Free VIN decoder for European cars
Type the 17 characters below. Decoding is free and needs no account.
Decode a VIN free
- Maker and country
- Model year, model and engine, where we have them
- The VIN check digit
Mileage and damage: in the full report.
How to read a European VIN
The VIN in plain words
What a free decode shows, and what it misses
Free, from the VIN
- Maker and country of manufacture, from the first 3 characters
- Model year, for makes that code it consistently at position 10
- Model, generation and likely engine, from cars decoded before with the same code
- The check digit, which catches a typing mistake
Only in the paid report
- Mileage readings from services, inspections and adverts
- Recorded damage and accidents
- Stolen-vehicle databases
- History in the country it was imported from
- Photos from old adverts
With carVIN, a report costs €14.39 in the 3-report package (€43.18 in total) or €22.39 for one. The code CARVIN gives the same discount if you go to carVertical directly.
Before the viewing
Check a used car in four steps
- 01
Ask for the VIN
Sellers can send it, or a photo of the registration document, before you travel.
- 02
Decode it here
See whether the make, year and engine match the advert.
- 03
Run the national check
Where the car is registered, if that country offers one.
- 04
Report on the car you pick
Damage, mileage and history abroad, where records exist.
Quick answers
Questions about the free decoder
Is this VIN decoder really free?
Yes. There is no account and nothing to pay. You get the maker and the country and, where our data has them, the model year, model, generation and engine. Mileage, damage and theft records are in the paid carVertical report.
Does it work for cars built outside Europe?
Yes. North American VINs are decoded with the official NHTSA vPIC data, and for Japanese, Korean and other makers you get at least the maker and the country. European makes get the most detail, because our data comes from cars decoded in Europe.
Why is the model year sometimes missing?
Position 10 holds the model year only where the maker fills it in consistently, and many European makers did not, especially before 2010. We show the year only for makes where we checked it against real cars. The first registration date is on the registration document.
Where do I find the VIN?
On the registration document (field E in the EU), at the bottom of the windscreen, on the driver’s door pillar or stamped into the body. It must be the same everywhere.
What happens to the VIN I enter?
Your browser runs the decode, on files from this site. For North American cars and makes we do not have, the VIN goes to the public NHTSA vPIC service in the US. If you order a report, carVertical receives it.
