What is VIN Data? Best Datasets & Databases for VIN Database Download

VIN Data Explained

What are the attributes of VIN data?

Each VIN comprises 17 characters (digits and capital letters) that act as a unique identifier for the vehicle. A VIN relays the vehicle’s unique features, specifications and its manufacturer.

• 1st character - location vehicle was built
• 2nd and 3rd characters - manufacturer
• 4th and 8th characters - aesthetic qualities of the vehicle: brand, engine size, type
• 9th character - security code
• 10th character - model year of car
• Last 6 characters - serial number of vehicle
• 11th character - plant where vehicle was assembled

What is VIN data used for?

VIN data has a range of use cases. In general, it’s used to provide intelligence on a vehicle’s history. With a single VIN, you can monitor when a specific vehicle has been recalled for safety reasons, registered with a new owner, added to an insured policy, undergone a warranty claim, or reported as stolen.

Vehicle identification
Automotive businesses, including car dealerships, refurbishers, and manufacturers can all use VIN data to improve their vehicle identification processes. After license plate recognition (this can be input manually or automatically detected), VIN data providers can map each plate to a VIN. This conversion is usually done via API calls on demand. From there, all of the important data points about the vehicle are available: its make, model, history, etc.

Due diligence and compliance
Car dealers often need to cross-check the VIN for a vehicle against an external database to ensure they’re complying with relevant industry regulations. For example, in Canada, vehicles must register with National Motor Vehicle Title Information System (NMVTIS). Automobile dealers and salesmen can use external VIN data to corroborate a vehicle’s history. This way, they can avoid costly purchases, such as buying a vehicle reported as stolen or unsafe.

Car parking optimization
Car parking centers with license plate recognition in operation can enrich their proprietary database with VIN data to understand the kind of vehicles using their facilities. From here, they can construct enhanced customer profiles based on the make, model, size, and type of vehicles parking in a given car park. Car park owners can also track the frequency of vehicle visits to plan future parking bays and future parking sites.

Automobile marketing and advertising
Automotive marketing companies can also use license plate recognition then VIN decoding to understand the vehicles moving in a certain location. For example, marketers can collect the license plates of vehicle driving in a certain urban area. These plates are then decoded into VIN, which then reveal the car make, model, size etc. With these insights, marketers and advertisers can make data-driven strategies. For example, whether or not it makes sense to display a billboard for a certain vehicle brand based on the volume of those vehicles in local traffic.

What are the sources of VIN data?

You can find a specific vehicle’s VIN manually by looking at the dashboard on the driver’s side. The VIN is printed where the windshield meets the dashboard. However, if you’re looking for VIN data in bulk, you can buy VIN datasets from VIN data providers. These databases include hundreds of VIN identifiers, covering vehicle types and geographies of your choosing.