WMI code list: the first three VIN characters by brand

The WMI code and who assigns it

The WMI is defined in the international standard ISO 3780. The first character marks a region, the first two a country, and the third a manufacturer or a division of one. Many makers use the third character for vehicle type: within GM’s 1G block, 1G1 is a Chevrolet car and 1GC a Chevrolet truck.

In the United States, NHTSA has contracted SAE International to coordinate WMI assignments, which SAE supplies at no charge under 49 CFR 565.16. Manufacturers must also file their VIN decoding with NHTSA, and the agency’s vPIC database lets you look up who holds a given code.

Small manufacturers: a 9 in position 3

Under the US rule, a low-volume manufacturer builds fewer than 1,000 vehicles of a given type a year. Such a maker gets a six-character identifier: positions 1 to 3 with a 9 in the third place, plus positions 12 to 14.

A 9 in position 3 always means that longer identifier is in use. Read only the first three characters of such a VIN and you have the country and the block, without the company.

WMI code list: Asian brands

Codes starting with a number belong to North American plants, so the same brand shows up under several countries.

• Toyota: JTD and JTN cars, JTE MPVs and SUVs, 4T1 cars from Kentucky, 2T1 cars from Canada, 5TD MPVs and SUVs from Indiana
• Lexus: JTH cars
• Honda: JHM cars, 1HG cars from Ohio, 2HG cars from Canada, 5FN MPVs and SUVs from Alabama
• Acura: JH4 cars, 19U cars from Ohio
• Nissan and Infiniti: JN1 cars, 1N4 cars, 3N1 cars from Mexico, 5N1 SUVs, SJN from the UK plant, JNK for Infiniti cars
• Mazda: JM1 cars, JM3 MPVs and SUVs, JMZ for European export, 3MZ from Mexico
• Subaru: JF1 cars, JF2 SUVs, 4S3 cars and 4S4 SUVs from the United States
• Hyundai, Kia, Genesis: KMH Hyundai cars, KM8 Hyundai SUVs, KNA Kia cars, KND Kia MPVs and SUVs, KMT Genesis, 5XY from Kia Georgia
• Chinese brands: LVV Chery, L6T Geely, LGW Great Wall, LGX BYD
• SsangYong and KGM: KPT for export SUVs and MPVs

WMI code list: European and American brands

Wikibooks lists both WDD and W1K for Mercedes-Benz cars, and both WDC and W1N for its SUVs, so expect either pair in the workshop.

• Volkswagen: WVW cars, 1VW cars from the US, 3VW cars from Mexico
• Audi: WAU cars, WA1 SUVs. Škoda: TMB. SEAT and Cupra: VSS
• Porsche: WP0 cars, WP1 SUVs
• Mercedes-Benz: WDD and W1K cars, WDC and W1N SUVs, 4JG SUVs from the US
• Volvo: YV1 cars, YV4 SUVs, LYV from China, 7JR passenger cars from the US
• Land Rover: SAL. Jaguar: SAJ cars, SAD SUVs
• Renault: VF1. Dacia: UU1. Citroën: VF7. DS: VR1
• Fiat: ZFA. Alfa Romeo: ZAR cars
• Opel and Vauxhall: W0L, and W0V since 2017
• Ford: 1FA cars, 1FT trucks, 1FM MPVs and SUVs, WF0 Germany. Lincoln: 1LN cars, 5LM SUVs
• GM: 1G1 Chevrolet cars, 1GC Chevrolet trucks, 1GT GMC trucks, 1G6 Cadillac cars, 1G4 Buick cars
• Stellantis North America (Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Chrysler, from 2012): 1C4 MPVs, 1C6 and 3C6 trucks, 2C3 cars
• Tesla: 5YJ and 7SA from the US, LRW from Shanghai, XP7 from Berlin
• Bentley: SCB. Aston Martin: SCF

Using the WMI to pick the right catalog

The WMI tells you which manufacturer catalog to open before you read anything else. A 3VW car from Mexico goes into ETKA, a 5N1 SUV into the Nissan catalog, and a 1C4 into Mopar, whatever brand name the customer gives you. The free VIN decoder carries a longer WMI table by manufacturer and links each one to its catalog.

Treat the WMI as a starting point. It gives the maker and the country, and the VIN country of origin article explains where that country can mislead. The build itself, with its engine, options and part numbers, comes from decoding the full VIN in the catalog, for example Toyota and Lexus by VIN.