How does VIN position 10 encode the year?

Position 10 cycles through a fixed sequence of letters and digits, one per model year. It started with A for 1980, runs through Y for 2000, then uses digits 1 to 9 for 2001 to 2009, and restarts at A for 2010, repeating every 30 years.

Which letters are skipped?

The model year code never uses I, O, Q, U, Z, or the digit 0, because they are confused with other characters. So the letter sequence runs A B C D E F G H J K L M N P R S T V W X Y, then digits 1 through 9.

Why are there two possible years?

The cycle repeats every 30 years, so the same character means, for example, both 1989 and 2019. A single character cannot tell them apart, which is why the tool shows both candidates and tries to narrow it down.

How does position 7 break the tie?

Since the 2010 model year, manufacturers were required to make position 7 a letter for vehicles 2010 and newer, and a number for 1980 to 2009. The tool reads position 7 from a full VIN to choose the correct 30-year cycle when possible.

Does the model year match the calendar year?

Not exactly. A model year vehicle is often built and sold starting the autumn before its model year, so a car built in late 2023 can carry a 2024 model year. Position 10 encodes the model year, not the manufacture date.

What is the VIN Model Year Decoder?

Decode the model year from VIN position 10 using the NHTSA repeating alpha-numeric cycle. Handles the 1980-onward sequence correctly, skips the excluded letters I, O, Q, U, Z, and 0, and shows both 30-year candidates, disambiguating with position 7 where possible. Runs in your browser. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

VIN Model Year Decoder

Name: VIN Model Year Decoder
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Position 10 of a VIN is the model year, but the code repeats every 30 years, so a single character is ambiguous on its own. This decoder maps the character to its year using the exact NHTSA sequence, shows both candidates, and uses position 7 to pick the right one whenever a full VIN is supplied.

How it works

The model-year characters follow a fixed cycle that skips confusable symbols, and the 30-year repeat is resolved with position 7:

1980 A, 1981 B … 2000 Y, 2001 1 … 2009 9, 2010 A …  (repeats every 30 yr)
skipped: I O Q U Z and 0
candidate years = all years 1980–2040 mapping to that character
disambiguate: position 7 is a LETTER ⇒ 2010+ cycle, a DIGIT ⇒ 1980–2009

If only the single character is given, both candidate years are shown; with a full VIN the position-7 rule usually pins it to one.

The full year-code chart

Code	First year	Second year	Code	First year	Second year
A	1980	2010	N	1992	2022
B	1981	2011	P	1993	2023
C	1982	2012	R	1994	2024
D	1983	2013	S	1995	2025
E	1984	2014	T	1996	2026
F	1985	2015	V	1997	2027
G	1986	2016	W	1998	2028
H	1987	2017	X	1999	2029
J	1988	2018	Y	2000	2030
K	1989	2019	1	2001	2031
L	1990	2020	2	2002	2032
M	1991	2021	…	…	…

Digits 1 through 9 carry 2001–2009 and will repeat for 2031–2039.

Example and tips

The character A at position 10 means 1980, 2010, or 2040. Paste a full VIN and if position 7 is a letter the tool resolves it to 2010; if position 7 is a digit it resolves to 1980. The letter Y is always 2000 (or 2030), and the digits 1 through 9 are 2001 through 2009. Remember the model year often leads the calendar year, so an autumn build can already carry next year’s code.

When to use this tool

Checking a used-car listing where the seller states the wrong year
Verifying whether a vehicle’s title year matches the VIN before purchase
Decoding a partial VIN where only position 10 is legible (for example, on a door sticker)
Understanding why a car built in late 2009 might carry a 2010 model-year code

Common mistakes

Confusing manufacture date with model year. The build date is stamped on the door jamb and can be a full year before the model year shown in position 10. Both are correct — they measure different things.

Misreading look-alike characters. The sequence intentionally skips I, O, Q, U, Z, and 0, so if you see what looks like the letter O in position 10 it is almost certainly the digit zero — but zero is also skipped, meaning the VIN may have been mis-transcribed.

Stopping at one candidate. If you enter only the position-10 character and do not supply the full VIN, both 30-year candidates are valid. Always paste the whole VIN so the position-7 rule can break the tie automatically.