Reference
Vehicle History Glossary
Plain-English definitions for the terms that appear in a VIN decode, a paid vehicle history report, and the EU registry filings that sit underneath. Written for buyers, not engineers.
33 terms · English · Updated 2026
VIN structure
The 17 characters of a VIN and what each position encodes — manufacturer, model, year, plant, serial.
Check digit
Check Digit
Position 9 of a VIN. A single character (0-9 or X) computed from the other 16 to detect typos or forgery.
Model year code
Model Year Code
Position 10 of a VIN. A single character that encodes the model year on a 30-year rolling cycle.
Plant code
Plant Code
Position 11 of a VIN. A single character identifying which factory built the car.
VDS
VDS (Vehicle Descriptor Section)
Positions 4 through 9 of a VIN. The VDS encodes model, body style, restraint system, engine, and the check digit.
VIN
VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)
A VIN is the 17-character serial number that uniquely identifies a road vehicle worldwide, standardised by ISO 3779.
VIS
VIS (Vehicle Identifier Section)
The last eight characters of a VIN. The VIS records model year, plant of assembly, and a per-vehicle serial number.
WMI
WMI (World Manufacturer Identifier)
The first three characters of a VIN. The WMI identifies the manufacturer, the country of assembly, and (for high-volume makers) the vehicle category.
Decoders & type approval
How VIN decoders turn 17 characters into a make and model — and what the homologation system underneath looks like.
CoC
CoC (Certificate of Conformity)
A paper document issued for every new EU-type-approved vehicle, certifying that the unit was built to the approved type. Required for re-registration in another EU country.
CoP
CoP (Conformity of Production)
The regulator's ongoing audit that verifies every car coming off the line still matches the approved type, not just the test sample.
EEA CO2
EEA CO2 Registration
The European Environment Agency's central dataset of CO2 emissions for every new car registered in the EU.
Homologation
Homologation
The broader process of certifying a vehicle type for road use in a given market. Type approval is the formal output of homologation.
OBFCM
OBFCM (On-Board Fuel Consumption Monitor)
EU-mandated on-board device that records real-world fuel consumption on every new car. Data is collected by the European Environment Agency.
Type approval
Type Approval
The certification process that authorises a new vehicle type for sale in a given market. EU type approval (WVTA) is recognised across all EU member states.
VIN decoder
VIN Decoder
Software that converts a 17-character VIN into make, model, year, engine, body and country fields.
Vehicle history terms
Mileage rollback, accident records, title brands, salvage, theft and the inspection systems that record them.
Accident record
Accident Record
A documented incident in a vehicle's history. Sources include insurance claims, police reports, inspection findings, and repair invoices.
Lemon law
Lemon Law
Consumer-protection statute that lets a buyer return a chronically defective new vehicle. Strong in the US; partial equivalents exist in the EU.
Mileage rollback
Mileage Rollback (Odometer Fraud)
Tampering with a vehicle's odometer to display a lower mileage than the car has actually covered. A criminal offence in every EU country.
Odometer
Odometer
The instrument that records total distance covered by a vehicle. Digital on every car built since the late 1990s.
Salvage title
Salvage Title
A title brand placed on a vehicle that an insurer has declared a total loss. Common US designation; the EU equivalent varies by country.
Title brand
Title Brand
Any permanent notation on a vehicle's registration record indicating significant history — salvage, flood, lemon, theft recovery.
VIN cloning
VIN Cloning
Stamping the VIN of a legitimate vehicle onto a stolen or written-off vehicle to give it a clean apparent identity.
EU registries & filings
Country-specific registry acronyms (ITV, MOT, HU, APK and others) and the EU-wide filings that sit above them.
APK
APK (Dutch Periodic Inspection)
The Netherlands' periodic roadworthiness inspection, registered against the vehicle's number plate in the national registry.
Car-Pass
Car-Pass (Belgium)
Belgium's mandatory pre-sale mileage certificate. Required at every used-car transaction since 2006; one of the most rollback-resistant systems in the EU.
ITV
ITV (Spanish Periodic Inspection)
Spain's periodic technical inspection. Records mileage and result; relevant for any car imported from Spain, Portugal, or Latin America.
MOT
MOT (Ministry of Transport Test)
The UK's annual roadworthiness test, mandatory for cars over three years old. Records mileage and any defects on a public-access history.
STK
STK (Czech / Slovak Periodic Inspection)
The Czech and Slovak roadworthiness inspection. Logs mileage at every test and is one of the more rollback-prone records due to historical paper-based reporting.
HU
TÜV / HU (German Periodic Inspection)
Germany's biennial roadworthiness inspection. TÜV is the largest of several authorised inspection bodies; HU (Hauptuntersuchung) is the formal name of the test.
Buyer-side checks
The specific things a used-car buyer actually checks: mileage trail, accident flags, recall status, theft register.
SMV
Interpol Stolen Motor Vehicles Database
The international police database of stolen motor vehicles. Aggregates reports from 196 member countries.
NHTSA
NHTSA (US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
The US federal regulator for motor vehicle safety. Runs the free vPIC VIN decoder and the recall database.
Safety Gate
Safety Gate (EU Rapid Alert System)
The EU's central alert system for unsafe products, including motor vehicles. Aggregates recall notifications from every member state.
Recall
Safety Recall
A manufacturer or regulator order requiring affected vehicles to be returned to a dealer for free safety repair.
SIS
SIS (Schengen Information System)
The shared police database of the Schengen area. Includes alerts on stolen vehicles, missing documents, and persons wanted across the EU.
Stolen vehicle check
Stolen Vehicle Check
Cross-referencing a VIN against national and international theft registers before purchase.