How to Check and Decode an Audi VIN

Your Audi’s VIN can most often be found on the dashboard below the windshield.
Written by Zachary Morgan
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
You can find the VIN for most Audis on the dashboard below the windshield, on either the driver or passenger side. There are 17 digits in a VIN and each character represents an important piece of information about your vehicle.
Think of a VIN like your car’s Social Security number. It is unique to your vehicle and you’ll need to know it if you want to update your
registration
, renew your license, or sell your car. Unlike an SSN, though, each of the 17 characters in your VIN describes important details about your car, from engine size to model type.
Knowing this, you might look at the random string of letters and numbers and wonder how to decrypt any meaning from them.
Car insurance
expert
Jerry
is here to show you how. In this guide, we’ll tell you where to find your Audi’s VIN, what the digits mean, and how to decode them. We can even help you find the
best car insurance rates for Audis
.
Compare insurance quotes from 50+ carriers with Jerry in under 45 seconds
Compare insurance quotes from 50+ carriers with Jerry in under 45 seconds
icon4.7/5 rating on the App Store | Trusted by 5+ million customers and 7 million cars
icon4.7/5 app rating | Trusted by 5M+ drivers

How to check your Audi’s VIN

VIN stands for vehicle identification number. For an Audi, the VIN is most often located on the dashboard below the windshield. It will also be written somewhere on the vehicle’s title and registration. 
You might also find the VIN in a few other places, including:
  • On the driver’s door frame
  • Stamped underneath the seats
  • In the trunk area
  • On a menu in the Multi-Media Interface

How to decode an Audi VIN

By now, you’ve found your car’s VIN—maybe even in a couple of different places. Looking at the digits, you might find yourself wondering what they mean.
VINs have appeared on cars since the 1950s, but they weren’t standardized across all manufacturers, makes, and models until the 1980s. Since then, the 17 digits of a VIN have had distinct, precise meanings that are now the worldwide standard model. 
VINsuse all ten digits (0-9) and most letters of the alphabet. The letters I, O, and Q are not used because they could easily be confused for 1, 0, and 9, respectively.

First position: country of manufacture

The first three digits in a VIN contain the world manufacturer identifier (WMI). The very first digit denotes the country where your Audi was built.
The number 5 would indicate that your Audi was built in the United States, while a W would represent Germany.

Positions 2-3: manufacturer information

The second and third digits represent information about the manufacturer. The second digit represents the company that built the car, which would be Audi. The third digit describes the vehicle type. For example, the letter U would indicate a passenger car.

Positions 4-8: vehicle-specific information

The next five characters contain vehicle-specific information. These digits help describe exactly what kind of car you’re driving—down to the engine size and
trim level
.

Position 9: VIN check digit

The ninth position is a special “check digit” that verifies the VIN’s authenticity. Check digits were created to prevent fraudulent VINs and falsified documentation.

Position 10: model year

The tenth digit represents your vehicle’s model year. Because VINs are being recycled from earlier model years, this system gets more complicated with each passing year. In addition to I, O, and Q, the characters U, Z, and 0 do not appear in the tenth position.
The last 20 years of VIN model year codes look like this:
Code
Year
1
2001
2
2002
3
2003
4
2004
5
2005
6
2006
7
2007
8
2008
9
2009
A
2010
B
1981 OR 2011
C
1982 OR 2012
D
1983 OR  2013
E
1984 OR 2014
F
1985 OR 2015
G
1986 OR 2016
H
1987 OR 2017
J
1988 OR 2018
K
1989 OR 2019
L
1990 OR 2020
M
1991 OR 2021
Are you overpaying for your car insurance?
Compare quotes and find out in 45 seconds.
No spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms
No spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms · No fees
icon4.717k Ratings
5M+Drivers Joined
7M+Cars Garaged

Position 11: assembly plant

The 11th position tells you which auto plant manufactured your Audi. Every auto manufacturer has its own distinct character for this part of the VIN. Aside from its main production facilities in Germany, Audi also has plants in Hungary, Belgium, and Mexico.

Positions 12-17: vehicle serial number

Finally, your car’s unique serial number is contained within the final six characters. This serial number is wholly unique to your Audi.

How to find affordable Audi insurance

Jerry doesn’t need your VIN to get you savings on car insurance, just a few minutes out of your day. It’ll be the easiest thing you do all week! 
Download the
Jerry
app and enter your information to get a customized list of quotes from top insurance companies in seconds. As a
licensed broker
, Jerry walks you through the entire process in the app, with no tedious phone calls or mountains of paperwork! If you find a policy you like, Jerry’s team of experts can even help you cancel your old one and sign up for the new one.
The best part? Users save an average of $887 a year on their car insurance when switching with Jerry.
 “
Jerry
saved me so much time and money! I went from $230 to $150, still with full coverage! The whole process was amazingly simple!” —Ronda S.
RECOMMENDED
Compare auto insurance policies
No spam or unwanted phone calls · No long forms
Find insurance savings
Are you overpaying for car insurance?
Compare quotes and find out in 45 seconds.
Try Jerry

Easiest way to compare and buy car insurance

√
No long forms
√
No spam or unwanted phone calls
√
Quotes from top insurance companies
Find insurance savings