What is a VIN?
A Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is a 17-character code that uniquely identifies a vehicle.
1M8GDM9AXKP042788- Letters I, O, Q are not used
- The 9th character is a check digit
VIN structure
- WMI (positions 1-3): World Manufacturer Identifier
- VDS (positions 4-8): Vehicle Descriptor Section
- Check digit (position 9): computed from all other characters
- VIS (positions 10-17): Vehicle Identifier Section
Check digit
Each letter is transliterated to a number (A=1, B=2, … skipping I, O, Q). Each position has a weight. The weighted sum mod 11 gives the check digit; 10 is represented by X.
(w1×v1 + w2×v2 + ... + w17×v17) mod 11 = check digit
This tool validates format and check digit rules only. It does not verify real-world registration.