Vehicle Data & VIN Decoding

VIN Decoder FAQs

How does a VIN decoder work?

All commercially available VIN decoders will extract the information encoded in the VIN Pattern or VIN Squish (What's a VIN Squish?). However, the good ones will also pass along additional information that they know about the vehicle and its configuration. Some of these inputs may include the OEM Model number, package code, installed equipment and option codes. This is sometimes referred to as VIN explosion. The most precise VIN decoding solutions, including DataOne, can decode the full 17-digit VIN, identifying installed options and packages, exact trim and color, engine, transmission, etc. 

Are trim and transmission encoded in the VIN number?

Trim and transmission are not consistently encoded in the VIN number, as the information OEMs provide in the vehicle descriptors section (positions 4-8) varies. However, many advanced VIN decoders can identify these vehicle details, among others, utilizing additional aggregated data and inputs. View this article to identify other vehicle details that are rarely encoded in the VIN.

Which vehicle details can I expect from a VIN decoder?

VIN numbers specify much of the core vehicle information. For example, they identify the make, engine, body and drive type, passenger restraint system, when and where they were manufactured, and the serial number. However, some of the information can vary greatly between OEMs, especially in the vehicle descriptor positions.

Many VIN decoder solutions provide more vehicle information than what is encoded in the VIN pattern by tying additional vehicle details to the VDS positions. 

A 17 Digit VIN Standard Breakdown

Does your VIN Decoder capture heavy trucks or vehicles sold outside of the U.S. market?

DataOne's vehicle data and VIN decoding solutions currently cover both the U.S. and Canadian markets. In addition to passenger vehicles, our VIN decoding covers both commercial trucks and powersports. If you have signed up for a vehicle data & VIN decoder trial and are looking for Canadian, heavy truck or powersports data, make sure to request it so we can make it available.

If you're curious why we don't offer VIN decoding for vehicles destined for sale outside of the North American market, please check out our The Market's effect on a VIN article.

Will a VIN decoder identify vehicle history?

While a vehicle's VIN number can be used to access vehicle history reports, such as Carfax, that is not the focus of a VIN decoder. VIN decoders are used to identify vehicles as they are produced. Learn more about the differences between VIN decoders, VIN checks, and vehicle history reports here.

What's the difference between a VIN decode and a VIN check?

A VIN check tool may just confirm the validity of a VIN, and sometimes provide basic data such as the year, make, model, trim, number of owners, etc.

A VIN decoder will, at bare minimum, extract all the information encoded in the VIN. Most complete vehicle data and VIN decoding solutions can provide additional vehicle details and specs, such as engine and transmission details, standard and optional installed equipment, vehicle dimensions, color options, MPG and so on.

Is there an advantage to VIN lookup over Y/M/M/T lookup?

Identifying vehicles and their specs by the VIN number rather than year/make/model/trim certainly has some advantages. Here are a few:

• VIN lookup can be more precise. If you are looking up a vehicle by Y/M/M/T, there can still be many different engine types, drive types, and cab types for each trim. A VIN number will do a much better job of narrowing down this information.
• It's quicker and easier to identify bulk vehicles and their specs in your inventory by VIN
• Some OEMs encode trim in the VIN number. In this case, VIN lookup will eliminate guessing the trim if you're not sure.

Here are some more advantages of VIN lookup in this blog article.