VIN Decoder

Beginning in 1980, all trucks, cars and other autos sold in the United States have a 17-digit serial number. The eighth digit from the right end of the sequence is the place to look when you want to identify a model year. Knowing the designation for each model year will help you verify dates when you look at used pickup trucks.

Years 1980 through 2000 are designated by a letter, beginning with A and ending with Y. The letters I, O, Q, U, and Z are not used, because they can be easily confused with either a number or another letter.

A: 1980
B: 1981
C: 1982
D: 1983
E: 1984
F: 1985
G: 1986
H: 1987
I: not used
J – 1988
K: 1989
L: 1990
M: 1991
N: 1992
O: not used
P: 1993
Q: not used
R: 1994
S: 1995
T: 1996
U: not used
V: 1997
W: 1998
X: 1999
Y: 2000
Z: not used

From 2001 through 2009, numbers were used to designate a vehicle's model year.

1: 2001
2: 2002
3: 2003
4: 2004
5: 2005
6: 2006
7: 2007
8 – 2008
9: 2009

Starting in 2010, the VIN year identifier switched back to letters, since newer models aren't likely to be confused with anything built in the '80s.

A: 2010
B: 2011
C: 2012
D: 2013