Tesla VIN Decoder

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Tesla VIN Check: What is a Tesla VIN?

While most car companies are started by auto enthusiasts, Tesla began life as the brainchild of computer science engineers. After working on an early ebook reader, Marc Tarpenning and Martin Everhard turned their attention to building the first lithium-ion powered electric vehicle. Elon Musk, who had just left PayPal, stepped in with capital funding. Their first car, the Roadster, first reached buyers in 2008. From there, they worked on more practical and affordable vehicles. The Model S was a massive hit, quickly becoming the best-selling large luxury car in America. This was followed by the Model X crossover, the Model 3 sedan and the Model Y crossover. Although several companies are entering the market, three out of four electric cars on American roads are still Teslas.

Whether you’re looking for low running costs, low environmental impact, high technology or insane acceleration, there are plenty of reasons to buy a Tesla. However, with so many motor and battery combinations available, buying a used model can be confusing. Getting a VIN check from out site makes it easier to find the model you want. Our site can decode this string of numbers and letters, turning it into something you can read. Worried that there might be some title issues or hidden damage? When you order a VIN report, you’ll get a history of the vehicle, including police reports, title changes and lien information.

List of Tesla Models

Tesla VIN Number Lookup

While Tesla has only made 5 models since they opened their doors, these models come in several versions. As battery and charging technology have evolved, the company has introduced larger batteries and faster charging systems. Often, a model is offered with multiple battery sizes each model year. On top of that, there are options for single motor rear wheel drive models, two motor all wheel drive models, and performance models. The difference in acceleration and power consumption between these versions can be huge.

While you can’t open the battery pack to see what’s inside, you can use our decoder to find out how the car was equipped at the factory. This way, you know for certain the car is exactly as it’s listed by the seller.

Where to Search for the VIN?

Tesla prints the VIN number on several components, so it can’t be completely erased from the vehicle. Here’s where you can find these stickers and engravings.

Look through the windshield at the dashboard. You will see the VIN on a small metal plate on the driver’s side of the car.

Open the driver’s door, and look at the pillar near the door latch. You should see the Vehicle Certification Label. The VIN is at the bottom of this label.

Open the frunk and lift the center maintenance panel. You should see the VIN stamped into the firewall.

Open the hatch door. Most models have a small white VIN sticker on the right side edge of the door.

If you’re looking at a Roadster, turn the wheels all the way to the right. Look in the right front wheel well. You can see the VIN etched into the frame in front of the strut.

If you already have a Tesla account, log in and look for your vehicle. The VIN will be to the left of the vehicle image. Alternatively, you can open the app on your phone and scroll down to the bottom of the page. You will see the VIN number listed next to the software version.

The VIN is used to identify the car on official documents. You can find this number on the window sticker, the title and the insurance card. It may also be on service receipts.

Where to find VIN on a vehicle?
🟡 Basic Report Cost: Free
🟡 Tesla VIN Database: 369.8K+
🟡 Car-on-Sale Photos: Up to 100
🟡 Full Report: Extensive History

Comprehensive VIN Decoder Guide

The VIN is 17 digits long. 6 of these characters are the serial number, while the rest identify the assembly plant, equipment options and more. Here’s what each of these digits can tell you.

VIN Decode Guide?

The first three digits identify the manufacturer. You will probably see one of these two codes:

CodeMODEL
5YJTesla
7SATesla Model X or Y

If the car is a gray market import, it may have one of these codes:

CodeMARKET IMPORT
LRWTesla China
SFZTesla Motors UK
XP7Tesla Berlin

The fourth digit is the model:

CodeMODEL
RRoadster
SModel S
XModel X
YModel Y
3Model 3

The fifth digit is the body type:

CodeBODY TYPE
A5 door hatch, left hand drive (Model S)
Class E MPV, 5 door left hand drive (Model X)
GMPV, 5 door left hand drive (Model Y)
EFour door sedan, left hand drive (Model 3) or convertible (Roadster)

The sixth digit is the region and drive position on Roadsters. For all North American vehicles, this is “1” for USA left hand drive. For all other models, it’s the safety restraint system:

CodeEQUIPMENT
1Front and rear side airbags, and knee airbags
ASide inflatable restraints and front knee Airbags
D5 seat side inflatable restraints

The seventh digit is the safety restraint system on Roadsters. This is “A” for seat belts and dual air bags.

On other models, it’s the battery or charger type:

CodeBATTERY
ELithium battery
HLithium battery, high capacity
SLithium battery, standard capacity
VLithium battery, ultra-high capacity
CodeBATTERY
A10 kw charger
B20 kw charger
C10 kw charger with DC fast charge
D20 kw charger with DC fast charge

The 8th digit is the drive unit:

CodeDRIVE TYPE
1, J, R, SSingle motor
2, KDual Motor
3Tesla M65 motor (Roadster)
4, LPerformance dual motor
5P2 dual motor
6P2 tri motor
ASingle motor (Model 3)
BDual motor (Model 3)
CDual motor performance (Model 3)
DSingle motor (Model Y)
EDual motor (Model Y)
FDual motor performance (Model Y)
GBase motor, 51-60 kWh battery
NBase motor, 81-90 kWh battery
PPerformance motor, 81-90 kWh battery

The 9th digit is a check digit. It’s generated using other digits in the VIN.

The 10th digit is the model year. This uses 30 characters, including most letters and numbers 1-9. “O”, “Q” and “L” are excluded to keep them from being confused with numbers. Unlike most car companies, Tesla’s model years don’t run through the same months. Depending on the model, the model year could start anywhere from February to December.

CodeCountryCodeCountryCodeCountryCodeCountry
E1984R199442004E2014
F1985S199552005F2015
G1986T199662006G2016
H1987V199772007H2017
J1988W199882008J2018
K1989X199992009K2019
L1990Y2000A2010L2020
M199112001B2011M2021
N199222002C2012N2022
P199332003D2013P2023

The 11th digit is the manufacturing location. “F” is the Fremont, California plant.

The 12th through 17th digits are the car’s serial number.

Tesla VIN Samples

What information do you get when you use our website? Here are three real VIN numbers and their results:

  • 5YJ3E1EAXHF000316: 2017 Model 3
  • 5YJSA1H26EFP62940: 2014 Model S with one motor
  • 5YJXCAE48GF007961: 2016 Model X that may have salvage records
  • 2019 TESLA Model 3

    2019 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EAXKF427230
    Listed for sale on:
    02/28/2021
    Price:
    $31,324
    Odometer:
    0 km
  • 2018 TESLA Model 3

    2018 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EB9JF085499
    Listed for sale on:
    02/23/2021
    Price:
    $33,781
    Odometer:
    48,481 km
  • 2019 TESLA Model 3

    2019 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EB5KF390323
    Listed for sale on:
    02/09/2021
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    20,117 km
  • 2018 TESLA Model 3

    2018 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EA8JF023549
    Listed for sale on:
    09/17/2019
    Price:
    $44,500
    Odometer:
    29,773 km
  • 2018 TESLA Model 3

    2018 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EB5JF114044
    Listed for sale on:
    04/04/2023
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    58,228 km
  • 2020 TESLA Model 3

    2020 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EA2LF644885
    Listed for sale on:
    12/05/2020
    Price:
    $38,313
    Odometer:
    11,636 km
  • 2018 TESLA Model 3

    2018 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EA5JF009978
    Listed for sale on:
    04/20/2018
    Price:
    $66,418
    Odometer:
    1,609 km
  • 2018 TESLA Model 3

    2018 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EA5JF003906
    Listed for sale on:
    01/25/2018
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    16 km
  • 2018 TESLA Model 3

    2018 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EA0JF061552
    Listed for sale on:
    11/07/2019
    Price:
    $46,900
    Odometer:
    15,583 km
  • 2018 TESLA Model 3

    2018 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EB5JF092997
    Listed for sale on:
    03/05/2021
    Price:
    $47,991
    Odometer:
    12,199 km
  • 2018 TESLA Model 3

    2018 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EB3JF083828
    Listed for sale on:
    04/16/2021
    Price:
    $0
    Odometer:
    39,543 km
  • 2019 TESLA Model 3

    2019 TESLA Model 3

    VIN 5YJ3E1EA6KF426477
    Listed for sale on:
    08/26/2021
    Price:
    $43,990
    Odometer:
    21,066 km

Frequently Asked Questions

Locations vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. However, there are three places you can find the code on most vehicles:

- Look through the windshield at the dashboard. On the driver’s side, you should see a small metal plate with the number stamped into it.
- Open the driver’s door. Look at the front and side of the door pillar for an I.D. sticker. It usually has the manufacturer’s logo on it. The code should be on this sticker.
- Open the hood. You may see a sticker on the firewall or near the passenger’s side strut tower. Some cars have the number engraved in one of these areas.

Since this number is used to identify the vehicle on official documents, you can also find it on the title, the window sticker, and on insurance policies.

We also decode numbers for RVs, heavy-duty trucks and motorcycles. If you need to decode an RV number, make sure it’s the one issued by the chassis manufacturer, not the RV outfitter.

No. Canadian and Mexican cars usually use the same format. Other countries use their own formats.

It’s up to the manufacturer to determine what they want to include for some parts of the number. For example, some companies don’t include information about transmissions or trim levels.

Usually, no. A few manufacturers stamp the code into the engine. If the VINs on the engine and car match, then it’s the original engine. On most vehicles, there isn’t anything that ties an engine to a specific vehicle. At most, looking up the vehicle on our website will tell you if a different type of engine was installed. For example, if someone swaps a V8 into a Ford Mustang, our site will tell you it originally came with a V6.

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