Know How To Find The Best VIN Number Decoder In 2022

There are over a billion passenger cars in the world today, and each car differs from the other in terms of individual features like year and country of production, fuel capacity, production plant, and maximum speed.

For orderliness, vehicles including cars, motorcycles, trucks, and scooters have a unique Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), setting each vehicle apart.

A vehicle’s VIN number goes hand in hand with a VIN number decoder, which is a tool that displays a vehicle’s features using its VIN number. Quality VIN number decoders are free, easy to use, and can complete a VIN check within seconds.

The text below explores most of the vital details surrounding VIN number decoders, including choosing the right one, and why you need your VIN number in the first place.

How Can I Decode A VIN?

Understanding the true nature of your VIN number will guide you in properly grasping why a VIN number is very essential for each vehicle. Each of the 17 digits of a VIN number has a meaning that directly relates to the vehicle it represents.

Here are the meanings of the components of your 17-digit VIN number:

• The 1st to 3rd characters show the country, manufacturer, and type of your vehicle. ‘6’ is for Australia, ‘L’ is for China, characters ranging from ‘SA to SM’ are for the UK, and characters ranging from ‘Z6 to Z0’ are for Russia.

For a list of countries and their corresponding characters on your VIN number, check here.

• The 4th to 9th characters illustrate your vehicle’s individual features. These features include the manufacturer, model, engine type, and style of the vehicle.
• The 10th character relates to your vehicle’s VIN by year, signifying the year your vehicle was manufactured. For example, the letter ‘L’ is for 1990 and 2020, the letter ‘F’ is for 1985 and 2015, and the number ‘1’ is for 2001 and 2031.

Generally, the letters ‘I’, ‘O’, and ‘Q’ are not used in VIN numbers. In addition, the letters ‘U’ and ‘Z’ and the number ‘0’ are excluded from the 10th character code that denotes your vehicle’s year.

You can use a VIN number decoding chart to find the year of production that corresponds to your VIN number’s 10th character.

• The 11th to 17th characters (6 digits) represent the code of the plant where your vehicle was manufactured and its product sequence number.

When you look at the breakdown of your VIN number’s components, it is obvious that there is a lot of information that is stored in the unique VIN number on your car or truck. Due to how much detail your VIN number holds, trying to remember everything will take a lot of effort.

Thankfully, you do not need to keep all the information relating to your car in your head or even write it down. There are numerous online VIN decoders that can show you your car’s details whenever you need them for free.

Here is how the VIN decoders work.

• Visit the free VIN decoder site.
• Next, input your VIN number in the search panel.
• Then, press “Enter” on your keyboard or click on the search icon.

Performing a VIN number check is very necessary, especially if you are trying to order a car that you can’t access physically. For instance, if you want to purchase a car from an online dealer, once you know its VIN number, you can find out all about the vehicle you’re about to get.

From the comfort of your home, you can confirm that the specs mentioned by the seller are actually accurate. You can also evaluate the vehicle’s specs and decide whether its features and year of production are really worth the price tag that is placed on it by the seller.

There are tons of VIN decoders that help you find car specs by VIN searches, and all you have to do is choose one that is appropriate.

What Is The Best Free VIN Decoder?

It is easy to check vehicle details with VIN decoder tools online, as long as you pick a proper tool. This means that you can easily confirm the specs of a car that you want to buy, maybe one that you found in an online ad.

Finding an effective free VIN decoder is straightforward since there are many impressive options to choose from.

Generally, the best VIN decoders are those that can provide information on any car brand that you are looking for. Since they are not restricted to any car manufacturer, it is easy to make searches for a wide range of cars.

Some high-quality free VIN decoders that cater to searches for general car brands are VIN Former and VIN Decoderz.

Another group of VIN decoders is those that are limited to providing information on just a specific car brand. While general VIN decoders are remarkable because they cover numerous car brands, specific decoders tend to be better at providing specialized, in-depth information on the brand they are centred on.

If you own a BMW or you’re about to get one, discovering information on your vehicle will be made easy by using a BMW VIN decoder. One notable site that provides VIN information on BMW vehicles is M Decoder.

On the other hand, if your vehicle of choice is a Mercedes Benz, VIN decoders that are tailored towards Mercedes’ are your best bet. Last VIN is a good choice to go for when looking for a VIN decoder that Mercedes vehicles can be searched with.

For a Toyota VIN number check, Toyota has its own VIN number tool, meaning you can be sure that the vehicle specification results are accurate.

Four-wheeled vehicles are not alone in the need for VIN number searches. Motorcycles and tricycles also have VIN numbers, and in Europe, you will need the number for registration processes.

There are sites dedicated to checking VIN numbers for motorcycles, and one of the best picks is hosted by Cyclepedia.

When it comes to the need for a specialized VIN number check site, VESPA products are not left out either. You can use this tool by Scooter Help to look up VESPA scooters.

You should note that while most VIN number tools are free, some of them might have features that limit your actions.

For instance, some websites might only allow you to have a limited number of VIN searches each day. To push past this limit, these sites might require that you do a free registration.

Another way to find a VIN number decoder that suits your exact vehicle is by conducting an internet search with Google or other notable search engines.

For instance, if you want to find a VIN decoder that targets cars made by Mercedes, you can search for ‘VIN decoder Mercedes’, and it will give you relevant search results.

On the other hand, if you want a VIN decoder that is ideal for checking European cars, you can search for ‘VIN check Europe’.

Can You Look Up Vehicle Specs With VIN Number?

Yes, you can look up your vehicle specs with the VIN number and that is the main purpose of a VIN decoder. There is a wide variety of VIN number decoders, and they provide an assortment of information regarding your car with a VIN search.

When using a proper VIN number tool, some information that you can expect to find includes:

• Age or year of production
• Country of production
• Vehicle manufacturer
• Vehicle Model
• Vehicle style
• Overall size (height, width, and length)
• Seating type
• Gear style
• Number of doors
• Ownership History
• Accident history
• Distance covered by the vehicle
• Engine capacity
• Airbag location

The difference in quality in various VIN number decoders is the number of details that they can show you for free. Some VIN number decoders will only show you limited information and then request that you pay for a more detailed report.

You do not need to pay a dime because most of the valuable specs that you need can be gotten for free using any of the sites listed earlier.

Where Is My VIN Number Located?

While online tools can help you perform a VIN number check, finding the location of the VIN number on your vehicle is something you can do yourself.

For cars, the exact location of your VIN number usually varies depending on the manufacturer, but here are some of the most common spots for a VIN number:

• Around the engine bay or engine block
• Under the spare tire
• Around the driver or passenger door (might be under a flap)
• On the dashboard, at the bottom of the windscreen
• Under any of the wheel wells
• Close to the washer fluid container

For motorcycles, there are also some locations where most manufacturers tend to place VIN numbers, and below are a few of them:

• Along the neck of the steering
• On the motorcycle’s front frame
• On the engine or motor

If finding your VIN number on the body of your vehicle is proving to be difficult, you can go through your vehicle papers instead for your VIN number.

Some vehicle papers that are most likely to contain your VIN number are your vehicle history papers, police report, registration documents, insurance documents, and owner’s manual.

If you want to learn more about VIN numbers, you can (read through our post)[insert link to VIN number post] containing all the vital facts that you need to know.

After finding your vehicle’s VIN number, you can freely use it to complete various registration processes, including ordering a Certificate of Conformity (COC).

What Is A Certificate Of Conformity?

In Europe, a Certificate of Conformity is a document that confirms that a vehicle is in good condition, and is suitable for use on roads within the EU.

If you’re wondering how important a Certificate of Conformity might be, you should know that all transport agencies within the EU require a European Certificate of Conformity before you can register your new vehicle.

For instance, let’s assume that you want to order a car online from Germany. If you live in an EU country like France or Spain, you will need to get a Certificate of Conformity to transport and register the car in your resident country.

If you are curious about details regarding Certificates of Conformity, you can read more information here.

Getting a Certificate of Conformity on your own can take a while to process. EUROCOC saves you from the stress of ordering a Certificate of Conformity and the need to wait long for its arrival. Our primary service is helping people order Certificates of Conformity, and we make deliveries as early as 5 business days after your order.

Your VIN number and your Certificate of Conformity are connected because they are both necessary for completing vehicle registrations in Europe. Also, when ordering a Certificate of Conformity, you need to have your VIN number to finish up the process.

EUROCOC does not provide Certificates of Conformity for cars alone. We also help owners of motorcycles and light goods vehicles to order a European Certificate of Conformity at a minimal cost.

Our ordering process for a Certificate of Conformity is smooth and straightforward. All you need is to fill the online form with your contact details, VIN number and information from your vehicle documents.

Once you add your payment information and delivery options, your order will be complete and on its way to you in no time.

Ordering a Certificate of Conformity through EUROCOC is not for car owners alone. If you are a car dealer and you want to order a COC for your client, our doors are open to you too. When completing your order, simply input the address of the client you are sending the certificate to, and we will handle the rest.