WMI prefix directory — the first 3 VIN characters

World manufacturer identifier directory

The first three characters of a VIN are the world manufacturer identifier. Character one is the region, characters two and three narrow it to the manufacturer and often the vehicle division. Below are 304 prefixes covering the manufacturers we document, each linking to a page explaining what that code covers.

VIN country codes (position 1)

The first character of any VIN identifies the region and country where the vehicle was manufactured. It's assigned under ISO 3780 and is the single most reliable piece of the VIN — it never varies by model or year.

A WMI identifies the manufacturer, not the badge

This trips people up constantly. WMIs are assigned to manufacturing entities, so the badge on the grille and the country in the VIN often disagree. A MINI built in Oxford carries the German prefix WMW because BMW is the manufacturer of record. A Jeep Renegade built in Melfi carries the Italian prefix ZAC. A BMW X5 built in South Carolina carries a US prefix. If a decode returns a manufacturer name that surprises you, the WMI is almost always the reason.