Where to Find Your VIN (and What the 17 Digits Mean)

Your VIN is on the car and on your paperwork. Here's where to look — and what the 17 characters encode.

Where to find your VIN

• Registration document — your vehicle registration card lists the full VIN.
• Windscreen — visible from outside, at the base of the windscreen on the driver's side.
• Door frame — on a sticker or plate in the driver's door jamb.
• Under the bonnet / boot floor — many cars stamp it on the chassis too.

What the 17 characters mean

A VIN isn't random. Broadly: the first characters identify the manufacturer and region, the middle section describes the model and body, and the final digits are the unique serial number for your specific car. That uniqueness is exactly why a VIN can unlock the factory build record.

Turn your VIN into a build sheet

Once you've found it, enter your VIN on the homepage to get your car's full factory equipment list by email.