Find your Toyota VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)

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

411 comments

  1. Hi, I bought toyota Yaris from Oman
    This chassis number is:
    MR2BT9F34F1138545
    I want to know the year, model (SE+ or Limited ) and color of car
    Thanks
    Homayoon

    1. Hello Homayoon
      Thanks for your post.
      As we only have such information for cars registered in the UK you will need to contact the country of origin to find out this information. Toyota Oman can be contacted via this link. http://www.toyotaoman.com/
      Hope this helps.
      Toyota UK

  2. Hi.
    I’m Pavel from Dhaka Bangladesh, I’ve brought a Toyota Rav-4 which Chassis code is ACA31-5035229 & Engine Code is 2Az-5773704 . So tell me how can i know about this vehicle details like is it repaired car or broken or another elese.

  3. Hi Pavel. Thanks for getting in touch. Unfortunately we can only help with enquiries in the UK. Please contact Toyota Bangladesh for more information.

    1. Hi Farhan,
      Thank you for your post. Please can you confirm your question and we will be able to help further. Many thanks.

      1. Hi,

        Actually I’m unable to Trace my Vits Engine Number location on Engine.
        Can you share where is engine number is printed on engine?

        Thanks

      2. Hi Farhan,
        Thank you for your post. We have spoken with our technical department and your VIN number can differ very slightly in location dependent on car model. Please can you let us know your car model and the year. Many thanks.

      3. Hi Farhan,
        Thank you for your post. Our model in the UK is the Yaris and the VIN plate is located on the dashboard as you look through the windscreen. Hope this helps further. Many thanks.

  4. I have bought a Toyota Premio 2006 X recently.

    After discussions, I came to know there are three versions/grades including:
    The base grade X
    The slightly better one X-Limited
    Top of the line X-Ex

    However I am unable to identify the version/grade by looking at the car.

    Is there any way to track or identify the car version/grade from the car body or any printed number?

  5. Hi Majid,
    Thanks for your post. After speaking with our technical team we can advise looking on the inside of the passenger side door. There should be a small sticker with a VIN number. You can identify the grade of car from this. Hope this helps and if you have any further questions please let us know.

  6. please i had contacted you cause im not sure if my motor had been changed or not while it was fixed cause i didnt find any reference inside the car even the VIN box
    my car had chaisse NO : AHTFR22GOO3040283
    ALSO I HAD A PROBLEM WHICH CONTINUED to occure everytime thats is the oil getting out from the bottom of the motor
    i had fixed it many times but it remains the same
    actually there is no toyota agency here in congo brazzaville thats why i had to check my motor if its mine or it had been changed
    thank you

  7. Hi there,
    Thanks for your post. Unfortunately, due to the fact you are out of the UK we have to advise contacting the nearest dealer in your region as we are unable to help further. Many thanks.

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