Subaru VIN Decoder Australia

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

Subarus in our data
271,651
Subarus in our data
Characters that identify the model
5 characters
identify the model
Last updated
Sep 2026
last updated

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How to read a Subaru VIN

Take a 2019 Subaru Forester. Its VIN starts JF2SK, 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.

Forester (SK) · windscreen VIN label

JF2SK PAINTED OUT 1234567891011121314151617 1 2 3 4 5 6
  1. Characters 1 to 3: Maker and country
  2. Characters 4 and 5: Model and generation
  3. Characters 6 to 8: Variant
  4. Character 9: Not a check digit on a Subaru
  5. Character 10: Model year
  6. Characters 11 to 17: Plant and serial number

Characters 1 to 5

Maker, country, model and generation. Enough to tell an SK Forester from an SJ.

Characters 9 and 10

On a US car, a check digit and the model year. On a Subaru, only the year. Character 9 was a valid check digit on just 8.7% of the 6,451 Subarus we checked, and character 10 was within a year of the build year on 98.8%.

Characters 11 to 17

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

A Subaru build plate (illustration)

The VIN gives the model year, not the build date

On a Subaru, the 10th character is the model year, the same as on a US car. In September 2026 we checked 6,451 Subarus against their build dates, and it was within a year of the build year on 98.8% of them. The model year is not the build date, though: that is on the build plate, and in every Carify VIN check.

Forester VIN patterns

Each Forester generation has its own two-letter code in characters 4 and 5.

Pattern Generation Built Cars in our data
Forester SF 1997 to 2002 3,326
Forester SG 2002 to 2007 13,009
Forester SH 2008 to 2012 18,890
Forester SJ 2013 to 2018 21,602
Forester SK 2018 to 2024 26,347

Plus 5 less common patterns. Built: the middle 90% of build years, from 1,601 decoded cars. Updated Sep 2026.

Forester (SK) · where to find the VIN
Line drawing of a Subaru Forester (SK), numbered where the VIN is
  1. The VIN stamped into the floor beside the driver's seat, with the carpet folded back
    1  Floor, under the carpetStamped into the floor at the driver's seat.
  2. The VIN label on the dashboard at the base of the windscreen on the passenger side, seen from outside
    2  Base of the windscreenPassenger side. Read it from outside.

Locations from Subaru's owner's manual for the Forester (SK).

Other popular Subarus

The Subarus we see most after the Forester, and the patterns that identify them.

  • Outback

    and 7 more

    • BP 2003 to 2008
    • BR 2009 to 2014
    • BS 2015 to 2020
    • BT 2021 on

    From 704 decoded cars

  • Impreza

    and 22 more

    • GD 2000 to 2007
    • GH 2007 to 2011
    • GE 2008 to 2011
    • GT 2016 to 2022

    JF1GT is also used on the XV / Crosstrek.

    From 2,009 decoded cars

  • XV / Crosstrek

    and 2 more

    • GP 2012 to 2016
    • GT 2017 to 2022
    • GU 2023 on

    JF1GP is also used on the Impreza.

    JF1GT is also used on the Impreza.

    JF1GU is also used on the Impreza.

    From 603 decoded cars

  • Liberty

    and 11 more

    • BP 2003 to 2008
    • BL 2004 to 2008
    • BM 2009 to 2013
    • BN 2015 to 2020

    From 629 decoded cars

Other makes

About these numbers: generations and build years come from 6,451 Subarus 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 September 2026.