You’ll be able to decipher your Hyundai VIN by matching the numbers and characters to the corresponding codes. You can typically find the VIN on the driver’s side of the dashboard, inside the door jamb on either the driver or passenger side, or underneath the hood.
By now you know that you need your vehicle identification number (VIN) to renew your driver’s license, update your vehicle registration, or sell your car. What you might not know is what those 17 digits actually mean.
Here with the answer to what your VIN actually means is the licensed car insurance broker Jerry. We’ve got the scoop on Hyundai VINs—where they are, how they’re made, and how to read them.
How to check your Hyundai’s VIN
The VIN on your Hyundai is its vehicle identification number. That totals a unique 17-digit code that identifies the Hyundai of your choice.
The VIN is on your vehicle in multiple places, and you can find it in other locations as well. Some of these locations include:
- Your car insurance card
- Your vehicle registration card
- A metal tag or sticker on the driver’s side of the dashboard
- A sticker on the inside of your driver’s door jamb
Virtually every Hyundai has a VIN in one of these places. You can find the VIN in other spots as well, such as beneath the hood or even under the spare tire.
How to decode a Hyundai VIN
You need to give your VIN to the DMV to process any car-related services. So what kind of information are they getting from these 17 digits?
VINs have been used in the US since the 1950s and became standardized after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) stepped in, in 1981. Ever since then, the 17 digits have standardized meanings across makes, models, continents, and countries.
Every VIN uses all ten numerical digits (0-9) and most letters of the alphabet, excluding I, O, and Q. These letters are frequently confused with 1, 0, and 9, so they’re excluded for simplicity’s sake.
First position: country of origin
The three digits at the beginning of your VIN are the world manufacturer identifier (WMI). The first letter is the country of origin for your Hyundai. Hyundai has plants in Asia and the Americas, and there are five countries from which your Hyundai could originate.
Positions 2-3: manufacturer information
The next two digits identify the manufacturer and the vehicle type. The vehicle type could be a passenger car like the Elantra or a bus like the Entourage.
Positions 4-8: vehicle-specific information
Next on the VIN is the vehicle-specific information. This includes the series, body style and version, body type, restraint systems, and engine type. There are a lot of models and combinations when driving a Hyundai, so this number helps specify which vehicle you have.
Position 9: the VIN check digit
There seems to be a risk of someone manufacturing fake VINs using this information, and what’s stopping them? The 9th digit of the VIN is a “check digit” that changes based on the other numbers in the VIN. It verifies the authenticity of a VIN.
Position 10: model year
The 10th digit on a Hyundai is the model year. This helps narrow down which year your Hyundai was produced in.
Position 11: assembly plant
There are a lot of Hyundai plants in the world, and this digit helps you find out where your vehicle originated from.
Here are the codes for each plant:
| Code | Plant location |
|---|---|
| A | Asan, Korea |
| B | Bromont, Canada |
| C | Cheonju, Korea |
| H | Montgomery, AL, United States of America |
| K | Gwangju, Korea |
| M | Chennai, India |
| U | Ulsan, Korea |
| Z | Izmit, Turkey |
| 6 | Sohari, Korea |
Positions 12-17: vehicle serial number
The last six digits are a completely unique combination—they’re the serial number for your vehicle. It’s usually a production sequence number, and no other vehicle has the same one yours does.
How to find affordable Hyundai insurance
Using your VIN helps you save time finding affordable insurance for your vehicle, but you can save even more time by downloading the Jerry app.
Jerry takes your unique information and shops around 50+ insurance companies and returns only the best quotes to you. After you choose a quote, Jerry’s team handles the paperwork and helps finish up the sign-up process. There’s no easier way to shop for auto insurance!
Best of all, you can save an average of $887 per year on your auto insurance after switching to Jerry. That’s something to smile about.
Cassandra Hamilton is an insurance writer with experience creating content for a variety of industries. Cassandra’s mission is to create clear and concise content that drivers can use to save money on car-related expenses. Though most of the over 500 articles Cassandra has written for Jerry focus on car maintenance and repair topics, her expertise ranges across all things to do with vehicle ownership and insurance. Prior to joining Jerry, Cassandra worked in retail management while pursuing bachelor’s degrees in mass communications and theatre.
Melanie Mergen is an insurance writer with more than 8 years of writing, research, and editing experience. She’s covered topics like car insurance, home insurance, finance, and car ownership for Jerry. Her mission in doing so is to help people secure and protect their most important assets while making the best possible use of their finances.
Prior to joining forces with Jerry, Melanie worked as a freelance content writer and editor, a teaching artist, and journalist. She received her Creative Writing MFA from Columbia University.
Kathleen Flear is an expert insurance writer and editor who previously lead up Jerry’s editorial team as director of content. Kathleen empowers drivers to make smart car ownership decisions through best-in-class articles on insurance, loans, and maintenance. Prior to joining Jerry in 2021, Kathleen served as managing editor for a team of SEO content marketing professionals at Article-Writing.co and worked as a freelance writer and editor for a range of digital publications, including Chicago Literati magazine and Golden Words. She earned a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature from Queen’s University, and a master’s degree in creative writing and fiction from Sierra Nevada University.
