Enter the 17-character VIN of your BMW to see the factory basics. Free, with no registration.
Look on the dashboard, the driver's door frame or in the registration document.
Type all 17 characters. The letters I, O and Q are never used in a VIN.
See the factory basics for free, and order a full report for the history behind the VIN.
Enter the 17-character VIN of a BMW and the decoder reads the manufacturer, the model year and the country where the car was built. It is free and needs no registration. Our BMW data covers 50 models, from the 02, Isetta and 3.0 CSL to the i5, iX2 and Vision Neue Klasse X, in body styles from Sedan and Wagon to Roadster and Coupe.
A VIN does not record accidents, mileage, theft or previous owners. That information comes from a paid vehicle history report, which you can order separately once you have the VIN.
The first three characters are the World Manufacturer Identifier, or WMI. For BMW we recognise 4US, 5UX, 5YM, 98M, KRX, LBV, WBA, WBB, WBC, WBE, WBF and WBG. Together these codes belong to five countries: the United States, Brazil, South Korea, China and Germany. The list is the set of codes we map to the brand today. It is not a complete register, so a VIN that begins with something else is not a reason for concern.
Characters 4 to 8 describe the vehicle, and character 9 is a check digit. North American VINs must use it as a check digit, while many European VINs fill it differently. Character 10 gives the model year. A K stands for 2019 and an R for 2024, for example, and a 1 would mean 2001. Character 11 marks the plant, and characters 12 to 17 are the serial number. The letters I, O and Q never appear in a VIN.
Our version data reaches back to 1955, which is why older names such as the Isetta and the 700 appear in the model list. The 17-character VIN format applies to cars built since 1981. For an older car, a VIN of a different length is not unusual and the decoder cannot read it.
Every VIN has six parts. This is what each of them means.
| Part | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| WMI | 1 to 3 | World manufacturer identifier: who built the vehicle and where |
| VDS | 4 to 8 | Vehicle descriptor: model, body type and engine, as set by the manufacturer |
| Check digit | 9 | Control value that helps confirm the VIN is valid |
| Model year | 10 | Code for the model year |
| Plant | 11 | Code for the assembly plant |
| Serial | 12 to 17 | Production sequence number of this vehicle |
On the driver's side, visible through the windshield.
On a sticker on the door frame or the edge of the door.
Printed in the vehicle registration or title.
Stamped on the firewall or the frame on many models.
A VIN is built from six parts, and each one says something about the vehicle. Our guides explain how to read it and what it can and cannot tell you.
Enter the 17-character VIN and see the factory basics in seconds.
It is normally printed in the vehicle registration document and in the insurance papers. It is also stamped on the car itself, and it is usually visible at the base of the windscreen on the driver's side. Check that the number in the papers matches the number on the car.
The first three characters are the WMI, which identifies the manufacturer and the country of manufacture. We map 4US, 5UX, 5YM, 98M, KRX, LBV, WBA, WBB, WBC, WBE, WBF and WBG to BMW. Other codes may exist that are not on our list.
Look at the 10th character. For cars built since 1981 it is a letter or digit that stands for a year, for example J for 2018, L for 2020 and P for 2023. The decoder translates it for you.
It shows the manufacturer, the model year and the country of manufacture, nothing more. Accident damage, mileage, theft records and the number of owners are not stored in the VIN. The decoder also cannot tell you the condition of a particular car.
Start by comparing the VIN in the papers with the one on the car, and make sure the model year the decoder gives fits the seller's description. Then ask for service records and look at the car in daylight, ideally with a mechanic you trust. A test drive on a route you know well also helps.