Volvo VIN Decoder
Enter any 17-character Volvo VIN. Free US-market Volvo VIN decoder backed by the official NHTSA VPIC database — engine code, assembly plant, model year, body class, and every open recall, in about 30 seconds.
How to read a Volvo VIN
A Volvo VIN, like any modern road-vehicle VIN, is 17 characters split into three blocks: the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) in positions 1–3, the Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) in positions 4–9, and the Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS) in positions 10–17. Here's a real Volvo VIN broken down position by position.
1Y2V344A52627P8L9110K111121130140150160171
| Position | Chars | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Y | Country of origin Y = Sweden. Volvo Cars VINs starting with YV1 (passenger sedan / wagon — S60 / V60 / S90 / V90) and YV4 (SUV — XC40 / XC60 / XC90) are typically Swedish-built at Torslanda (the historic Gothenburg plant). USA-built Volvos use 7JR (Charleston SC, since 2018 — S60 / EX90). China-built Volvos for export to the US use LYV (Chengdu, S90 long wheelbase). Volvo Trucks is a SEPARATE company since 2010 (see the FAQ below) and uses different WMIs entirely. |
| 2-3 | V4 | Manufacturer (WMI) V4 = Volvo Cars SUV (Torslanda Sweden — XC40 / XC60 / XC90). Other major Volvo Cars WMIs: YV1 (Sweden passenger — S / V series), 7JR (Charleston SC USA — S60 / EX90), LYV (Chengdu China — S90 L). The "YV" stem is exclusive to Volvo Cars; Volvo Trucks USA uses 4V (Greensboro NC — VHD / VNL / VAH) and is a separate manufacturer in NHTSA VPIC. |
| 4-8 | A22PL | Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) Encodes the model line (A2 = XC90 in this VIN), body style, restraint type, and powertrain (2PL = 2.0L 4-cyl turbo gasoline + AWD). Volvo Cars does not publish a public VDS-to-trim table — CheckMyVIN reports the Model, Trim and Engine Model that NHTSA VPIC returns directly (e.g. "B4204TS (HP)" for the 2.0L turbo "High Performance" variant in this example). |
| 9 | 1 | Check digit A mod-11 checksum computed from the other 16 positions. NHTSA uses this to reject typos before returning a decode — if the check digit is wrong, VPIC returns ErrorCode 1 and CheckMyVIN treats that as an unreadable VIN. |
| 10 | K | Model year K = 2019. The full year code table is below. The 30-year cycle skips I, O, Q, U, Z and 0 to avoid being confused with similar-looking digits. |
| 11 | 1 | Assembly plant For this VIN, 1 maps to Torslanda — the historic Volvo Cars main plant in Gothenburg, Sweden (1964–present), where the XC90, V90, XC60, and S60 (export market) are built. CheckMyVIN reads Plant City and Plant Country directly from the VPIC record rather than inferring from this character; Volvo Cars' other plants: Ghent Belgium (XC40 / EX30 — Geely platform), Charleston SC USA (S60 / EX90), Chengdu China (S90 long wheelbase), Daqing China (S60 / XC60 — older). |
| 12-17 | 100001 | Production sequence A 6-digit serial number that increments through the model year at that plant. Not useful on its own, but combined with year and plant it confirms the VIN is internally consistent. |
VIN year codes (position 10)
The 10th character of every modern VIN encodes the model year. The cycle skips the letters I, O, Q, U and Z, and the digit 0, to avoid being confused with similar digits. This table covers every model year currently on US roads.
| Code | Year | Code | Year | Code | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2010 | H | 2017 | R | 2024 |
| B | 2011 | J | 2018 | S | 2025 |
| C | 2012 | K | 2019 | T | 2026 |
| D | 2013 | L | 2020 | V | 2027 |
| E | 2014 | M | 2021 | W | 2028 |
| F | 2015 | N | 2022 | X | 2029 |
| G | 2016 | P | 2023 | Y | 2030 |
Full year code chart for all years (1980–2030) →
Volvo WMI codes (positions 1–3)
The first three characters of the VIN identify the manufacturer and country of assembly. Volvo uses several WMI codes depending on plant and model line.
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| YV1 | Volvo passenger car — Sweden |
| YV4 | Volvo SUV (XC60, XC90) — Sweden / USA (Charleston, SC) |
| LYV | Volvo (built in China) |
Volvo build sheet & options
A full Volvo Cars build sheet — original Monroney options, paint code (Onyx Black / Crystal White / Thunder Grey), interior color (Nappa leather / Charcoal / Maroon), Bowers & Wilkins audio package, R-Design / Polestar Engineered upgrades — is not part of the federal NHTSA VPIC dataset. CheckMyVIN can confirm the model, trim level (Momentum / R-Design / Inscription / Polestar Engineered / Recharge / Ultimate), engine family (B4204T 2.0L turbo, B6 hybrid, twin-charged T6 / T8, electric P6 / P8 motors), assembly plant, model year, body class, drive type, and recall history pulled live from NHTSA. For the full Monroney your authoritative source is a Volvo Cars dealer, who can pull the build sheet from the VIN through Volvo's dealer system . Volvo Cars also publishes the official owner site at volvocars.com. CheckMyVIN never claims options data it cannot verify against the NHTSA record.
Volvo VIN decoder FAQ
Is the Volvo VIN decoder free?
Yes — every Volvo VIN lookup on CheckMyVIN is free, no signup, no email gate, no usage cap on individual users. Data comes from the public NHTSA VPIC API. The optional "full vehicle history report" link at the bottom of each report is an affiliate to a paid third-party history service; you can ignore it.
Volvo Cars or Volvo Trucks? Are they the same VIN decoder?
They are SEPARATE companies since 2010 — and CheckMyVIN decodes both, but they're distinct manufacturers in NHTSA VPIC with different WMI ranges. Volvo Cars (the passenger / SUV brand, owned by Geely since 2010): WMIs YV1 / YV4 (Sweden), 7JR (Charleston SC USA), LYV (Chengdu China). Volvo Trucks (the Class 8 heavy-truck brand, owned by AB Volvo): WMIs 4V (Greensboro NC USA), YV2 / 4V4 / 4V5 (heavy-truck specific). A Volvo Cars XC90 and a Volvo Trucks VNL semi-tractor look like the same brand to consumers but file separate NHTSA submissions. Enter the 17-character VIN above and CheckMyVIN reads the right one — Make field returns VOLVO (cars) or VOLVO TRUCK / VOLVO TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA (trucks).
How do I read a Volvo Cars VIN (S60, V60, S90, V90, XC40, XC60, XC90, EX30, EX90)?
A Volvo Cars VIN is 17 characters: position 1 is the country (Y = Sweden, 7 = USA Charleston, L = China Chengdu), positions 2-3 are the WMI (V1 = Sweden passenger sedan / wagon, V4 = Sweden SUV, JR = USA Charleston, YV = China), position 10 is the model year (K = 2019 in the worked example above), and position 11 is the plant (1 = Torslanda for this XC90). Enter any 17-character Volvo Cars VIN above and CheckMyVIN reads every field via the official NHTSA database.
Where is the Volvo VIN located?
Three places on every modern Volvo Cars vehicle: the dash plate at the base of the windshield (visible from outside, driver side), the driver-door jamb certification sticker, and on the title / registration. The Volvo Cars app (linked to the VIN) also displays it under Vehicle Information. On Volvo Trucks the VIN is on the cab door jamb plate AND stamped on the chassis frame rail.
Can CheckMyVIN show the Volvo build sheet, paint code, or options list?
Partially. The decoder shows what NHTSA VPIC stores: model, trim (e.g. Inscription / R-Design / Recharge / Ultimate), engine (B4204T family / B6 / T8 PHEV), body class, plant, year, drive type (AWD on almost every modern Volvo). It does NOT show the original Monroney — paint code, interior color, Bowers & Wilkins sound, Polestar Engineered upgrade. For that, your authoritative source is a Volvo Cars dealer (they can print the original Monroney from the VIN through Volvo's dealer system) or your Volvo Cars Owners account at volvocars.com. CheckMyVIN never invents options data we cannot verify against NHTSA.
What does the 10th character of a Volvo VIN mean?
The 10th character is the model year code, following the ISO 3779 cycle every manufacturer uses: A = 2010, B = 2011, … K = 2019 (the worked example above), … Y = 2030. The cycle skips the letters I, O, Q, U, Z and the digit 0 to avoid being confused with similar-looking characters.
Does CheckMyVIN cover Volvo T8 PHEV, Recharge BEV (EX30 / EX40 / EC40 / EX90), and Polestar?
Yes — every Volvo in NHTSA VPIC is supported. T8 Twin Engine (PHEV) variants decode with Electrification Level = PHEV; the report shows both the gasoline engine and battery details. Recharge fully-electric Volvos (EX30 / EX40 / EC40 / EX90) decode with Electrification Level = BEV and the report switches to the EV view (battery kWh, no oil / spark / timing rows). Polestar is technically a Volvo-Geely spin-off (Polestar 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5) and uses its own WMIs — Polestar VINs return Make = POLESTAR in NHTSA VPIC, not VOLVO.