So that we can determine the perfectly fitting protective cover, the right seat cover or the exact floor mat for your vehicle, we need your VIN. This guide shows you in just a few minutes where to find it.
VIN = chassis number = Fahrgestellnummer. Different names, the same number.
The quickest way
You don't even need to go into the garage for this. In almost all European registration documents the VIN appears in field E.
Depending on the country the document has a different name – but the number is always in the same place:
The VIN also appears in the service booklet, on your insurance policy, in the purchase contract and on the invoices from your garage.
If the documents aren't to hand
The VIN is stamped or stuck onto the car itself. Tap a marker to jump straight to the matching description. The order reflects how likely you are to find it there.
Stand in front of the car and look from the outside through the windscreen at the lowest corner of the dashboard – on most vehicles on the driver's side. There you'll find a small viewing window with the stamped VIN.
Tip: In backlight the stamping is hard to make out. Look at it at an angle from the side or shine your phone light on it.
Open the driver's door and look at the door pillar – the post between the front and rear doors, where the door latch engages. On the type-plate sticker you'll find the tyre pressures, the permissible gross weight and the VIN.
Also check: the passenger side and the door frame itself. Some manufacturers stick the plate there.
Open the bonnet and check the bulkhead behind the engine – that's usually where the type plate sits. Also typical: the suspension strut domes on the left or right, and the chassis rail next to the headlight.
Tip: Wipe dirty stampings with a dry cloth. Don't work on a hot engine.
Lift the floor covering in the boot. Around the spare-wheel well or on the rear cross-panel the VIN is often stamped directly into the metal.
Also possible: on estates and SUVs on the side inner panel, and on some models under the rear seat bench.
To double-check
Once you've found a number, this structure helps you cross-check it – for example to rule out an engine number.
Position 1–3
WVW
Country and manufacturer. For example W for Germany, VF for France, ZFA for Fiat.
Position 4–9
ZZZ1KZ
Model range, body style, engine and equipment variant – the characters that tell us the right fit.
Position 10–17
8W123456
Production plant and serial number. These eight characters make your vehicle unique worldwide.
I, O and Q are excluded worldwide because they can be confused with the digits 1 and 0. If you're unsure when typing it out: it's always the digit.
Don't mix them up
There are several numbers on the vehicle and in the documents. Only one of them has 17 characters.
NOT THE VIN
It's on the engine block, is shorter and often starts with a letter code for the engine type.
NOT THE VIN
Key numbers from fields 2.1 and 2.2: four plus three characters. Useful, but not unique to your individual vehicle.
NOT THE VIN
The official registration plate changes when you move or sell. The VIN stays the same for the vehicle's entire life.
