Honda VIN decoder for USA

Free Honda VIN Decoder to check car history and specifications for Honda USA

What is Honda VIN?

Honda VIN, or Vehicle Identification Number, is a unique code every vehicle gets during manufacturing. It consists of 17 characters, each of which has its meaning, and can help you learn more about your current car or one you’re about to buy.

Different sections of the Honda VIN hold general information about the vehicle’s origin and specifications, including manufacturer, model year, vehicle type, assembly plant, and specific features (e.g., engine, body style, etc.).

Moreover, as the VIN is also used to record various events that happen during the car’s lifespan (accidents, damages, MOTs, theft, etc.), a VIN decoder can help uncover the car’s history, which is especially important if you’re buying a used Honda.

Honda is a well-known international brand primarily recognized for producing cars, motorcycles, and power equipment. It was established in 1946 by Soichiro Honda and Takeo Fujisawa in Japan and started as a small company building motorized bicycles. Now, it’s expanded its operations into various industries and become one of the world’s leading automobile manufacturers.

Where to search for the VIN on your Honda?

A vehicle’s VIN number is located in multiple places and can depend on the brand. However, there are specific common locations where the VIN is usually found in most vehicles.

Here’s where you can find the VIN in Hondas:

• Dashboard. Most car manufacturers, including Honda, place the VIN on the dashboard. Look for a small metal plate or a transparent sticker containing letters and numbers, which should be visible through the windshield on the driver’s side.
• Driver’s side door pillar. If you can’t find the VIN on the dashboard, check the driver’s side door pillar – you should be able to find the VIN on the certification label.
• Under the hood. The VIN can also be stamped on the engine compartment bulkhead.
• The front end of a frame. Some Hondas might have their VINs placed on the inner front wheel arch.
• Vehicle documentation. The VIN is usually mentioned in the car's registration documents, insurance papers, and the vehicle's title. Check any of those if you cannot locate the VIN on the car itself.

What is Honda VIN decoder?

The VIN serves several different purposes. It acts as an identifier for a vehicle and is used in registrations, insurance, and legal documents. Moreover, the VIN helps track a vehicle’s history, and you can perform a VIN lookup to learn more about your current or future car’s past.

For instance, you can learn about accidents, ownership history, mileage discrepancies, title changes, and more by getting a vehicle history report. Such information is crucial for buyers considering a used vehicle. If you’re selling, you can use a vehicle history report for transparency, improving your chances of sealing the deal.

All you need to do is enter the car’s VIN into the VIN decoder. Remember that if a seller refuses to share the VIN, there’s probably something he doesn’t want you to know.

How accurate is the information provided by the Honda VIN decoder?

carVertical gathers and processes information from over 900 reputable global data sources, including state registries, insurance companies, auto repair shops, and more. Therefore, using the Honda VIN decoder and getting a history report is a great way to identify a car’s potential weak spots before buying it or earn a buyer’s trust when selling.

How to decode a VIN number - Honda VIN breakdown

A Honda VIN consists of four sections – World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI), Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS), Security Check Digit, and Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS). Each section provides specific information about the vehicle.

While decoding is much simpler with a decoder, understanding the meaning of VIN characters can help you make a few quick insights about the car.

World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI)

The World Manufacturer Identifier section is the first three characters of the VIN. Knowing what each of them means lets you learn about the vehicle’s country of origin, manufacturer, and type.

1st digit – country of origin

2nd digit – manufacturer

3rd digit – vehicle type

Based on the descriptions above, here are some WMI examples that you may expect to find in Honda VINs:

Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)

The fourth to eighth character of the Honda VIN is the Vehicle Descriptor Section. It encodes such information as the vehicle model (4th-6th characters), body type and transmission (7th character), and grade and restraint system (8th character).

This portion of the VIN contains the most significant differences over the years. Therefore, let’s explore only the 2000-present Hondas and Acuras as examples.

4th-6th characters – model

Some examples of VIN codes for Honda (2000-present) models:

Some examples of VIN codes for Accura (2000-present) models:

7th character – body type and transmission

In VINs of Hondas over 35 years old, this section (7th character) only denotes the body type. It indicates both body type and transmission for the remaining years and all Acuras.

Here are some examples of the 7th character in the Honda VIN (2010-present):

And Acuras (2010-present):

8th character – grade and restraint system

Similarly to the previous section, the 8th character in the Honda VIN – grade and restraint system – has not been consistent over the years. Therefore, let’s explore only the latest (2010-present) descriptions.

Some examples of the 8th character and its meaning in Hondas:

Some examples of the 8th character and its meaning in Acuras:

Security Check Digit

The Security Check Digit (9th character in the Honda VIN) is created to detect errors and safeguard against tampering within the VIN system rather than convey vehicle-specific information.

The Security Check Digit is calculated using a dedicated algorithm known as the VIN formula. This formula uses the 16 remaining characters of the VIN, assigning distinct weights to each character. The Check Digit is derived based on the sum of these weighted values.

Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS)

The Vehicle Identifier Section is the remaining characters (10th-17th) of the Honda VIN.

The 10th character is the model year. The common practice is that the model year encoding uses letters from the Latin alphabet, excluding “I,” “O,” “Q,” “U,” and “Z” to avoid confusion with numbers or other letters.

The 11th character represents the assembly plant. Here are some examples that Honda uses to encode their assembly plants:

12th to 17th character is a serial or production number that is unique to every vehicle.

Is a Honda VIN decoder available for a free VIN check in the USA?

You can use the Honda VIN decoder for free to check the legitimacy of the VIN and get some general information about a vehicle, such as manufacturer, engine type, model year, and more.

However, to better understand the vehicle’s past and condition (especially before buying), it’s recommended to get a full vehicle history report, which requires a fee. Vehicle history reports contain information from governmental registries, manufacturers’ databases, law enforcement databases, and similar – sources that are not available to a regular person and charge for data.

List of Porsche models in the USA

• Honda Brio
• Honda City
• Honda Civic
• Honda Integra
• Honda e
• Honda Fit/Jazz
• Honda Accord
• Honda Inspire
• Honda Amaze
• Honda Crider
• Honda Envix
• Honda Freed
• Honda Mobilio
• Honda Odyssey/Elysion
• Honda Stepwgn
• Honda Avancier/UR-V
• Honda BR-V
• Honda CR-V/Breeze
• Honda Elevate/WR-V
• Honda HR-V
• Honda Passport
• Honda Pilot
• Honda Prologue
• Honda WR-V
• Honda ZR-V
• Honda Ridgeline
• Honda Civic Type R

Check car VIN number by make:

• Isuzu VIN Decoder
• Nissan VIN Decoder
• Subaru VIN Decoder
• Mercedes VIN Decoder
• Maserati VIN Decoder
• Audi VIN Decoder