Reading a Hyundai or Kia VIN: the plant code, the engine and the parts
The first three characters: maker and country
KMH marks a Hyundai car built in Korea and KM8 a Hyundai SUV, while KMT belongs to Genesis. Kia uses KNA for its cars and KND for its MPVs and SUVs.
A code starting with another letter points outside Korea. NHTSA’s manufacturer register lists 5NM for Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, 5XY for Kia Georgia and 3KP for Kia Mexico. TMA identifies Hyundai’s Czech plant, U5Y Kia’s Slovak plant, NLH Hyundai Assan in Turkey and MAL Hyundai Motor India.
The middle of a North American VIN
US rules require positions 4 to 8 of a passenger car VIN to identify a set of attributes that includes the engine type. On a Hyundai built for North America, those positions describe the model line and drive type, the body and trim, the restraint system and, in position 8, the engine.
Position 9 holds the check digit, position 10 the model year and position 11 the plant. The last six characters are the serial number.
The plant letter in position 11
Check Hyundai’s plant letters against the list. U is Ulsan and A is Asan, both in Korea, and H is Montgomery, Alabama. M looks like Montgomery and stands for Chennai in India, and Z is İzmit in Turkey.
A Tucson built in Alabama for the US and a Tucson built in the Czech Republic for Europe share a name and can differ in emissions hardware, lighting and equipment. The VIN tells you which of the two you are ordering for.
The newest US plant and the model-year letter
Hyundai Motor Group opened Metaplant America in Ellabell, Georgia, in 2024, and it builds the Ioniq 5 and the Ioniq 9. For a US-built electric Hyundai, the VIN points to a different plant from the one that built the Tucson next to it in the car park.
Position 10 carries the model year on North American VINs: P is 2023, R 2024, S 2025 and T 2026. Our guide to model year vs production date explains why the two can differ on the same car.
European-built cars follow looser rules
Cars built for Europe follow the international VIN standard, which leaves the middle of the VIN to the manufacturer and does not require a check digit or a model-year character. Apply a table written for North American Hyundais to a car from the Czech plant and you can read the wrong thing.
For those cars, decode the VIN in the catalog, where Hyundai’s own build data sits behind the result.
Hyundai and Kia by VIN on VINsearch
VINsearch opens Snap-on EPC for Hyundai, Kia and Genesis. The free VIN decoder reads the manufacturer, country and model year, and in the catalog you go from the VIN to the exact build and its genuine part numbers. See Hyundai and Kia parts by VIN.
Frequently asked questions
What does KMH mean in a VIN?
KMH is Hyundai’s manufacturer code for cars built in Korea. KM8 covers Hyundai SUVs, and KMT covers Genesis.
How do I tell where my Hyundai was built?
Read position 11. U is Ulsan, A is Asan, H is Montgomery in Alabama, M is Chennai in India and Z is İzmit in Turkey. The first three characters also identify US, European, Turkish and Indian production.
Which character of a Hyundai VIN is the engine?
Position 8 on Hyundais built for North America. European-built cars do not follow the same layout, so decode those in the catalog.
What does a Kia VIN start with?
KNA for Kia cars built in Korea and KND for Kia MPVs and SUVs. Kias built in Georgia start with 5XY, and those from Mexico with 3KP.