Chevrolet VINs start with 1G1, 1GC or 1GN (US), 2G1 or 2GN (Canada), 3GC or 3GN (Mexico) and KL (Korea).
Specs are free. The Chevy's history is the part that costs money — $5.99 of it.
Accident records, title brands, odometer readings, service history and open recalls for this VIN.
Get the full report — $5.99Chevrolet VIN decoder: reading the code yourself
A Chevy VIN answers the two questions truck buyers ask most — which engine, and which plant — in single characters. The middle of the code changes layout between cars and trucks, which is where a decoder helps, but the first three characters and positions 8, 10 and 11 read the same way on everything from a Spark to a Silverado HD.
| Position | What Chevrolet encodes there |
|---|---|
| 1–3 | World Manufacturer Identifier — country and vehicle type (table below). |
| 4–7 | On cars, the car line, series and body; on trucks and SUVs, the weight class, chassis, series and body. The layout differs by vehicle type, so let the decoder read these. |
| 8 | Engine. D on a 2020 Silverado 1500 is the 5.3-litre V8, whether the truck was built in Fort Wayne or Silao. |
| 9 | Check digit. |
| 10 | Model year (table below). |
| 11 | Assembly plant (table below). |
| 12–17 | Production serial. |
Chevrolet WMI codes (positions 1–3)
| Code | Meaning | Typical vehicles |
|---|---|---|
| 1G1 | Car, built in the US | Malibu, Camaro, Corvette, Cruze, Impala, Bolt EV, Sonic |
| 1GC | Truck, built in the US | Silverado, Colorado, Express cargo van |
| 1GN | SUV, built in the US | Tahoe, Suburban, Traverse |
| 1GB · 1GA | Incomplete vehicles · passenger vans | Chassis cabs and cutaways · Express passenger van |
| 2G1 · 2GN | Built in Canada (car · SUV) | Impala, Camaro (2010–2015) · Equinox (Ingersoll) |
| 3GC · 3GN | Built in Mexico (truck · SUV) | Silverado (Silao) · Equinox, Blazer |
| KL7 · KL8 · KL1 | Built in South Korea | Trax, Trailblazer · Spark · Aveo |
GMC (1GT for trucks) and Cadillac (1G6) share these plants and the same VIN layout, and decode here too.
Chevrolet assembly plant codes (position 11)
| Code | Plant | Builds |
|---|---|---|
| Z | Fort Wayne, Indiana (truck VINs) | Silverado 1500 and HD |
| G | Silao, Mexico | Silverado 1500 |
| F | Flint, Michigan (truck VINs) · Fairfax, Kansas (car VINs) | Silverado HD · Malibu |
| R | Arlington, Texas | Tahoe, Suburban |
| J | Lansing Delta Township, Michigan | Traverse |
| 5 | Bowling Green, Kentucky | Corvette |
| 1 | Wentzville, Missouri | Colorado, Express |
| 0 | Lansing Grand River, Michigan | Camaro (2016–2024) |
| 4 | Orion, Michigan | Bolt EV and EUV, Sonic |
| 7 | Lordstown, Ohio | Cruze (2011–2019) |
| 6 | CAMI, Ingersoll, Ontario | Equinox |
GM reuses letters between car and truck VINs and as plants open and close: on a car VIN Z is Spring Hill, Tennessee rather than Fort Wayne, and J meant Janesville, Wisconsin until that plant closed in 2009. Read the plant together with the WMI and year — the decoder does that for you.
Model-year letters (position 10)
Every maker uses the same tenth-character code. 2001–2009 are the digits 1–9; from 2010 the alphabet starts again at A, skipping I, O, Q, U and Z so nothing is mistaken for a digit. The same letters were used for 1980–2000, which is why a VIN's seventh character matters: a letter there means the vehicle is 2010 or newer, a digit means 2009 or older.
| 1 2001 | 2 2002 | 3 2003 | 4 2004 | 5 2005 |
| 6 2006 | 7 2007 | 8 2008 | 9 2009 | A 2010 |
| B 2011 | C 2012 | D 2013 | E 2014 | F 2015 |
| G 2016 | H 2017 | J 2018 | K 2019 | L 2020 |
| M 2021 | N 2022 | P 2023 | R 2024 | S 2025 |
| T 2026 | V 2027 | W 2028 | X 2029 | Y 2030 |
RPO codes: the options the VIN leaves out
The VIN fixes the engine, body, drive and series, but not whether a Silverado has the Z71 package, a max-tow package or a locking rear differential. GM records those as three-character Regular Production Option codes on the Service Parts Identification label, usually inside the glovebox. Compare it, or the original window sticker, with what a listing claims; packages are the easiest way to pad a truck's price.
Chevrolet trouble spots to check in the history report
Match the engine character from the decode against this list. Years are approximate.
- 6.2-litre V8 (L87), 2021–2024 Silverado 1500, Tahoe and Suburban: recalled in 2025 for crankshaft and connecting-rod bearing failures that can seize the engine.
- Cylinder-deactivation lifters on the 5.3 and 6.2 V8 (2007 on, Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban): collapsed lifters and damaged camshafts; a lifter or camshaft job in the service history is a big repair already done.
- 5.3 V8 oil consumption, 2010–2014: piston rings and the cylinder-deactivation system, the subject of a class action.
- Eight-speed automatic shudder (2015–2019 Silverado, Colorado, Camaro, Corvette): torque-converter shudder; GM's fix was a fluid change to a revised fluid.
- 2.4-litre four, 2010–2013 Equinox: oil consumption from piston rings; GM extended coverage.
- 3.6 V6 timing chains (about 2009–2012 Traverse and Camaro): chain stretch with check-engine codes.
- Cruze 1.4 turbo, 2011–2016: coolant leaks from the water pump and thermostat housing.
- Bolt EV, 2017–2022: every Bolt was recalled for battery fire risk and received new battery modules or packs. Confirm the repair is done.
- Ignition switch: 2005–2010 Cobalt and 2006–2011 HHR, recalled in 2014.
- Takata airbag inflators: 2007–2014 Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban and Avalanche. The free recall check above lists the campaigns for the model and year; nhtsa.gov/recalls confirms whether this VIN's repair was done.
A VIN-first checklist for buying a used Chevrolet
- Decode the VIN and note the engine character; it decides which issues above apply.
- Compare the RPO label or window sticker with the packages in the listing.
- Run the history report for accidents, title brands, fleet or rental use and the odometer timeline.
- If the truck spent time where hurricanes hit, check the flood car check for its counties.
- Match the dash VIN, the door-jamb label and the frame stamp on trucks.
What a Chevrolet VIN decode can't tell you
Everything above was fixed on the day the vehicle was built, which is exactly why it is reliable and exactly why it is incomplete. A collision, a flood title issued in another state, a rolled-back odometer or a skipped timing-chain service all happen later, so none of them touch the VIN. They live in the vehicle history report: accident and damage records, title brands, the odometer timeline, open recalls, service entries and ownership changes. Decode here for free as often as you like; buy history only for the Chevrolet you are serious about. Dealers and flippers who check every car can bring that to $1.30 a report.
Guides that go with this decoder
- What to inspect before buying a used car — the lot checklist to print.
- What the 17 digits in a VIN mean — the full position-by-position breakdown.
- Signs of a rolled-back odometer — what a decode can't catch and a report can.
- Is a salvage-title car worth buying? — every brand, and what it does to value.
- Dealer auction VIN checks — the pre-bid routine volume buyers use.
- Other makes: any VIN · Ford · Chevrolet · Toyota · Honda · Nissan · Jeep · BMW · Mercedes-Benz · Audi · Volkswagen · Lexus · Porsche · window sticker lookup
Frequently asked questions
How do I decode a Chevy VIN?
Enter the 17-character VIN above. The decoder returns model year, model, trim, body, engine, drivetrain, transmission and assembly plant from the official NHTSA vPIC database. The first three characters tell you where and what: 1G1 is a US-built car, 1GC a truck and 1GN an SUV; a leading 2 means Canada, 3 Mexico and KL Korea.
Which character is the engine on a Chevy VIN?
The eighth. On a 2019-on Silverado 1500 it separates the 2.7 turbo, 5.3 V8, 6.2 V8 and 3.0 Duramax diesel; D, for example, decodes as the 5.3-litre V8. Check it against the listing, because 'V8' alone doesn't say which.
Which plant built my Chevrolet?
The eleventh character, read together with the first three: GM reuses letters, so F is Flint, Michigan on a truck VIN but Fairfax, Kansas on a car VIN. Common ones: Z Fort Wayne and G Silao (Silverado), F Flint (Silverado HD), R Arlington (Tahoe, Suburban), J Lansing Delta Township (Traverse), 5 Bowling Green (Corvette), 1 Wentzville (Colorado). The decoder names the plant for you.
What are Chevrolet RPO codes?
Regular Production Option codes: three-character codes such as Z71 for the off-road package or L84 and L87 for the 5.3- and 6.2-litre V8s. GM prints every RPO code a vehicle was built with on its Service Parts Identification label, usually in the glovebox. The window-sticker lookup shows the same equipment in plain English.
Is my Chevy in the 6.2-litre V8 recall?
GM recalled 2021–2024 Silverado 1500, Tahoe and Suburban (and their GMC and Cadillac twins) with the L87 6.2-litre V8 in 2025 for crankshaft and connecting-rod bearing failures. Enter the VIN above: the free recall check lists the campaigns for the model and year, and nhtsa.gov/recalls confirms whether this VIN is included and repaired.
Does a VIN decode show if a Chevy has been in an accident?
No. A decode returns factory build data only. Accidents, branded titles, odometer readings, service records and open recalls appear in the full vehicle history report, $5.99 for a single VIN.