Reference
Model year codes, 1980 to 2039
Position 10 of a VIN encodes the model year using a thirty-character cycle that repeats, so every code means two possible years.
Why one code means two years
The cycle runs through 30 characters — the alphabet minus I, O, Q, U, Z and the digit 0, then 1 through 9. After 30 years it starts over. So A means either 1980 or 2010, and S means 1995 or 2025.
Position 7 usually resolves the ambiguity: for model years 2010 and later it holds a letter, and for 1980 to 2009 it holds a digit. This holds for most passenger vehicles but is a convention rather than a guarantee, so always prefer the model year the manufacturer actually filed.
| Year | Code | Year | Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | A | 2010 | A |
| 1981 | B | 2011 | B |
| 1982 | C | 2012 | C |
| 1983 | D | 2013 | D |
| 1984 | E | 2014 | E |
| 1985 | F | 2015 | F |
| 1986 | G | 2016 | G |
| 1987 | H | 2017 | H |
| 1988 | J | 2018 | J |
| 1989 | K | 2019 | K |
| 1990 | L | 2020 | L |
| 1991 | M | 2021 | M |
| 1992 | N | 2022 | N |
| 1993 | P | 2023 | P |
| 1994 | R | 2024 | R |
| 1995 | S | 2025 | S |
| 1996 | T | 2026 | T |
| 1997 | V | 2027 | V |
| 1998 | W | 2028 | W |
| 1999 | X | 2029 | X |
| 2000 | Y | 2030 | Y |
| 2001 | 1 | 2031 | 1 |
| 2002 | 2 | 2032 | 2 |
| 2003 | 3 | 2033 | 3 |
| 2004 | 4 | 2034 | 4 |
| 2005 | 5 | 2035 | 5 |
| 2006 | 6 | 2036 | 6 |
| 2007 | 7 | 2037 | 7 |
| 2008 | 8 | 2038 | 8 |
| 2009 | 9 | 2039 | 9 |
A caution about model year
Model year is not the year the vehicle was built. Manufacturers commonly begin producing a model year in the middle of the preceding calendar year, so a 2024 model may well have rolled off the line in mid-2023. The VIN records the model year, and so does the title.