VW VIN Decoder
| WVW | ZZZ | 1K | Z | B | W | 073118 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
1 = World Manufacturer Identifier Code (WMI)
| WVW | = | West Germany Volkswagen |
| WVG | = | VW Touareg, Touran, Tiguan (commercial variant) |
| WV1 | = | VW Commercial vehicles |
| WV2 | = | VW Multipurpose vehicles |
| WV3 | = | VW commercial vehicles (chassis with cab and flatbed or special constructions) |
| 1VW | = | VW Group of America in Chattanooga |
| 2V8 | = | VW Group of America (model Routan from Chrysler plant) |
| 3VW | = | VW de Mexico |
| 8AW | = | VW Group Argentinia Pacheco |
| 9BW | = | Autolatina Brazil |
| AAV | = | VW South Africa |
| LAC | = | VW China, manufacturing in Taiwan |
| LFV | = | FAW-VW China |
| LSV | = | FAW-VW China |
| MEX | = | VW of India (for the Mexican market) |
| PPV | = | VW of Malaysia |
| XW8 | = | VW Group Russia Kaluga |
| YBW | = | VW Belgium |
2 = Filler (ZZZ)
On vehicles destined for the US market and the markets of some other countries (among others Canada, Mexico, Brazil, AGCC-States (Arabia)), the 3 filler characters are replaced at the 4th and 5th positions of the VIN by letters standing for the model / fittings package and the engine fit, and also a digit at the 6th position, which stands for the restraint system fitted.
3 = Type designation
Model Year (in each case beginning and end of the Production)
In vehicles destined for the North American market, the 7th position of the VIN has to be a letter as from MY 2010. Accordingly, the following type designations apply as from MY 2010:
| Up | AA |
| Polo | BJ |
| New Beetle (until MY 2011) | AG |
| New Beetle Convertible (until MY 2011) | AL |
| Beetle (from MY 2012) | AT |
| Beetle Convertible (from MY 2012) | AT |
| Golf VI / Jetta | AJ |
| Golf VI Plus | AU |
| EOS | AH |
| Passat | AN |
| New Midsize Sedan (U.S. Passat) | A3 |
| Phaeton | BH |
| Scirocco | AE |
| Sharan | BB |
| Tiguan | AX |
| Touareg | BP |
| Caddy III | SE |
| Amarok | SD |
| T5 | SA |
| T5 platform | SB |
| T5 GP | SV |
| T5 platform GP | SW |
| Crafter | SB, SC |
4 = Filler (Z)
On vehicles with a US-structure VIN, there is a check number instead of the filler. This is calculated using the entire VIN and is represented by a number from 0 – 9 or with an X (for 10).
5 = Model Year
| A = 1980 | B = 1981 | C = 1982 | D = 1983 | E = 1984 | F = 1985 | G = 1986 |
| H = 1987 | J = 1988 | K = 1989 | L = 1990 | M = 1991 | N = 1992 | P = 1993 |
| R = 1994 | S = 1995 | T = 1996 | V = 1997 | W = 1998 | X = 1999 | Y = 2000 |
| 1 = 2001 | 2 = 2002 | 3 = 2003 | 4 = 2004 | 5 = 2005 | 6 = 2006 | 7 = 2007 |
| 8 = 2008 | 9 = 2009 | A = 2010 | B = 2011 | C = 2012 | D = 2013 | E = 2014 |
| F = 2015 | G = 2016 | H = 2017 | J = 2018 | K = 2019 | L = 2020 | M = 2021 |
The model year codes are changed in the Summer of the previous year (e.g.: a vehicle produced in July 2004, would already have the model year code for 2005, i.e. 5 instead of 4).
The change to the next model year can occur earlier on new editions, e.g. in March of the previous year.
6 = Assembly Plant
| 11th character of the VIN | Assembly Plant | Internial
VW-Assembly code |
Model
(the models can conditionally change by the work exploitation over a short period of time, too. The list isn`t exhaustive) |
| 0 | Anchieta / Brazil | 51 | Fox, Polo |
| 2 | Shanghai /China | 78 | Polo, Santana, Passat |
| 3 | Changchun / China | 79 | Gulf |
| 4 | Curitiba / Brazil | 57 | Golf, Saveiro, Polo, Fox |
| 5 | Taubate / Brazil | 53 | |
| 6 | Düsseldorf | 70 | Crafter |
| 6 | Nigeria | 70 | Passat CC |
| 7 | Berlin-Ludwigsfelde | LT | |
| 8 | Dresden / Sachsen | 29 | Phaeton |
| 8 | Pacheco /Argentina | 59 | among others Amarok (WMI „VWN“) |
| 9 | Hino / Japan (Toyota) | Taro | |
| 9 | Sarajewo (from MY 2003) / Bosnia and Herzegovina | 44 | see VIN letter „S“ |
| A | Aurangabad / India | 74 | Jetta, Passat |
| A | Pacheco / Argentina | from MY 2012, Amarok | |
| B | Brüssel / Belgium | 46 | Golf,Passat |
| C | Taipeh / Taiwan (CCM) | ||
| C | Chattanooga / USA | U.S. Passat (WMI: „1VW“) | |
| D | Bratislava / Slovakia | 37 | Touareg, Polo, Up |
| E | Emden | 15 | Passat |
| F | Resende / Brazil | 55 / 56 | L80 (lightweight truck), … |
| G | Graz / Austria (until maximal MY 2007) | 45 | |
| G | Kaluga / Russia (from MY 2008, SKD/CKD) | WMI „XW8“: Tiguan, Passat, Touareg, Polo, T5, Jetta, Golf VII, Caddy III | |
| H | Hannover | 12 | LT2, T4, T5, Amarok |
| J | Jakarta (CKD) / Indonesia | Golf, Touran, T5 | |
| K | Osnabrück (Karmann) | 38 | Golf Convertible, XL1 |
| L | Pekan / Malaysia | WMI „PPV“: Polo, Jetta, Passat | |
| M | Puebla / Mexico | 66 | Golf, Golf Variant, Jetta, Beetle |
| N | Nanjing / China | ||
| N | Niznij Novgorod | 50 | WMI „XW8“: Jetta |
| P | Mosel / Zwickau (Saxony) | 28 | Golf, Passat |
| R | Martorell/Spain | 49 | Polo 6N |
| R | Chrysler plant / U.S.A. | U1 | Routan |
| S | Sarajevo / Bosnia and Herzegovina | 44 | 1994-2002 no producion; from 2002 small quantities of Golf, Polo, Passat, from 2011 also Touareg (7P) |
| S | Tanjung Malim / Malaysia | ||
| T | Pune / India | Polo | |
| U | Uitenhage / South Africa | 68 | Polo, Golf, Jetta |
| V | Setubal/Palmela/Portugal | 43 | Eos, Sharan, Scirocco |
| W | Wolfsburg | 11 | Gulf |
| W | Wolfsburg (Car 5000) | 20 | Touran, Tiguan |
| X | Poznan / Poland | 35 | T4, T5, Caddy |
| Y | Pamplona / Spain | 42 | Polo |
| Z | CKD/SKD for Ukraine | Golf, Passat, Touareg | |
| Braunschweig | 13 | Chassis components | |
| Kassel | 14 | Transmission | |
| Salzgitter | 17 | Engines | |
| Chemnitz | 27 | Engines | |
| Wiedenbrück (Westfalia) | 39 | Camping constructions | |
| Nigeria / Lagos | 97 |
Remark:
VW vehicles assembled at the Sarajevo plant may have a “W” for Wolfsburg. This is because the car parts were manufactured in Wolfsburg and delivered to Bosnia Herzogovina for final assembly. The type plate (identification plate) for these vehicles is like the plates described at Point 2.2.3.
7 = Serial number
Each production series uses an ascending serial number which one newly starts with every year of manufacture again. This always has 6 digits.
Deviations of this can happen on: – bodyworks variants (e.g. Golf Estate, for RoW from 500001)
– special engine versions (e.g. e-Golf from serial number 900001, Golf-GTE Hybrid from serial number 800001)
– successor or facelift models (e.g. new Passat 3C from 2014, from serial number 400001)
– various models with the same model designation (e.g. model designation „16“ for Beetle, Beetle Convertible and Jetta from 2011)