What is a VIN?


VIN is unique Vehicle Identification Number. VIN is composed of 17 characters (digits and capital letters) and is used by the automotive industry to identify vehicles. Before 1981 different manufacturers used different formats. But in 1981 the VIN was standardized (ISO 3780 standard). It standard requires all vehicles sold to contain a 17-character VIN, which does not include the letters I (i), O (o), or Q (q) (to avoid confusion with numerals 1 and 0). VIN describes the car's unique features, specifications and manufacturer such information as year, make, model, engine, transmission etc.

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