Glossary
VDS (Vehicle Descriptor Section)
Positions 4 through 9 of a VIN. The VDS encodes model, body style, restraint system, engine, and the check digit.
Standard: ISO 3779
Definition
The Vehicle Descriptor Section is positions 4 through 9 of a VIN. ISO leaves the meaning of each character to the individual manufacturer, which is why VIN decoding outside the US is genuinely difficult: the same six characters mean different things to a BMW than they do to a Renault. Position 9 is reserved for the check digit on VINs sold in North America (mandatory) and is optional elsewhere. The remaining five characters are manufacturer-defined and typically split across model line, body type, engine displacement or output code, transmission, and safety/restraint configuration. European VDS patterns are not published centrally — they have to be reverse-engineered from registry data, type-approval filings, and observed VIN-to-spec pairings.
Why it matters when buying a used car
The VDS is what tells you whether a 'BMW 3 Series' is the petrol 320i or the diesel 320d — information sellers sometimes blur because trim mismatches affect price by thousands of euros.
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Often confused with
VIN
A VIN is the 17-character serial number that uniquely identifies a road vehicle worldwide, standardised by ISO 3779.
WMI
The first three characters of a VIN. The WMI identifies the manufacturer, the country of assembly, and (for high-volume makers) the vehicle category.
Check digit
Position 9 of a VIN. A single character (0-9 or X) computed from the other 16 to detect typos or forgery.
VIN decoder
Software that converts a 17-character VIN into make, model, year, engine, body and country fields.