Free VIN decoder
Factory specs, engine and build plant, from NHTSA vPIC data. No sign-up, no card, nothing blurred out.
SourcesNHTSA vPIC
Decode a VIN
Every field the manufacturer actually reported, position by position, with an honest note where they reported nothing. Plus the check digit, so you can catch a mistyped number.
Find used parts
4,468 salvage yards with phone numbers and published opening hours.
Sell a car that's done
What it is worth as scrap and parts, with the arithmetic shown, then the yards near you that appear to buy cars. We are not a buyer and we do not ask for your name or phone number.
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Where is the VIN number on a car? 5 places to look
Start at the driver's side of the dashboard, through the windshield. If that plate is hard to read, four other spots carry the same 17 characters.
How to Sell a Car Without a Title in Texas
In Texas, selling a registered car without its title is an offense. Get a certified copy (VTR-34) first. Here's how, plus liens, bonded titles and old junk cars.
How to Sell a Car Without a Title in Florida
Lost a Florida title? The usual route is a duplicate from the tax collector. Old junk cars under $1,000 can go to a licensed salvage dealer on a derelict form.
Why this site is different
Nothing here is blurred out and then sold back to you. The specification data is public, so we publish all of it, including the fields manufacturers left blank, and we say which is which. Where we do not know something, the page says so rather than guessing.
Directory listings say where they came from and whether a person has confirmed them. Most have not yet, and those pages say that at the top. We would rather tell you to call ahead than imply a phone call we have not made.
- Every reported fieldThe whole vPIC record for your VIN, with an honest note on each field the maker left empty.
- Sources on every listingEach yard profile says where its details came from and when we last saw them.
- Unverified says soA listing we have not confirmed is marked that way, so you know to call before you drive.
- No sign-upWe do not ask for your name, email or phone number anywhere on the site.
- Estimates, not offersThe junk car calculator shows its arithmetic. It is an estimate and is not binding on any buyer.
VIN decoding questions
Is this VIN decoder free?
Yes. There is no sign-up and no card, and nothing is blurred out. You see every field the manufacturer reported to NHTSA for that VIN, including the ones it left blank.
Where does the data come from?
From NHTSA vPIC, the US government's public vehicle database. Manufacturers submit the data. We show what they reported and mark the fields they did not.
Will a VIN decode show accidents, mileage or title status?
No. A VIN describes how the car left the factory. Mileage, accident damage, title brands such as salvage or flood, and service history live in title, inspection and repair records, not in the number itself.
Why are some fields blank?
NHTSA defines around 154 fields for this lookup and manufacturers report far fewer. A blank means the maker never submitted that value, not that we are holding it back.
Why won't the decoder accept the letters I, O or Q?
Those three letters are never used in a VIN because they are too easy to confuse with 1 and 0. If you think you can see an O, it is a zero.
What does the check digit tell me?
The ninth character is calculated from the other sixteen. If it fails, the VIN has been mistyped or is not genuine. A pass only means the number is well formed, not that it belongs to the car in front of you.
Can I decode a VIN from before 1981?
Usually not. The 17-character standard started with 1981 models, and older cars have shorter VINs that NHTSA's database cannot decode.