A VIN with "A" as its tenth character is a 2010 model year vehicle.
How the 2010 VIN year code works
Position 10 of every 17-character VIN encodes the model year. The scheme runs on a 30-year cycle using 30 characters: the letters A through Y with I, O, Q, U and Z omitted, followed by the digits 1 through 9. Zero is never used. For 2010, that character is A.
No other year in the current range shares this code.
Reading the rest of a 2010 VIN
Positions 1–3 are the world manufacturer identifier, telling you who built the vehicle and where. Positions 4–8 describe the vehicle itself — model line, body style, engine, restraint system. Position 9 is a check digit calculated from the other sixteen characters. Position 11 identifies the assembly plant. Positions 12–17 are the sequential production number, which on most manufacturers increments in build order.
Paste a full VIN into the box at the top of this page and every one of those fields is decoded against NHTSA's official records, along with any open recall campaigns filed for that vehicle's make, model and year.
Model years either side
2009 VIN code (9)2011 VIN code (B)Full year code table →
Frequently asked questions
What VIN code is a 2010 model year?
A 2010 model year vehicle has the character "A" in position 10 of its VIN — the tenth character counting from the left.
How do I tell a 2010 from a ?
The year code repeats on a 30-year cycle, so "A" means both 2010 and . Position 7 breaks the tie: on a 2010 vehicle position 7 is a letter. Vehicles from 1980–2009 have a digit in position 7; vehicles from 2010 onwards have a letter.
Is the VIN year the same as the year I bought the car?
No. The VIN encodes the model year, not the calendar year of manufacture or sale. Manufacturers routinely start building a model year in the middle of the preceding calendar year, so a 2010 model may well have been assembled in 2009 and sold in 2011.
Position 9 validates the whole VIN. Here's the arithmetic behind it.