Enter the 17-character VIN of your Volkswagen Golf 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 Volkswagen Golf and the free decoder reads the manufacturer, the model year and the country of manufacture, with no registration needed. Our data lists 39 versions of the Golf, from the Volkswagen Golf I (3-door) and Golf II Country to the Golf III Variant, across model years 1974 to present. Body styles in the data are Hatchback, Convertible, Wagon and Cabriolet, and power runs from 45 to 333 hp.
A VIN does not contain accidents, mileage, theft records or previous owners, so the decoder cannot show them. That information comes from a paid vehicle history report. On a car you are looking at, compare the VIN on the car with the one in the registration papers, and check that the model year and body style fit the version being advertised.
1974 - present
Production years
45 - 333 hp
Power
4
Body styles
39
Versions
Versions and generations in our data. Use the VIN to confirm which one you have.
| Version | Years | Body | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Volkswagen Golf I (3-door) | 1974 - 1983 | Hatchback | 50 - 112 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf I (5-door) | 1974 - 1983 | Hatchback | 50 - 112 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf I Cabrio | 1979 - 1994 | Convertible | 70 - 112 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf II (3-door) | 1983 - 1987 | Hatchback | 45 - 139 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf II (5-door) | 1983 - 1987 | Hatchback | 54 - 112 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf II (3-door, facelift 1987) | 1987 - 1991 | Hatchback | 54 - 160 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf II (5-door, facelift 1987) | 1987 - 1991 | Hatchback | 54 - 160 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf II Country | 1990 - 1991 | Hatchback | 98 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf III | 1991 - 1999 | Hatchback | 55 - 190 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf III Cabrio | 1993 - 1998 | Convertible | 75 - 115 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf III Variant | 1993 - 1999 | Wagon | 60 - 190 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf IV | 1997 - 2006 | Hatchback | 68 - 240 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf IV Cabrio | 1998 - 2002 | Convertible | 75 - 116 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf IV Variant | 1999 - 2006 | Wagon | 68 - 204 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf V (3-door) | 2003 - 2008 | Hatchback | 75 - 250 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf V (5-door) | 2003 - 2008 | Hatchback | 75 - 250 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf V Plus | 2004 - 2008 | - | 75 - 160 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf V Variant | 2007 - 2009 | Wagon | 80 - 170 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VI (3-door) | 2008 - 2013 | Hatchback | 80 - 270 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VI (5-door) | 2008 - 2013 | Hatchback | 80 - 270 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VI Plus | 2008 - 2014 | Hatchback | 80 - 160 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VI Variant | 2009 - 2013 | Wagon | 80 - 160 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VI Cabriolet | 2011 - 2015 | Cabriolet | 105 - 265 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VII (3-door) | 2012 - 2017 | Hatchback | 85 - 300 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VII (5-door) | 2012 - 2017 | Hatchback | 85 - 300 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VII Sportsvan | 2012 - 2017 | - | 85 - 150 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VII Variant | 2012 - 2017 | Wagon | 85 - 184 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VII Alltrack | 2013 - 2017 | Wagon | 110 - 184 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VI Cabriolet (facelift 2015) | 2015 - 2016 | Cabriolet | 105 - 220 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VII (3-door, facelift 2017) | 2017 - 2019 | Hatchback | 245 - 300 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VII (5-door, facelift 2017) | 2017 - 2021 | Hatchback | 85 - 310 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VII Alltrack (facelift 2017) | 2017 - 2019 | Wagon | 150 - 184 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VII Sportsvan (facelift 2017) | 2017 - 2019 | - | 85 - 150 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VII Variant (facelift 2017) | 2017 - 2020 | Wagon | 110 - 310 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VIII | 2020 - 2024 | Hatchback | 90 - 333 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VIII Alltrack | 2020 - 2023 | Wagon | 200 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VIII Variant | 2020 - 2024 | Wagon | 110 - 320 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VIII (facelift 2024) | 2024 - present | Hatchback | 116 - 333 hp |
| Volkswagen Golf VIII Variant (facelift 2024) | 2024 - present | Wagon | 116 - 333 hp |
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.
Our data lists model years 1974 - present across 39 versions of the Volkswagen Golf. The VIN of a particular car shows its model year in the 10th character.
39 versions, in 4 body styles, with power up to 333 hp. Use the VIN to confirm which one you have.
The decoder gives you the model year from the 10th character, plus the manufacturer and country. Set that year and the body style, for example 3-door, 5-door, Variant or Cabrio, against version names such as Volkswagen Golf II (5-door, facelift 1987) and against the registration papers.
All 17 characters must match exactly, and none of them should be I, O or Q. Also check that the model year in the 10th character and the plant code in the 11th make sense for the car and its paperwork. The 9th character is a check digit that North American VINs require, but many European VINs fill it differently, so do not treat it as proof by itself.
It will not show accidents, mileage, theft or owners, because a VIN does not contain any of those. It reads only the manufacturer, model year and country of manufacture from the 17 characters.