Home How To Find your Toyota VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)

Find your Toyota VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)

By Toyota Blog
Vehicle Identification Number

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is your Toyota’s legal identifier, and is applied to your car during production.

Each VIN is unique, and is usually a 17-character code made up of letters and numbers, and reveals important details about your vehicle. As well as containing information on the time and place of your car’s creation, it also contains information about its specification and design.

First introduced in 1954, Vehicle Identification Numbers are an important component in determining the history and identity of a vehicle, particularly when combined with the car’s DVLA licence plate and V5 or V5C documents.

While licence plates can be altered, the car’s VIN remains unchanged, and therefore is the primary identification number for your Toyota.

How to locate your Vehicle Identification Number

In most modern Toyota cars, you’ll find a visible Vehicle Identification Number through a special cut-out at the bottom of the windscreen. Additional VINs are printed on tamper-proof stickers located just inside the shut line of the front nearside door. Earlier models may have a metal plate instead of a sticker.

The VIN is repeated on the vehicle’s chassis, stamped into the metal floor of the car under the right-hand (driver’s side) front seat. It’s usually visible through a small flap, deliberately cut into the vehicle’s carpet.

Read more How to connect your phone to your car

Of course, there are some important exceptions to the rule…

These include the four-door Hilux pick-up – in which the tamper-proof sticker is mounted just inside the nearside rear door, and the five-door Aygo – in which it is applied to the body just inside the offside rear door shut.

Decoding your Vehicle Identification Number

Although there are exceptions to the rule, the first three digits of the Vehicle Identification Number usually refer to the country of manufacture, the vehicle maker and the vehicle type.

For example, if you check the first letter of the code, ‘J’ references Japan, ‘S’ references England, while ‘V’ identifies France. Turkey gets an ‘N’, while Thailand and South Africa (where some of our Hilux vehicles are produced) get an ‘M’ and ‘A’ respectively.

The second letter is usually ‘T’, which describes Toyota, the third describes which group of cars (or sometimes which chassis type) the vehicle sits on.

The next six numbers reference the car’s body style, engine and gearbox, while the remaining eight is a combination unique to the car, listing the year the car was made, the factory it was produced in and where it came in the production process.

For more on your VIN, please contact your nearest dealer, or visit toyota.co.uk/mytoyota

380 comments

  1. Hi
    I recently transplanted the engine from my imported 1991 Toyota Soarer into my 1998 Toyota Hiace. The UK log book for the Soarer has no engine number printed and I could do with confirmation that the engine number belongs to that chassis from factory to register the swap with the DVLA and for my van to taxed and emissions tested as a 1991 vehicle that the engine is from.

    Would you know how I can obtain this information?

    Thanks for your time
    Dan

    Reply

      1. Thank you for the reply. It really is much appreciated! I will send my info across now. Thanks again.
        Dan

  2. Hi,

    I am trying to find the factory tyre size for my 1997 80 Series Toyota Landcruiser GX. There is no tyre placard on the vehicle and I need to prove the tyre size on the vehicle when released. Is there a digital version of the owners manual or something like that?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  3. Since first ever owning a fab car it’s like a dream come true until a stupid bloke smashed into our car head on and wrote it off completely so we’ve decided to go fo a toyta 1.8chr. Designe

    Reply

    1. Hi Edward, we’re really sorry to hear that.

      Hope everyone involved is safe and well. We wish you many happy and reliable miles in your new Toyota C-HR.

      Thanks,

      Toyota UK

      Reply

  4. Hi Folks,

    I am in the process of selling my car and have stumbled upon a problem with the chassis number. The tamper proof stickers in the two rear door arches and the the passengers door and the plate showing through the windscreen are considered insufficient. There is no visible number on the chassis behind the front offside wheel – is there anywhere else on the chassis I should check? Thanks in anticipation.

    Reply

    1. Hi Cameron,
      Thanks for your question.
      Your Toyota Centre would be best placed to assist you further with this query.
      Thank you.

      Reply

      2. Hi there,

        Vehicle Identification Number or VIN, just helps to recognise that specific vehicle. Similar to the registration number, although it cannot be changed and is unique to that particular vehicle only.

        Thanks,

        Toyota UK

  5. I have a Toyota Land Cruiser. 2008. Where do I find the vin number. Has been sitting a while. Starts with starting fluid but will not keep running. Put new gas in. Same thing. Could the fuel sensor be bad or what else. Fuel pump? Thanks

    Reply

    1. Hi Dick, thanks for getting in touch.

      Try looking on the engine bay or inside the doors. Your local Toyota Centre can also grab this for you via your reg.

      Thanks,

      Toyota UK

      Reply

      1. Hi. I am in the USA but I had a used engine block installed a few years ago
        because mine died due to the infamous piston holes in my 2001 Corolla.
        The repair garage was very secretive about the source of the engine, so
        naturally I suspected it was grey market in some way, probably not something
        that would make the US Environmental “Protection” Agency happy.
        The only interesting marking on the engine was a foil sticker that was half English
        and half German. “HINWEIS” (Notice) “UTILISEZ DES BOGUIES IRIDIUM”, and so on.
        Can I be reasonably sure that this was an engine made in Europe? It would make
        me very, very happy!!!!

      2. Hi Sean
        We cannot advise on non UK specification and we would suggest contacting Toyota US.
        If this is a UK specification, we will require the vehicles original registration or chassis number to be able to advise anything further.
        Kind regards

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