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

411 comments

  1. Hi, I’m trying to find the production date of my “S” reg. Corolla S468 RLA (registered in August 1998). The VIN has a “0” at position 10 so this doesn’t help.
    Please let me know the production date.
    Thanks

    Reply

  2. Hi can anyone tell me where to find the six digit version number needed to access my service history for my 09 Prius. Either on the V5C/3 or on the car? Toyota why is this made difficult by not providing clear guidance on my Toyota. I can’t be the only one to struggle to find it!

    Reply

    2. Hi Paul, Did you manage to find a version code to get the service history record on the MyT app? The version number on the V5C doesn’t work on it either! It’s not the best app to use if I’m honest, but I need to see if/when my car had a service before purchasing as they didn’t stamp the book as “it’s all on the app”…. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks.

      Reply

  4. Hi, I,m trying to find the following out
    what MONTH my vehicle was built
    What engine does it have
    Thanks

    Reply

      1. Great service from you guys, sorry I forgot to put reg, it’s RY55NFC.I want. To know what month in 2005 was it actually made and what 1.8 engine it has, many thanks, Kev

      2. Hi Kevin,
        Your Avensis was produced in May 2005. It has the 1.8 VVT-i engine.
        Please let us know if you have any further questions.
        Thanks.

      3. Hi, reference last reply on RY55NFC but can you advise what model engine series it is please, thanks

  5. I’ve lost my VIN Number and I would like to know what it is. My car model is a Toyota Prius+ and the number plate is DA67 APX. It would be much appreciated if I can find out what it is.

    Reply

    1. Hi Zeki,
      This blog post provides information on how to find your VIN number.
      If you are still unable to find it, please take your vehicle to your nearest Toyota Centre with proof of ownership and they will be able to assist you further.
      Thanks.

      Reply

  6. Hello, I am trying to find the date of manufacture of my Corrola FV70PFA – not the registration date (September 2020)…

    When looking for manuals or information the VIN number tells me it is a 2017-2019 model, but I was told it is a 2020 model by the Toyota dealership

    Keef

    Reply

    1. Hi Keef,
      Thanks for your comment.
      Unfortunately, we cannot find any results for the vehicle registration you have provided.
      Please check that this is the correct registration.
      Thanks.

      Reply

  7. Am finding it diificult to locate the VIN of a toyota landcruiser with model no. LJ79LV-MN engine 3L and frame no. LJ79-0009560. kindly help me out.

    Reply

  10. Hello. not sure why my msg was deleted. thinking it was because of the entire vin. can you pls help with the information on the following. 8AJH28CDX

    thank you

    Reply

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