicle. These characteristics are important to insurance because they relate to value, power, and thus exposure to loss.

The first digit: Country of Origin
In the U.S., mostly commonly used are:
1, 4, 5 – USA
2 – Canada
3 – Mexico
J-R – Asia (each country has a letter)
S-Z – Europe (each country has a letter)

Position 2: Vehicle Manufacturer
Most manufacturers have their own letter, but there is some overlap, and in that case, position 3 must be combined to find the precise manufacturer.

Position 3: Vehicle Type or Division

Positions 4-9: Descriptor
Contains information such as model, body type, weight, restraint system, transmission type.

Position 10: Year of Manufacture

Position 11: Plant of Manufacture

Position 12-17: Serial number assigned during production

There are several places to learn the specifics of a VIN, such as ISO. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also has a free VIN Decoder, at https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/decoder/.