Chevrolet VIN decoder
Chevrolet VIN decoder
Chevrolet is General Motors’ largest brand, from the Silverado and Tahoe to the Equinox, Malibu and Corvette. Chevy VINs start with 1G, 2G, 3G or KL depending on whether the vehicle was built in the US, Canada, Mexico or South Korea.
Chevrolet WMI codes
The first three VIN characters. Verified against the NHTSA vPIC database.
| WMI | Manufacturer | Vehicle type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1G1 | General Motors LLC | Cars | United States |
| 1GB | General Motors LLC | Chassis cabs & incomplete | United States |
| 1GC | General Motors LLC | Trucks | United States |
| 1GN | General Motors LLC | SUVs, vans & crossovers | United States |
| 2G1 | General Motors LLC | Cars | Canada |
| 2GC | General Motors LLC | Trucks | Canada |
| 2GN | General Motors LLC | SUVs, vans & crossovers | Canada |
| 3G1 | General Motors LLC | Cars | Mexico |
| 3GC | General Motors LLC | Trucks | Mexico |
| 3GN | General Motors LLC | SUVs, vans & crossovers | Mexico |
| KL1 | General Motors LLC | Cars | South Korea |
| KL7 | General Motors LLC | SUVs, vans & crossovers | South Korea |
| KL8 | General Motors LLC | Cars | South Korea |
What to know about Chevrolet VINs
- GM uses the 8th character as the engine code on Chevrolet trucks and SUVs, so it separates a 5.3L from a 6.2L Silverado.
- Chevy VINs beginning with KL were built by GM Korea, which builds the Trax and Trailblazer.
- Fleet and rental use is common for the Malibu, Equinox and Silverado work trucks; the report shows reported commercial use.
Chevrolet models you can decode
- Silverado 1500
- Silverado HD
- Colorado
- Tahoe
- Suburban
- Equinox
- Traverse
- Trax
- Trailblazer
- Blazer
- Malibu
- Camaro
- Corvette
- Bolt EV
Any 17-character Chevrolet VIN from the 1981 model year onwards can be decoded. Check open recalls for free on NHTSA.
How a Chevrolet VIN is built
All 17-character VINs for vehicles sold in the US follow the same structure.
Example: 5NPD74LF5LH611542
| Position | What it means | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Country / region | Where the manufacturer is registered: 1, 4, 5 and 7 = United States, 2 = Canada, 3 = Mexico, J = Japan, K = South Korea, W = Germany. |
| 2–3 | Manufacturer | Positions 1–3 together form the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI), assigned to one maker and vehicle type. |
| 4–8 | Vehicle descriptor | Manufacturer-coded details such as model line, body style, restraint system, engine and gross weight rating. |
| 9 | Check digit | A 0–9 or X calculated from the other 16 characters. It catches typos and many fake VINs. |
| 10 | Model year | A letter or number for the model year. The codes repeat every 30 years (see the table below). |
| 11 | Assembly plant | The factory that built the vehicle. Plant codes are defined by each manufacturer. |
| 12–17 | Serial number | The production sequence number that makes the VIN unique. |
VIN model year chart (10th character)
Codes repeat every 30 years. On cars and light trucks, a letter in position 7 means the later year.
A
1980 · 2010
B
1981 · 2011
C
1982 · 2012
D
1983 · 2013
E
1984 · 2014
F
1985 · 2015
G
1986 · 2016
H
1987 · 2017
J
1988 · 2018
K
1989 · 2019
L
1990 · 2020
M
1991 · 2021
N
1992 · 2022
P
1993 · 2023
R
1994 · 2024
S
1995 · 2025
T
1996 · 2026
V
1997 · 2027
W
1998 · 2028
X
1999 · 2029
Y
2000 · 2030
1
2001 · 2031
2
2002 · 2032
3
2003 · 2033
4
2004 · 2034
5
2005 · 2035
6
2006 · 2036
7
2007 · 2037
8
2008 · 2038
9
2009 · 2039
The letters I, O, Q, U and Z and the number 0 are never used as year codes.
Where to find the VIN on a Chevrolet
- Lower corner of the windshield on the driver’s side, readable from outside the car
- Sticker or plate on the driver’s door jamb (open the door)
- Title, registration card and insurance card
- Engine bay, often on the firewall or the front of the frame on trucks
- Seller’s listing or the dealer’s window sticker
The VIN on the car, the title and the listing must all match. If they do not, do not buy.
VinCode report · $5.99
Before you buy a used Chevrolet, check its history
Title brands, accidents, total-loss events, odometer readings, owners and service records for the VIN, scored with the VinCode Score.
- Title brand check
- Accidents & damage
- Odometer chart
- Owners & usage
- Service records
- VinCode Score
What does the 10th digit of a Chevy VIN mean?
It is the model year code. For example, N means 2022, P 2023, R 2024 and S 2025. See the full year table on this page.
Is a Chevy VIN decoder the same as a history report?
No. Decoding shows how the vehicle was built. A VinCode report shows what happened to it afterwards: title brands, accidents, odometer readings and owners.
Is the Chevrolet VIN decoder free?
Yes. Decoding a Chevrolet VIN is free. A full VinCode report with title brands, accidents, odometer readings and owners costs $5.99.
Does a Chevrolet VIN show accident history?
No. The VIN only encodes how the vehicle was built. Accident, damage and title history come from records reported for the VIN, which is what the VinCode report shows.