Paste a 17-character VIN into a new vehicle and Dealer Garage looks it up in the US government's free NHTSA vPIC database and fills in year, make, model, trim and other specifications. Decoding needs an internet connection; everything you then save stays on your own computer.
How it works
- Add a vehicle and enter the VIN.
- Choose decode. Dealer Garage asks the NHTSA vPIC service about that VIN.
- Year, make, model, trim and other details are filled in. Check them and correct anything the decoder left blank.
The service is free and requires no account. Dealer Garage sends the VIN only, not your customer or deal information.
What a VIN is
A vehicle identification number is 17 characters made of letters and digits, never using I, O or Q. It encodes the manufacturer, the vehicle attributes, the model year (the tenth character) and a serial number. Decoders turn those characters into readable specs. See the glossary.
When decoding falls short
- Some trims and packages are not in the public data, so check trim and options against the window sticker or the car itself.
- Very old vehicles (before 1981) do not have standard 17-character VINs.
- Imported or grey-market vehicles may decode partially.
- Without internet access you can still enter every field by hand.
Checking the result
- Compare the decoded year and make with the car and the registration.
- Check the trim and engine against the window sticker or the options on the car; trims are the part decoders most often leave generic.
- Read the VIN back from the dashboard plate, not only from paperwork, so a typo does not become the record.
If a VIN will not decode
- Check each character; the letters I, O and Q never appear in a VIN.
- Make sure you are online; the lookup needs a connection.
- Enter the details by hand and save; you can decode again later.
Questions people ask
Does decoding cost anything?
No. It uses a free public service.
Is the VIN sent anywhere else?
Only to the NHTSA service for the lookup.
Does it work for Canadian vehicles?
The NHTSA database covers vehicles sold in North America, so most Canadian-market vehicles decode, though some trims may need to be filled by hand.
Try Dealer Garage
Dealer Garage is installable dealer management software for independent used-car dealers in the US and Canada: inventory, leads, deals, dealer paperwork, Facebook Marketplace posting and email campaigns, with records stored on the dealership's own computer..