A VIN with "J" as its tenth character is a 2018 model year vehicle — or a 1988, distinguished by position 7.
How the 2018 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 2018, that character is J.
Because the cycle repeats, "J" also appears on 1988 vehicles. The tiebreaker is position 7: manufacturers put a digit there for model years 1980 through 2009 and a letter for 2010 onwards. On a 2018 vehicle, position 7 is a letter.
Reading the rest of a 2018 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
2017 VIN code (H)2019 VIN code (K)Full year code table →
Frequently asked questions
What VIN code is a 2018 model year?
A 2018 model year vehicle has the character "J" in position 10 of its VIN — the tenth character counting from the left.
How do I tell a 2018 from a 1988?
The year code repeats on a 30-year cycle, so "J" means both 2018 and 1988. Position 7 breaks the tie: on a 2018 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 2018 model may well have been assembled in 2017 and sold in 2019.
Position 9 validates the whole VIN. Here's the arithmetic behind it.