What is vehicle identification number (VIN) in a car?

Vehicle identification number, commonly known as VIN or chassis number, is a unique numerical ID assigned to your car to legally identify it, and help differentiate it from other cars of the same make and model.
The VIN is usually 17 digits long and it can’t be changed. Among other uses, this helps identify your car if it’s stolen.

The VIN is stamped into the chassis of your car (hence why it’s also known as ‘chassis number’). Some cars also have the VIN on the windshield, side of the dashboard, or the door jamb. You should check your car’s owner manual to find out where the VIN is located.
You can also find the VIN on the car’s logbook – this helps spot a stolen car if the VIN doesn’t match on the logbook and the car’s chassis when you’re looking to buy a used car.

Yes, you can check your car's VIN online. You can validate whether the VIN on your car matches our records or not. All you need to do is head to our Vehicle Check page and buy a vehicle check report for £4.95. Through Vehicle Check, you can enter the VIN from the car's chassis and check whether the number matches Autotrader data or not. This allows you to ensure that there are no issues with the vehicle’s identity, like fraud or ‘cloning’. The Vehicle Check will provide other details about the car, like its number of previous owners, spec, colour changes, outstanding finance and even if it's recorded stolen.

When can I get a new VIN?

If you have a kit car - i.e. a car that you've assembled together from car parts - or if you’ve restored or radically altered a car, you may have to contact the DVLA to register the new vehicle.
Once the DVLA know about your new car, you get an authorisation letter so that the car can be assigned a new VIN. The new VIN helps you register the car so that you can legally drive it on the UK roads. If you want to assign the original number plates to the car, you will need to prove the car’s original VIN to the DVLA or apply for a replacement identity number using the V765 form.

The 17-digit VIN isn’t a random string of letters and numbers, it actually signifies something.
Let's see what the European VIN format means with the help of an example: WBABW33426PX70804 1. The first three characters make up the World Manufacturer Identifiers - it identifies the car's country, manufacturer and vehicle category. In the above example: the letter W stands for Germany, B for BMW and A for passenger cars. 2. The fourth to ninth characters are the vehicle descriptors. They tell us more about how the car is made. This includes the engine type, restraint system, engine code, transmission type and car model. The ninth character is called a check digit which helps detect invalid VINs. 3. The tenth character stands for the car model year. In the above example, the 10th character '6' signifies the year 2006. 4. The eleventh character is for the manufacturing plant's location. In our example, the plant code 'P' stands for Regensburg. 5. The twelfth to seventeenth characters of the VIN are the production sequence numbers which are unique for every car.

Learn more about what the letters and numbers on your number plate mean.
Buy a used car with confidence, now that you know where to find a car's VIN and how you can use it to check whether the car's safe to buy or not.