VIN model year chart
The 10th character of a VIN encodes the model year. The codes run through 30 letters and digits, then start again, so each code stands for two possible years.
| 10th character | Model year | or |
|---|---|---|
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 |
Why some characters are skipped
The letters I, O and Q never appear anywhere in a VIN, because they're too easy to confuse with 1 and 0. The year position also skips U, Z and the digit 0.
Telling the two cycles apart
For cars, SUVs and light trucks built from 2010 on, the 7th character tells the cycles apart: a letter there means 2010–2039, a digit means 1980–2009. In practice the vehicle's age usually settles it. Or just decode the full VIN.
Frequently asked questions
Which VIN digit is the model year?
The 10th character. It's a letter or number that repeats every 30 years, so 'A' means 1980 or 2010.
How do I tell 1990 from 2020?
Look at the 7th character on cars and light trucks from 2010 on: a letter there means the later cycle (2010–2039), a number the earlier one.