How To Decode A Nissan VIN

Every car comes with a unique vehicle identification number (VIN). Your VIN is not a random string of characters. It’s strategically generated to reveal a lot of information about your vehicle.

If you’re worried about your VIN revealing sensitive information about your vehicle, don’t be. Your VIN is free to the public. For example, anyone can walk up to your vehicle and see your VIN on the dashboard near the windshield. Because of how public your VIN is, it doesn’t contain any sensitive information.

Our Nissan VIN Decoder

If you’re looking to decode your Nissan’s VIN, our Nissan VIN decoder is just what you need. Simply by decoding your VIN, you’ll learn a lot of information about your vehicle, such as its:

Trim level
Fuel tank capacity
Crash test ratings

If you’d like to decode your VIN manually (and learn what each segment stands for), we’ll show you how to do that.

Where To Find Your VIN

You don’t have to look far and wide to find your VIN. You can find it in many different places, including:

The dashboard on the driver’s side, near the windshield
The driver’s side door sill
Your vehicle registration
Your vehicle’s title
Under the hood
The owner’s manual for your vehicle

How To Decode A Nissan VIN

Once you have your VIN on hand, you can break it down! Here's what the numbers and letters mean:

Characters 1-3: This segment is called the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI). It tells you where your vehicle was manufactured, and who manufactured it. The first character represents the country of origin (or the final processing plant). The second character represents the manufacturer (in Nissan's case, it's the letter N). The third character represents the type of vehicle (sedan, truck, van, etc.)

Characters 4-8: This segment is called the Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS). This part describes the vehicle. It covers key details about the vehicle, such as:

Engine type (4th character)
Model line (5th character)
Model change number (6th character)
Body type (7th character)
Whether the vehicle’s a 4WD or AWD (8th character)

Check digit: The 9th character is the check digit. The digit is determined by an undisclosed algorithm using the other characters in the VIN. It verifies that the VIN is authentic.

Characters 10-17: This segment is called the Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS). This string of characters is your vehicle's unique number. No other vehicle has the same number. The first character in this segment (the 10th digit) represents the model year. The second character (the 11th digit) represents the plant where the vehicle was manufactured. The remaining characters are your vehicle's unique production number.

Please contact us if you have any questions about decoding your Nissan's VIN.