How to Check and Decode a Toyota VIN
You can find your Toyota VIN on the driver’s side of the dashboard or inside the driver’s side doorjamb. The 17 digits follow a standardized set of codes.
Written by R.E. Fulton
Reviewed by Jessica Barrett
You can decode any Toyota VIN, typically located on the driver’s side of the dashboard or inside the door jamb, by looking at the codes for country of origin, manufacturer, vehicle information, model year, and assembly plant.
If you’ve ever tried to renew your driver’s license, update your
vehicle’s registration
, or sell your car
, you’ve had to look up the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN)
. But what do those 17 all-important digits actually mean? To help you locate and decode your Toyota’s VIN,
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super app Jerry
has created a guide to Toyota VINs: where to find them, how they’re created, and how to read them. We've even included a way you could reduce your Toyota car insurance costs
. 
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How to check your Toyota’s VIN
Your Toyota’s VIN is its vehicle identification number—that is, the unique string of 17 digits that identifies the Toyota you drive.
There are several places to find your Toyota VIN. They include:
- Your insurance card
- Your DMV-issued registration card
- A sticker or metal tag on the driver’s side of your dashboard, visible through the windshield
- A sticker inside the driver’s side door jam
Nearly every Toyota will have the VIN printed in one of these places, but it’s possible to find your VIN in a few other locations. For instance, some models have the VIN stamped on the engine block or under the spare tire.
MORE: How to find the VIN in your car
How to decode a Toyota VIN
The DMV uses your VIN to process tons of car-related services—but just what information is encoded in those 17 mysterious digits?
As it turns out, VINs have been in use in the United States since the 1950s, but they were only standardized with help from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 1981. Since then, those 17 digits have had a specific set of meanings that are standard across models, makes, and even continents.
VINs use all ten numerical digits (0-9) and all the letters of the alphabet except for I, O, and Q. That’s because those letters are easily confused with 1, 0, and 9—so to simplify things, only the numbers are used.
First position: country of origin
The first three digits of any VIN are the world manufacturer identifier (WMI) code. For Toyotas, the first number indicates the country where the car was manufactured.
The numbers 1, 4, 5, and 7 indicate that your Toyota was manufactured in the US. However, if your Toyota was made in Japan, you’ll see a J in the first-digit place.
Positions 2-3: manufacturer information
The two digits immediately following that first letter or number contain identifying information for the manufacturer. The third digit typically indicates the type of vehicle—passenger car, SUV, or truck. For instance, T4 would be one possible code for a Toyota truck, while an SUV might be listed as TE, TL, or T3.
Positions 4-8: vehicle-specific information
The next five digits of your VIN list vehicle-specific information, from your car’s body type to engine and transmission specifications to safety equipment. Because every Toyota model comes in a variety of styles and trim levels, these digits help to narrow down the exact vehicle you’re driving.
Position 9: the VIN check digit
What’s to stop someone from coming up with a fake VIN based on this standardized information? Well, the 9th digit of your VIN is a special “check digit” based on the other numbers in the VIN, and it’s used to verify the authenticity of the number.
Position 10: model year
The system for indicating model year gets more complicated every year, as VINs re-use digits that already refer to earlier model years. The only digits that don’t appear in position 10 are U, Z, and 0 (in addition to I, O, and Q).
Here’s how the VIN model year codes for the last twenty years break down:
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 |
Position 11: assembly plant
Every automaker uses a unique set of codes for the 11th digit of VINs to indicate which factory assembled the vehicle. Toyota’s plants are located in
Indiana
, Kentucky
, Texas
, and Mississippi.
Positions 12-17: vehicle serial number
The final six digits of any VIN are the individual car’s serial number. This is completely unique to your Toyota, and it’s typically a production sequence number. However, there are other ways to set a Toyota serial number—so if you see a low number, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got one of the first
Camrys
ever manufactured! 
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How to find affordable Toyota insurance
Your car insurance card is one way to find your Toyota VIN—but you don’t need the VIN to save money on car insurance. All you need is a phone or computer and the
Jerry
app. Here’s how it works: enter your information (not including VIN) and wait 45 seconds while our
trustworthy insurance comparison app
searches rates from 55+ top providers to find you a set of customized quotes for the insurance your Toyota needs. Once you pick the quote that works for you, Jerry’s team of agents will walk you through the sign-up process, making it as quick and painless as insurance can get! And when it comes to savings, Jerry doesn’t mess around. On average, Jerry users save $887 a year on car insurance.
“I just had to buy a new car, and I needed quick help to get insurance before I could get my plates. Because I work so many hours,Jerrywas the ideal choice for getting things done without long phone calls and waiting periods.” —Rosa G.
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