The Model Y is built in Fremont, Austin, Shanghai and Berlin, so the same model can carry the manufacturer codes 5YJ, 7SA, LRW or XP7. Since 2022 the 7SA prefix is used for Model Y and Model X built in Fremont and Austin, which means 7SA alone does not tell you which of the two plants it was. Always read position 11: F is Fremont, A is Austin, C is Shanghai and B is Berlin.
How a Tesla Model Y VIN is built
Every Tesla Model Y VIN has 17 characters. Compact crossover SUV, introduced with VINs from model year 2020. Its VIN starts with 5YJ and 7SA (Fremont, Austin), LRW (Shanghai), XP7 (Berlin) and has the model code Y in position 4. The rest of the structure is explained in our position-by-position guide.
Body type and steering side (position 5)
| Code | Body | Steering | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
G | 5-door crossover SUV | Left-hand drive | Confirmed |
H | 5-door crossover SUV | Right-hand drive | Confirmed |
Motor and drivetrain codes (position 8)
| Code | Drivetrain | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
D | Single motor, wire-wound · RWD | Confirmed |
E | Dual motor, wire-wound · AWD | Confirmed |
F | Dual motor Performance, wire-wound · AWD | Confirmed |
J | Single motor, hairpin-wound · RWD | Confirmed |
K | Dual motor, hairpin-wound · AWD | Confirmed |
L | Dual motor Performance, hairpin-wound · AWD | Confirmed |
R | Single motor · RWD | Likely |
S | Single motor, newer drive unit · RWD | Likely |
Single-motor cars use D, J, R, S; dual-motor or tri-motor cars use E, F, K, L.
Battery code (position 7)
E means a lithium-ion pack (NMC/NCA) and F means lithium iron phosphate (LFP). Read more in LFP vs NMC batteries.
Where it is built (position 11)
| Code | Plant | Location |
|---|---|---|
F | Fremont Factory | Fremont, California, USA |
A | Gigafactory Texas | Austin, Texas, USA |
C | Gigafactory Shanghai | Shanghai, China |
B | Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg | Grünheide, Germany |
G | Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg | Grünheide, Germany |
Model year (position 10)
The tenth character is the model year, for example L = 2020, N = 2022, P = 2023, R = 2024, S = 2025, T = 2026. See the full table.
Example
The VIN XP7YGCEK7NB123456 is a synthetic Tesla Model Y example. See how it decodes.
Frequently asked questions
What does the 4th character of a Tesla Model Y VIN mean?
It is the model code. For the Model Y it is "Y". Together with the manufacturer code in positions 1–3 (5YJ and 7SA (Fremont, Austin), LRW (Shanghai), XP7 (Berlin)) it identifies the car as a Tesla Model Y.
Where is the Tesla Model Y built?
According to the plant code in position 11, Model Y cars are built at: Fremont Factory (Fremont, California, USA); Gigafactory Texas (Austin, Texas, USA); Gigafactory Shanghai (Shanghai, China); Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg (Grünheide, Germany); Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg (Grünheide, Germany).
How can I tell from the VIN if a Tesla Model Y is single-motor or dual-motor?
Look at the 8th character. Single-motor codes are D, J, R, S; dual-motor or multi-motor codes are E, F, K, L. Note that the code does not map reliably to retail trim names such as Long Range.