QandAs: Autos

What is a Vehicle Identification Number or VIN?

Answer:
A Vehicle Identification Number, which

is commonly abbreviated as VIN, is a number that is assigned to a vehicle when it is manufactured. Each car’s VIN is different, so they are used to identify vehicles.

Accident reports, insurance records, car titles, and mechanics reports all use a car’s VIN to identify the vehicle. If you are interested in purchasing a used car, you can use the VIN to search for the car’s vehicle history report. Each of the first 11 numbers or letters in a VIN has a meaning. For instance, the first number tells the country in which the car was manufactured. The second and third numbers show the company that made the vehicle and the make of the vehicle. Other information provided by the VIN includes the model and body style of the car, the restraint system it contains, the engine code, and the model year.


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