Enter the 17-character VIN of your MG 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 a 17-character VIN and the MG decoder reads the manufacturer, the model year and the country of manufacture straight from the code. Our data for the brand lists 31 models, from the Astor, Comet EV and Cyberster to the MGB, Midget, TF and ZT. Version data runs from model year 1962 to the present, since some models are still built, and covers SUV, Hatchback, Roadster, Sedan, Wagon and Convertible bodies, with power up to 400 hp.
The decoder only reads the VIN itself, so it says nothing about accidents, mileage, theft or previous owners. That information comes from a paid vehicle history report, which you can order separately. The decoder stays free and needs no registration.
Every VIN built to the modern standard has 17 characters, and the letters I, O and Q are never used. The first three characters are the WMI, which identifies the manufacturer and the country of manufacture. At the moment we have no WMI codes mapped to MG, so we cannot list any here. The list we hold is not complete, and a VIN that starts with other characters is not a problem for that reason.
Characters 4 to 8 describe the vehicle, and the tenth character gives the model year. A K in that position reads as 2019, an R as 2024. The letters repeat over a 30-year cycle, so an L can mean 1990 or 2020, and you need to know what kind of car you are looking at to tell them apart. Our MG data reaches back to 1962, but the 17-character format applies to cars built since 1981. A classic such as an MGB or a Midget from before that may carry a different type of number.
The eleventh character marks the plant and characters 12 to 17 are the serial number. The ninth is a check digit, which is required in North America, while many European VINs fill that position differently, so a check digit that does not calculate on a European car means little.
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.
The VIN is usually printed on the vehicle registration document and on a plate or stamping on the car itself, often visible at the base of the windscreen or on the door frame. Copy all 17 characters exactly and check them against the documents.
The first three characters are the WMI, which show the manufacturer and the country where the car was built. We have no WMI codes mapped to MG yet, so the decoder may not recognise every MG VIN. That says nothing about the car.
Look at the tenth character. For example, K stands for 2019 and R for 2024. Because letters repeat every 30 years, an older car needs a second look to confirm which cycle it belongs to.
It cannot show accidents, mileage, theft records or the number of owners, because none of that is stored in the VIN. It also does not tell you the condition of a particular car.
Compare the VIN on the car with the one in the paperwork, and make sure the decoded model year and country fit the car you are being offered. For older models such as the MGB, MGF or TF, also check how the seller's documents describe the car, since the VIN format changed over the decades.