Have you ever wondered what was the purpose of the Vehicle Identification Number of your car? It can reveal important information about it. In fact, many people choose to investigate VINs when they are shopping for a used car.

Although you can learn how to decode a VIN by yourself, using an online VIN checker is often much more convenient. Here are 6 pieces of information that can be revealed by a VIN number checker.

1. The origin and the manufacturer of the car

The VIN of each car is unique, and contains a mix of 15 to 17 digits, both numbers and letters. These identification numbers are usually displayed underneath the windshield, on the driver’s side of the dash of a car.

Decoding the VIN of a car can give you a lot of information about this car. For example, the first three digits of a VIN will tell you where the car was built, and will identify its manufacturer. If the first digit of a VIN is 2, it means the car was built in Canada.

2. The manufacturing plant where the car was built

A VIN can also let you know exactly in which manufacturing plant a car was built. The digits that provide this information are unique for each company, so using a VIN number checker to decode a VIN will simplify things as you will not need to make any research to find the exact factory where your car was built.

3. The year the car was built

The tenth digit of a VIN indicate the model year of a car. How can one digit indicate a year? Well, the cars built between 1980 and 2000 will show a letter between A and Y, and the ones built between 2001 and 2009 will show a number between 1 and 9. In 2010, most car manufacturers decided to just reset this system and start with A again.

4. The model of the car

Of course, a VIN will also indicate the model of a car, as well as the different features it had when it left the factory where it was assembled. You will be able to know if a car used to have leather seats, or if the air bag on the passenger’s side was there from the start or if it was added after the car was built.

5. The production number of the car

The last six digit of a VIN are the production number, or serial number, of a car. It lets you know whether that car was the tenth, or the twentieth of its make and model to come off the assembly line.

6. The confirmation that the VIN is legitimate

Each VIN has a verification digit that is used to confirm its authenticity. Running any VIN through a VIN number checker will let you know without a doubt whether this VIN is legitimate, or has been created by a fraudulent car dealer.