Tesla VIN guides & articles
Learn how to read a Tesla VIN, check the factory and model year, spot problems before buying a used car and look up recalls.
Guide
How to Decode a Tesla VIN: Position-by-Position Guide
Learn what every one of the 17 characters in a Tesla VIN means – manufacturer, model, body, battery, motor, check digit, model year, factory and serial number.
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Technical
Tesla VIN Check Digit Explained (With a Worked Example)
How the 9th character of a Tesla VIN is calculated, why it can be X, and what it means when the check digit does not match.
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How-to
How to Find the VIN in a Tesla: Screen, App, Windshield, Door Jamb & Body Stamp (with Video)
Every place a Tesla VIN can be found – the app, the touchscreen, your Tesla account, the windshield plate, the door-jamb label and the number stamped into the body – with a model-by-model table and two video walkthroughs.
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Guide
Which Factory Built My Tesla? Plant Codes and WMI Explained
Find out whether your Tesla was built in Fremont, Austin, Shanghai or Berlin using the 11th VIN character and the manufacturer code.
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Reference
Tesla VIN Model Year Codes: Full Table (2012–2030)
The 10th character of a Tesla VIN is the model year. See the complete letter-to-year table and why a car can carry a code that differs from its delivery year.
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Buying guide
Buying a Used Tesla: The VIN Checklist
A practical VIN checklist for used Tesla buyers: verify the number in three places, check the digit, confirm model year, plant and drivetrain, and look up recalls.
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Battery
LFP or NMC? What the 7th VIN Character Says About Your Tesla Battery
Position 7 of a Tesla VIN indicates the battery type – E for lithium-ion (NMC/NCA) and F for LFP. Learn what that means in daily use and what the VIN cannot tell you.
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Safety
How to Check Tesla Recalls by VIN
Look up open Tesla recalls with your VIN using NHTSA, the Tesla app and TeslaVin – and understand the difference between model-level and VIN-level recall data.
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