VIN Decoder Australia
Pick the make to see what its VIN says, and what it doesn't. Read from cars sold in Australia, not from US rules.
- Cars in our data
- 6,154,523
- cars in our data
- Makes
- 14
- makes decoded
- Last updated
- Oct 2026
- last updated
Choose a make
Each page shows the patterns that identify that make's models, which years they cover and where to find the VIN on the car.
- Audi VIN Decoder 8 characters identify the model
- BMW VIN Decoder 7 characters identify the model
- Ford VIN Decoder 5 or 10 characters identify the model
- Holden VIN Decoder 5 characters identify the model
- Honda VIN Decoder 5 characters identify the model
- Hyundai VIN Decoder 5 characters identify the model
- Kia VIN Decoder 5 characters identify the model
- Mazda VIN Decoder 5 characters identify the model
- Mercedes-Benz VIN Decoder 6 characters identify the model
- Mitsubishi VIN Decoder 7 characters identify the model
- Nissan VIN Decoder 9 characters identify the model
- Subaru VIN Decoder 5 characters identify the model
- Toyota VIN Decoder 6 characters identify the model
- Volkswagen VIN Decoder 8 characters identify the model
How to read a VIN
Every car built or sold in Australia since 1 January 1989 has a 17-character VIN. The first few characters identify the maker and the model; the last ones are unique to one car, so they're painted out here.
Holden Commodore (VE) · VIN plate
- Characters 1 to 3: Maker and country (6 is Australia)
- Characters 4 to 8: Model, body and engine, in the maker's own code
- Character 9: A check digit on some makes only
- Character 10: The model year on some makes only
- Character 11: The plant that built it
- Characters 12 to 17: Serial number, unique to one car
Characters 1 to 3
The maker and the country it built the car in. 6G1 is Holden in Australia, JTM a Toyota from Japan, MNT a Nissan from Thailand.
Characters 4 to 8
The maker's own code for the model, body and engine. How many of them you need differs: 5 for a Mazda, 9 for a Nissan.
Characters 9 and 10
On a US car, a check digit and the model year. On many cars sold in Australia, neither: see the table below.
Why your VIN won't decode like an American one
Most free decoders follow US rules: character 9 is a check digit, and character 10 is the model year. On cars sold here that holds for some makes and fails for others. We checked 163,036 cars against their factory build dates.
| Make | Character 10 is the year | Character 9 is a check digit | Cars checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audi | Yes (100%) | Yes (99%) | 4,256 |
| BMW | No (2%) | Yes (100%) | 6,370 |
| Ford | Some models (38%) | No (8%) | 14,687 |
| Holden | Yes (99%) | Some models (58%) | 12,764 |
| Honda | Yes (95%) | No (13%) | 8,204 |
| Hyundai | Yes (99%) | No (0%) | 12,583 |
| Kia | Yes (100%) | No (2%) | 5,366 |
| Mazda | No (10%) | No (7%) | 15,834 |
| Mercedes-Benz | No (3%) | No (9%) | 6,471 |
| Mitsubishi | Yes (97%) | No (3%) | 11,447 |
| Nissan | No (18%) | No (13%) | 11,304 |
| Subaru | Yes (99%) | No (9%) | 6,451 |
| Toyota | No (2%) | Yes (82%) | 39,067 |
| Volkswagen | Yes (100%) | No (3%) | 8,232 |
Character 10 counts as the year when, read as a US model year, it lands within a year of the build year; chance alone does that for about one car in ten. "Some models" means it depends on where the car was built: each make's page says which.
So a decoder that reads character 10 can give a Toyota, Mazda, Nissan or BMW the wrong year. The build date is on the build plate, and in every Carify VIN check.
Imported cars and chassis numbers
VINs starting 6U9
A car imported without a VIN Australia recognises, often a used import from Japan, is given a "surrogate" VIN so it can be registered. Those issued by the federal government start with 6U9, the 6 for Australia. Some carry the car's chassis number after that code and some are simply the next number in line, so a decoder that reads one as a factory VIN gets it wrong.
Chassis numbers
Cars built for the Japanese market have a chassis (frame) number instead of a VIN: the model code, then a serial number. The model code is the part that tells you which car it is.
About these numbers: 163,036 cars across 14 makes, decoded from factory records, one per VIN. Cars in our data counts distinct VINs. Updated October 2026.