(2023) How to Find Vehicle Manufacture Date by VIN

Ever wondered if a VIN number can reveal when a car was manufactured? Absolutely! As VIN is a unique code stamped on every motor vehicle and is used for recording auto information, finding a car’s build date by VIN is a reliable and convenient way.

While you can often just check the little metal plate or sticker on the door jam for the manufacture date, these may wear out, go missing, or be tampered with over time.

To ensure accurate information, we’ll guide you step-by-step on how to find the manufacture date using the VIN! ?✨

Method 1: Look it up yourself

Simply looking at the VIN won’t tell you any info about the vehicle. So it’ll need a little decode work to look up the specific digit in the VIN number by yourself. Here are the steps for locating and decoding the VIN of a vehicle:

Step 1: Locate the VIN on a car

Different manufacturers may place the VIN number in different places on their vehicles. Here are the most common locations where you may find the VIN:

Step 2: Look for the 10th digit

Note: If you’re not looking up a classic car’s VIN that might only have 13 digits or 11 digits, the 10th digit in the standardized 17-digit VIN number is what determines the vehicle year.

Step 3: Find the year that corresponds to the digit

Now you can refer to the VIN-to-Year chart below with the 10th digit on the VIN to check for the year of production. 

⭐The letters "I," "O," "Q," "U," and "Z" are not used in VIN numbers to avoid confusion with the numbers 1, 0 and 2.

To swiftly get substantial information about the car without the hassle of self-decoding, you can utilize the VIN lookup tools provided below to decode the VIN in seconds.

Method 2: Using VIN check tools (recommended)

VIN lookup tools are professional in providing in-depth information about a vehicle,including:

All you have to do with these VIN search tools is key in a VIN number into their search boxes, and in this way, you can save yourself a lot of time decoding on your own. If you’re not similar to any VIN lookup tool, here are the reliable options we’ve tried that yield accurate information:

Option 1 – BeenVerified

When you want to get info like the build date or history of a used vehicle, BeenVerified is a great place to start. As an all-rounded people search engine, BeenVerified also provides a dedicated service for VIN number lookup. With billions of records in its database, BeenVerified is able to compile a detailed VIN search report to help you be better informed about a car.

Steps to run a BeenVerified vehicle search:

1. Head to the BeenVerified VIN lookup page.
2. Enter the number and then click SEARCH. 
   
3. A VIN lookup report looks like this will be present to you after you set up your account.
   

Option 2 – Bumper

Bumper is one of the best and most reliable vehicle search tools for learning more about a vehicle. With its data sourced from state-level agencies, auto insurance providers, and trusted car industry partners, you can expect a comprehensive vehicle report that will provide you with more information about the car you plan to buy.

The process of searching for a VIN with Bumper is similar:

1. Go to Bumper Vehicle Search.
2. Key in the VIN and click SEARCH to start searching.
   
3. Wait as Bumper scans its database and scours all the available records of the vehicle. A Bumper report may include the following categories covering the vehicle’s life span details.
   
   

Option 3: Government VIN Search Tools

You can also search for a VIN through official government websites like the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s VINCheck or the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS).

These sites provide verified vehicle history straight from law enforcement and DMV records. While these services may also require a fee, they provide authoritative reports, including details on theft, title information, and odometer readings.

Some important facts about VIN

Final thoughts

Decoding a vehicle’s manufacture date by VIN offers a reliable and convenient way to access crucial information about its history and origin. Whether you choose to manually decode the VIN or leverage advanced VIN lookup tools like BeenVerified and Bumper, understanding the manufacturing date is key to making informed decisions when buying or maintaining a car.

That’s it! Hopefully, this guide helped you get what you need to know about the vehicle. Feel free to drop a line in the comment area below if you have any questions or suggestions on this topic. Thanks for reading!

*_{Featured image by Ahmad Ramadan}

By Evie Gan

Evie is a tech-writer and content writer passionate about exploring new concepts and technologies. Her articles for Super Easy cover a wide range of topics related to tech and daily life hacks.

Prior to joining Super Easy, Evie majored in English for science and technology at university. After graduation, she worked in foreign trade sales for a major household appliance company where she gained first-hand experience learning about manufacturing engineering, evaluating products, and interacting daily with staff about the latest tech.

In her free time, Evie enjoys drawing, traveling, basketball, Pilates, music, playing guitar, and learning new languages (Japanese at JLPT N2 level).

As a content writer, she leverages her diverse interests and web research skills to create articles that benefit readers. By sharing technology tips and how-to guides, Evie helps people improve their daily routines and get the most out of their devices.

Her goal is to use her knowledge and experience to craft informative, engaging content for the Super Easy audience.

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