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.

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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

372 comments

  1. Hello my 2008 Avensis 1.6 VVTI is listed as having 172 Co2 is this correct as most 1.6 avensis are approx 169 Co2 and the only Avensis I can find with a level of 172 is a 1.8 Avensis, would there have been a clerical error my Vin is SB1BZ56LX0E069332

    1. Hi Kieran,
      Thanks for getting in touch and sorry for the delay. We can confirm that the Co2 figure is correct and the wheel size would effect both the Co2 and the MPG of a car. Many thanks.

    1. Hi Atta,
      Thanks for getting in touch. The VIN plate should be located on the lower part of the Front LH B Pillar. Also, The Chassis number should be stamped on the vehicle body. Removing a plastic cover which can be found under the driver’s seat will reveal the Chassis Number (the driver’s seat will have to be pulled back to its furthest back position). Hope this helps.

    1. Hi Rita,
      Thanks for getting in touch. We’re Toyota GB and unfortunately, we can not give details about this car. We’d advise contacting Toyota in your region. Thanks.

    1. Hi there,
      Thanks for getting in touch. The engine serial number is stamped on the engine block. Let us know if you’d like us to send you an image of where you can find it. Thanks.

    1. Hi Nihal,
      Thanks for getting in touch. To find more information on this vehicle you could consult the Owners Manual for information (this can be found on the Toyota website) or you could access the techdoc repair manual and you would be able to search your katashiki in there. Thanks.

    1. Hi David,
      Thanks for getting in touch. There are various vehicle identification locations for this vehicles:
      1 – Vehicle identification number plate – visible from the outside, bottom right corner of the windshield
      2 – Vehicle name label – sticker that is evident on the body of the vehicle, once the passenger front door (sometimes driver’s side) is opened
      3 – Frame number – displayed on the base of the driver’s seat
      Hope this helps.

    1. Hi Bryan,
      Thanks for getting in touch. The VIN should be bottom left of the windscreen (right as you look at the front of the car) or there is a plate under a plastic cover under the drivers seat or on the right front (drivers side) chassis leg behind the wheel. Hope this helps.

    1. Hi Marie,
      Thanks for getting in touch. We are Toyota GB and have no information on the Toyota Innova EE, we’d advise contacting Toyota in your region. Thanks.

  2. I want to replace transmission normal gear to automatic I need to get the fit for my car 2000 Toyota corona 1600
    Thank you for help

    1. Hi Hani,
      Thanks for getting in touch. We’d advise contacting your local Toyota dealer as they are in the best position to assist. Thanks.

  3. Good day, i cou;d not find the ViN no of my Toyota Corolla 2008 on the left hand of the windshield, but is boldly display by the drivers seat door. i try using goggle to search for the vehicle detail using the VIN no found could not get any information. VIN no/ Chasis no AHTLA52E203014726 and Engine no 4ZZV057982

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