MINI VIN decoder: reading the maker, model, year and plant

WMW and WMZ: the first three characters

NHTSA’s manufacturer register lists WMW as MINI passenger cars from BMW AG and WMZ as MINI multipurpose vehicles, a code the register added in 2017. A hatch, a Clubman or a convertible starts with WMW.

The first Countryman predates the new code. NHTSA’s decoder reads a 2011 VIN starting WMWZB3C5 as a Countryman Cooper with a 1.6-litre engine, so WMW alone does not prove you are looking at a hatch.

Characters 4 to 9: model, body and check digit

The next five characters describe the series, body and engine family in BMW’s own code, and position 9 is a check digit calculated from the other sixteen. BMW has never published a complete public table for positions 4 to 8, so NHTSA’s decoder relies on the codes BMW submits for US-market cars.

For a US-market car, NHTSA’s free decoder turns them into plain words. A 2015 VIN starting WMWXP7C5 reads as a Hardtop Cooper S with a 2.0-litre engine, and a 2019 VIN starting WMWXU1C5 as a Hardtop Cooper with a 1.5-litre engine.

Positions 10 and 11: model year and plant

On US-market cars, position 10 is the model year: F for 2015, K for 2019 and R for 2024, then S for 2025 and T for 2026. Position 11 is the plant. In NHTSA’s decoder a T or a 2 reads as Oxford, a W as Graz and a 3 as Born.

The plant settles questions the badge leaves open. A US-market 2011 Countryman with a W in position 11 came from Graz, which makes it the first-generation R60.

MINI plants and what they built

Each plant maps to a set of models and years, which turns the plant into a quick check on the generation. Two plants can share one model, as Oxford and Born did with the F56, so the plant narrows the choice and the VIN lookup still decides the build.

• Plant Oxford in Cowley: the hatch since 2001, and since March 2024 the petrol F65 5-door, F66 3-door and F67 convertible.
• VDL Nedcar in Born, Netherlands: F56 3-door production alongside Oxford from July 2014 to February 2024, and the F60 Countryman. The plant closed in March 2024 after BMW did not renew the contract.
• Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria: the first Countryman, the R60, from 2010 to 2016. It was the first BMW-era MINI built entirely outside the UK.
• BMW Plant Leipzig, Germany: the third Countryman, the U25, since November 2023.
• Spotlight Automotive in Zhangjiagang, China: the electric J01 Cooper since October 2023, built by BMW’s joint venture with Great Wall Motor.

The last seven characters: BMW’s chassis number

Positions 12 to 17 carry the serial number of the car. BMW’s workshop systems use the last seven characters of the VIN as the chassis number, and MINI’s warranty bulletins tell dealers to enter exactly that. Keep the full 17-character VIN for any other catalog or register.

The same bulletins scope their repairs by production date. SI M11 03 11 covers R56 hatches with Prince engines produced up to November 2011, so the production date from a full decode tells you whether a bulletin reaches your car.

From MINI VIN decoder to parts list

The free VIN decoder reads the manufacturer, the country and the model year. In the catalog, the same VIN opens the car’s build: model and chassis code, engine, gearbox, production date and option list. Each diagram then shows only the parts fitted to that car.

The parts catalog does not show recall status. Our post on checking recalls by VIN covers where that comes from, and the guide to MINI model codes explains the chassis codes the decode returns. VINsearch opens MINI parts in BMW ETK in the browser with the same login as BMW, from $5 for a Day Pass.