Kia VIN Decoder Australia

What each character on a Kia VIN means, and what it doesn't tell you.

Kias in our data
304,906
Kias in our data
Characters that identify the model
5 characters
identify the model
Last updated
Oct 2026
last updated

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How to read a Kia VIN

Take a 2019 Kia Cerato. Its VIN starts KNAF2, and those five characters are the useful part. Character 10 is the model year, a K for 2019. The rest is painted out here, because the last seven characters are unique to one car.

Cerato (BD) · VIN label

KNAF2 PAINTED OUT 1234567891011121314151617 1 2 3 4 5 6
  1. Characters 1 to 3: Maker and country
  2. Characters 4 and 5: Model line and version
  3. Characters 6 to 8: More vehicle details
  4. Character 9: Not a check digit on a Kia
  5. Character 10: Model year
  6. Characters 11 to 17: Plant and serial number

Characters 1 to 5

Maker, country and model. KNA is Kia in Korea, U5Y Kia in Slovakia (some Sportages). Kia has reused a few codes on later cars, so read them with the year.

Characters 9 and 10

On a US car, a check digit and the model year. On a Kia, only the year. Character 9 was a valid check digit on just 2.4% of the 5,366 Kias we checked, and character 10 was within a year of the build year on 99.6%.

Characters 11 to 17

Plant and serial number. Unique to one car, so never shown.

A Kia build plate (illustration)

The VIN gives the model year, not the build date

On a Kia, the 10th character is the model year, the same as on a US car. In October 2026 we checked 5,366 Kias against their build dates, and it was within a year of the build year on 99.6% of them. The model year is not the build date, though: that is on the build plate, and in every Carify VIN check.

Cerato VIN patterns

Characters 4 and 5 change with the Cerato generation and body, from the LD to the BD. These are the most common.

Pattern Generation Built Cars in our data
Cerato LD 2004 to 2008 3,040
Cerato TD 2009 to 2012 1,911
Cerato TD 2010 to 2013 4,277
Cerato YD 2013 to 2018 19,023
Cerato YD 2013 to 2018 1,682
Cerato BD 2018 to 2024 26,942
Cerato BD 2018 to 2022 4,219
Cerato BD 2019 to 2024 8,733

Plus 8 less common patterns. Built: the middle 90% of build years, from 1,405 decoded cars. Updated Oct 2026.

Cerato (BD) · where to find the VIN
Line drawing of a Kia Cerato hatch (BD), numbered where the VIN is
  1. The vehicle certification label on the driver's side centre door pillar, seen with the front door open
    1  Centre door pillarDriver's side. Open the front door to see the label.
  2. The VIN stamped into the floor beside a front seat, with the small cover in the carpet folded open
    2  Floor, beside a front seatUnder the driver's or passenger seat. Open the small cover in the carpet.
  3. The VIN plate on top of the dashboard at the base of the windscreen, seen through the glass from outside
    3  Base of the windscreenWhere fitted. Read it through the glass from outside.

Locations from Kia's Australian owner's manual for the Cerato (BD).

Other popular Kias

The Kias we see most after the Cerato, and the patterns that identify them. Where Kia reused a code, the generation names both.

  • Sportage

    and 11 more

    • SL 2013 to 2015
    • QL 2016 to 2021
    • NQ5 2021 on

    From 935 decoded cars

  • Rio

    and 14 more

    • JB / YB 2006 to 2021
    • JB 2009 to 2011
    • UB 2011 to 2016
    • YB 2017 to 2022

    From 945 decoded cars

  • Carnival

    and 5 more

    • VQ / YP 2006 to 2019
    • YP 2015 to 2020
    • KA4 2021 on

    From 577 decoded cars

  • Sorento

    and 3 more

    • XM 2010 to 2014
    • UM 2015 to 2019
    • MQ4 2020 on

    From 392 decoded cars

Other makes

About these numbers: generations and build years come from 5,366 Kias decoded from factory records, one per VIN. Build years show the middle 90% of each pattern, and patterns with fewer than 30 decoded cars are left out. Updated October 2026.