Land Rover VIN decoder for USA

Free Land Rover VIN Decoder to check car history and specifications for Land Rover USA

What is a Land Rover VIN?

The Land Rover VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a unique 17-character code assigned to each of these British SUVs during manufacturing. It serves as a digital signature and is crucial in identifying Land Rover vehicles and tracing their history.

Different sections of the Land Rover VIN hold general information about a vehicle’s origin and specifications, including manufacturer, model, body type, engine specifications, and model year. Moreover, since the VIN is used to document various events throughout the vehicle's life, such as servicing, ownership changes, accidents, and technical inspections, you can use a Land Rover VIN decoder to learn more about a particular car’s condition and past.

Land Rover, a distinguished British automaker, is renowned for producing vehicles with iconic off-road capabilities, often combined with practical or luxurious designs. The brand offers a diverse lineup of cars, ranging from rugged 4x4s to high-performance SUVs.

Where to search for the VIN on your Land Rover?

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.

Where to find VIN - location Land Rover USA

Here’s where you can find the Land Rover VIN:

  • Dashboard. Look through the windshield on the driver’s side of the vehicle – you should spot the VIN on the dashboard.
  • Driver’s side door pillar. Open the driver's side door and inspect the inner edge of the door frame. Look for a small metal plate or sticker containing the VIN.
  • Title and registration. The vehicle’s VIN should be listed in Land Rover’s registration and title documents.
  • Service history book. If a car is at least five years old, it should have an original service book where you can find regular maintenance records and, of course, the VIN number.

Older Land Rovers, typically those manufactured before the 1980s, had the VIN stamped onto the front right-hand chassis leg or in the engine bay, on top of the brake master cylinder and pedal box.

What is Land Rover VIN decoder?

Finding a used Land Rover in good condition is challenging, primarily due to the nature of these vehicles, high repair costs, and owners' inclination to use them off-road. Therefore, it is crucial to use our VIN decoder to conduct a background check, VIN lookup on a specific Land Rover before buying it.

These checks can provide valuable insights into the vehicle's specifications and history, providing detailed information about accidents, mileage records, thefts (if any), ownership changes, and more.

How accurate is the information provided by the Land Rover VIN decoder?

Data provided in the vehicle history is collected from reliable sources, including law enforcement databases, insurance companies, state registries, and more. Therefore, a vehicle history report offers up-to-date information, serving as a valuable tool for background checks and assessing the value when searching for a new vehicle.

How to decode a VIN number - Land Rover VIN breakdown

Every car manufacturer uses a 17-digit VIN, which consists of four sections: World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI), Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS), Security Check Digit, and Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS).

Each part of the VIN number provides general information about a vehicle, including make, model, engine type, and manufacturing plant.

Let's break down each section of the Land Rover VIN to better understand the meaning of the most important characters.

VIN breakdown (Land Rover USA)

World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI)

The first 3 characters of the VIN disclose the region, country, and manufacturer of the vehicle. As evident in the following example, “S” denotes Europe (region), “A” signifies the United Kingdom (country), and “L” represents the manufacturer.

WMIMeaning
SALJaguar Land Rover Limited

Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)

The second segment of the VIN number provides information about specific characteristics of the Land Rover vehicle, including the model, engine, and body type. The following table will explain how to identify the Land Rover or Range Rover model.

4th & 5th characterModel Type
FAFreelander II
HVRange Rover I
LADiscovery III
LBDiscovery III
LJDiscovery I
LHRange Rover I
LMRange Rover III
LN Freelander I
LPRange Rover II
LSRange Rover Sport
LTDiscovery II
VARange Rover Evoque 4x4
VBRange Rover Evoque 4x2
WARange Rover IV
NAS Market
AEDiscovery III (7-seater)
ADDiscovery III (5-seater)
AGDiscovery III (LR4 HSE)
AKDiscovery III (LR4 7-seater)
DHDefender 110
DXDefender 90
DVDefender 90
FPFreelander II (LR2 SE)
FRFreelander II (LR2)
FSFreelander (LR2 SE Tech Pack)
HCRange Rover Classic
JYDiscovery I
MERange Rover III
MFRange Rover III (HSE 5-seater)
MNRange Rover III
NEFreelander (HSE)
NMFreelander
NYFreelander I (SE)
PVRange Rover II
SFRange Rover Sport
TYDiscovery II
VPRange Rover Evoque
VRRange Rover Evoque
VTRange Rover Evoque
VVRange Rover Evoque

The 6th digit in the Land Rover VIN specifies the vehicle’s chassis type. Given that Land Rover predominantly manufactures 4x4 and SUV models, it may seem that there's limited variation in this digit. However, the following example reveals there are more than enough:

6th characterChassis Type
ASeries III (88)Defender 90 (Heavy Duty)Range Rover Classic (100)Range Rover IIRange Rover IIIFreelander
BSeries III (88 – Lightweight)Defender 110 (Heavy Duty)Range Rover Classic (108)Freelander Commercial
CSeries III (109)Defender 130 (Heavy Duty)
DSeries III (109)
GDiscovery (100)
HDefender 110
KDefender 130
MSpecial Build
R110 (24 Volt)
S90 (24 Volt)
V90 (L/R)
1Range Rover Evoque Coupe
2Range Rover EvoqueRange Rover SportRange Rover IV5-doors
NAS marketBody Type
13-door5-door
25-door2-door open
33-door
A5-door
BSoft-top
C3-door
M5-door

The 7th digit in the Land Rover VIN corresponds to another distinctive feature – the vehicle's body type. However, this rule applies exclusively to vehicles sold outside the North American market. In this market, the 7th digit represents the engine type.

7th characterBody Type
A5-doorSoft-topPickupHardtop Van
B2-door3-door5-door
C3-door
FDefender Double Cab
HDefender High Cap
M5-door
RRange Rover Monteverdi
NAS marketEngine Type
12.7-liter turbo diesel3.5-liter petrol V8
22.5-liter petrol V63.7-liter petrol3.9-liter petrol4.0-liter petrol 
34.0-liter petrol V84.2-liter petrol V8
44.2-liter petrol with supercharger4.6-liter petrol V8
54.4-liter petrol
64.6-liter petrol V8
72.5-liter diesel
82.5-liter diesel
A4.4-liter petrol
B2.0-liter petrol
C3.0-liter petrol
D5.0-liter petrol V8
E2.0-liter petrol
F2.5-liter diesel
G2.5-liter petrol
L3.5-liter petrol
M3.9-liter petrol
P4.0-liter petrol
V3.5-liter petrol with carburetor
Y2.0-liter petrol

The 8th character also has a distinct meaning for Land Rovers destined for the US compared to those intended for other markets. In Europe, the 8th character refers to the vehicle’s engine type, while in the US market, it specifies the type of transmission.

Furthermore, due to differences in VIN characteristics between US and European market vehicles, the steering wheel and transmission for European models are encoded in the 9th digit of VIN.

8th characterEngine Type
12.7-liter turbo diesel4.0-liter petrol V8
23.7-liter petrol4.0-liter petrol 
34.0-liter petrol V84.2-liter petrol V8
44.2-liter petrol with supercharger
54.4-liter petrol2.5-liter diesel
62.5-liter diesel (200 Tdi or 300 Tdi)
72.5-liter diesel (With EGR and catalytic converter)
82.5-liter diesel (TD5)
92.8-liter petrol (BMW engine)
A1.8-liter petrol3.2-liter petrol4.4-liter petrol2.0-liter diesel2.2-liter diesel3.0-liter diesel
B4.4-liter petrol
C2.2-liter diesel2.5-liter diesel
D1.8-liter petrol2.2-liter diesel2.5-liter diesel
E2.0-liter petrol (BMW engine)2.2-liter diesel2.4-liter diesel (VM Motori)3.5-liter V8 with carburetor
F2.5-liter diesel
G2.5-liter petrol V62.0-liter petrol
J2.5-liter petrol (ethanol)4.6-liter petrol V8
M3.9-liter petrol
N2.4-liter diesel (VM Motori)
P2.6-liter petrol V64.0-liter petrol
V3.5-liter petrol with carburetor
W2.5-liter diesel (BMW engine)
Y2.0-liter petrol
NAS marketSteering wheel position and transmission type
1RHD Manual
2LHD ManualLHD Automatic
3RHD Automatic
4LHD Automatic
5RHD Manual
6LHD Manual

Security Check Digit

The 9th character of the VIN represents (for the North American market) the Security Check Digit, acting like a unique fingerprint for the identification number. This single-digit number is a safety feature that helps detect and prevent potential errors in the VIN.

The 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 VIN's final segment (10th-17th characters) holds such details as the model year, assembly plant, and a unique serial number. This makes it the specific ID for the Land Rover.

For instance, from 1980 to 1987, Land Rover assigned letters A to D to specific models. The letter A was used for Series II and Defenders, while the letter B was designated for facelifted Defenders and Range Rovers.

CodeYearCodeYearCodeYearCodeYearCodeYearCodeYear
A1980L1990Y2000A2010L2020Y2030
B1981M199112001B2011M202112031
C1982N199222002C2012N202222032
D1983P199332003D2013P202332033
E1984R199442004E2014R202442034
F1985S199552005F2015S202552035
G1986T199662006G2016T202662036
H1987V199772007H2017V202772037
J1988W199882008J2018W202882038
K1989X199992009K2019X202992039

The next character (11th in the overall sequence) is particularly significant as it indicates the vehicle's assembly plant. For example, numbers 1 and 2 specifically indicate the manufacturing facilities where Jaguar produces models like the I-Pace, E-Pace, and the brand new Defender.

CodeAssembly plant
ASolihull, UK
BSolihull (Military)
CCastle Bromwich, UK
GChangshu, China
HHalewood, UK
LPune, India
SOxford Road, UK
TItatiaia, Brazil
1Graz, Austria
2Nitra, Slovakia

Is a Land Rover VIN decoder available for a free VIN check?

Yes, you can use the Land Rover VIN decoder USA for free if you’re looking to confirm the vehicle’s model or body type. If you wish to explore the car’s history, you’ll have to buy a full vehicle history report.

The trade-off is access to the vehicle's mileage log, accident history, and financial and legal status – data, which are gathered from reputable sources, such as government registries or insurance companies.

List of Land Rover models in the USA

  • Land Rover Defender
  • Land Rover Discovery
  • Land Rover Discovery Sport
  • Land Rover Freelander
  • Range Rover
  • Range Rover Evoque
  • Range Rover Sport
  • Range Rover Velar
  • Land Rover Series I
  • Land Rover Series II

FAQ

Can the VIN decoder tell me about the car's previous accidents or damage history?

The free version of the VIN decoder cannot provide this information. To gain insight into the previous accident and damage history, you will have to purchase a vehicle history report.

Can a Land Rover VIN decoder help me verify a seller's claims about the vehicle?

Yes. The VIN decoder is designed to verify sellers' claims and provide additional information, such as accident history, mileage, and title history.

What should I do if my VIN doesn't seem to be decoding properly?

First, confirm that the VIN number you entered matches the one in your documents or on your car. Additionally, be aware that the VIN doesn’t contain letters such as “O,” “I,” or Q.”

How does the Land Rover VIN decoder provide information about recalls or service bulletins on the vehicle?

By collecting data from over 900 databases worldwide, including information from law enforcement agencies, insurance companies, and direct car dealerships.