Honda VIN decoder
What each part of a Honda VIN means, from real Honda VINs on file with NHTSA.
Honda VINs start with a World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) such as 5FN (United States), 1HG (United States) and 2HG (Canada); these are the most common on 16,032 Honda VINs in NHTSA complaint records for the models VinSnap tracks. Position 10 is the model year (N = 2022, P = 2023 and R = 2024), position 9 is a check digit, and positions 4–8 describe the model, body and engine. Enter a full VIN in the VinSnap decoder to see the exact model, trim and engine.
Last updated: · Source: NHTSA vPIC and complaint VIN records
Honda WMI codes (VIN positions 1–3)
| WMI | Built in | Registered manufacturer | Vehicle type | VINs seen | Models seen |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5FN | United States | AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC. | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | 4,749 | Pilot, Odyssey, Passport, Accord |
1HG | United States | AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC. | Passenger Car | 3,615 | Accord, Civic, CR-V |
2HG | Canada | HONDA OF CANADA MFG., A DIVISION OF HONDA CANADA INC. | Passenger Car | 1,701 | Civic, Accord, Pilot |
2HK | Canada | HONDA OF CANADA MFG., A DIVISION OF HONDA CANADA INC. | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | 1,339 | CR-V, Accord, Pilot |
19X | United States | AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC. | Passenger Car | 1,326 | Civic, Accord |
5J6 | United States | AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC. | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | 1,049 | CR-V |
7FA | United States | AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC. | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | 1,045 | CR-V, Civic |
3CZ | Mexico | HONDA DE MEXICO, S.A. DE C.V. | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | 584 | HR-V, CR-V |
5FP | United States | AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC. | Truck | 226 | Ridgeline |
SHH | United Kingdom | HONDA OF THE U.K. MFG., LTD. | Passenger Car | 201 | Civic |
JHM | Japan | HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD. | Passenger Car | 88 | Civic, Accord |
JHL | Japan | HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD. | Multipurpose Passenger Vehicle (MPV) | 70 | CR-V |
19F | United States | CARRIAGE INC. | Trailer | 3 | Civic |
516 | United States | AUTOCAR INDUSTRIES, LLC | Truck | 3 | CR-V |
5JR | United States | APACHE TRAILERS | Trailer | 3 | CR-V |
WMIs counted from the first 11 VIN characters NHTSA publishes with owner complaints for the Honda models VinSnap tracks (a WMI needs at least 3 VINs to be listed). Manufacturer and vehicle type from NHTSA vPIC. Country from the ISO 3779 region of the first character.
Model-year code (VIN position 10)
| Model year | Code |
|---|---|
| 2010 | A |
| 2011 | B |
| 2012 | C |
| 2013 | D |
| 2014 | E |
| 2015 | F |
| 2016 | G |
| 2017 | H |
| 2018 | J |
| 2019 | K |
| 2020 | L |
| 2021 | M |
| 2022 | N |
| 2023 | P |
| 2024 | R |
| 2025 | S |
| 2026 | T |
| 2027 | V |
| 2028 | W |
| 2029 | X |
| 2030 | Y |
Letters I, O, Q, U, Z and the digit 0 are never used for the year, so the codes repeat every 30 years (A = 1980 and 2010).
How often the code matches on real Honda VINs in NHTSA complaint records:
| Model year | Expected code | VINs | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | F | 1,894 | 98% |
| 2016 | G | 4,152 | 99% |
| 2018 | J | 2,547 | 100% |
| 2019 | K | 2,923 | 100% |
| 2020 | L | 310 | 100% |
| 2021 | M | 942 | 100% |
| 2022 | N | 1,331 | 100% |
| 2023 | P | 789 | 100% |
| 2024 | R | 1,144 | 100% |
How the check digit (position 9) works
Each character becomes a number (digits keep their value; letters use the fixed table A=1, B=2 … H=8, J=1 … R=9, S=2 … Z=9), is multiplied by its position weight (8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 10, 0, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2), and the products are added. The remainder after dividing by 11 is the check digit; a remainder of 10 is written as X. A VIN whose position 9 does not match was mistyped or altered.
Worked example with an illustrative VIN 5FNRL6H7XRA123456 (a common Honda prefix with a made-up serial — not a real vehicle): the products add up to 439; 439 ÷ 11 leaves 10, so the check digit is X.
| Position | Character | Value | Weight | Product |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 40 |
| 2 | F | 6 | 7 | 42 |
| 3 | N | 5 | 6 | 30 |
| 4 | R | 9 | 5 | 45 |
| 5 | L | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 18 |
| 7 | H | 8 | 2 | 16 |
| 8 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 70 |
| 9 | X | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | R | 9 | 9 | 81 |
| 11 | A | 1 | 8 | 8 |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 7 |
| 13 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 12 |
| 14 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 15 |
| 15 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 16 |
| 16 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 15 |
| 17 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 12 |
Frequently asked questions
What does a Honda VIN start with?
The first three characters are the World Manufacturer Identifier. On Honda VINs in NHTSA complaint records the most common are 5FN (4,749 VINs), 1HG (3,615 VINs) and 2HG (1,701 VINs).
How do I tell the model year from a Honda VIN?
Read position 10: F = 2015, G = 2016, J = 2018, K = 2019, L = 2020, M = 2021, N = 2022, P = 2023 and R = 2024. The same letters repeat every 30 years.
What is the VIN check digit?
Position 9 is computed from the other 16 characters with fixed values and weights, divided by 11; a remainder of 10 is written X. It catches most typing errors.