Model Year Codes in VINs: Why Your 2024 Car May Be a "P"

Long Pattern Editorial

Position 10 of every VIN encodes the model year as a single character. The code cycles every 30 years — here is the complete table and why it matters.

When you look at position 10 of a VIN, you see a single letter or digit. That character encodes the vehicle's model year. The system started with the 1980 model year (A) and uses a specific set of characters that repeats on a 30-year cycle — meaning the same character represents two different years 30 years apart.

Why Letters Instead of Numbers?

VINs exclude the letters I, O, and Q to avoid confusion with the digits 1, 0, and 0. The digits 0 and U are also excluded from position 10. This leaves a set of characters that form a unique, unambiguous code for each year in the 30-year cycle.

The Model Year Code Table

Here are all the codes and the years they represent:

  • A — 1980 / 2010
  • B — 1981 / 2011
  • C — 1982 / 2012
  • D — 1983 / 2013
  • E — 1984 / 2014
  • F — 1985 / 2015
  • G — 1986 / 2016
  • H — 1987 / 2017
  • J — 1988 / 2018
  • K — 1989 / 2019
  • L — 1990 / 2020
  • M — 1991 / 2021
  • N — 1992 / 2022
  • P — 1993 / 2023
  • R — 1994 / 2024
  • S — 1995 / 2025
  • T — 1996 / 2026

The full table continues through 2009/2039. Visit our model year codes page for the complete reference.

How to Use the Code When Buying a Used Car

If a seller claims a vehicle is a 2024 model year, the character at position 10 of the VIN must be R. If it shows anything else, the stated year is wrong. This is one of the fastest checks you can run before purchasing a used vehicle. A VIN with the wrong model year code may indicate title washing, odometer fraud, or simple administrative error — all worth investigating further.

Model Year vs. Calendar Year

The model year is not the same as the calendar year of manufacture. Manufacturers typically begin producing the next model year in summer or fall. A vehicle assembled in August 2023 may be a 2024 model year — and its VIN will reflect the 2024 code (R), not the 2023 code (P). The calendar year of manufacture is encoded separately in the VIS section by some manufacturers but is not standardized.