Hyundai VIN Decoder

Quick answer

To decode a Hyundai VIN, enter the 17-character number at Carlytics — the free decoder instantly returns the model, engine, plant of origin, model year and factory build details. What a free decode can't verify is mileage history, theft status, accident records or open recalls; those come with the full Hyundai vehicle-history report for EUR 8.90, delivered in about 60 seconds.

All Models

10+ Hyundai models

Every Engine

Petrol · Diesel · Hybrid · EV

Mileage History

Cross-border reconciliation

Plant of Origin

Ulsan, South Korea · Asan, South Korea

Common Issues Across the Hyundai Range

Before buying a used Hyundai, know the failure patterns the range is known for. A VIN check tells you the exact engine and build year against the dashboard mileage — pairing that with the Hyundai common-issue profile predicts which repair window is about to open on the car you are looking at.

Engine seizures and bearing failures on Theta II 2.0T and 2.4L GDI engines (2011-2019) — subject to massive recall, verify recall completion

Dual-clutch transmission (7DCT) hesitation and jerking at low speeds — particularly on i30, Kona, and Tucson with 1.6T engines

Premature catalytic converter failures — can cause rattling exhaust and engine warning light, check for P0420 fault codes

Steering column lock (SCL) defect causing vehicle not to start — recall issued for multiple models 2016-2021

Rear suspension trailing arm bushing wear on Tucson and Santa Fe — causes clunking over bumps and unstable handling

Paint peeling and clear coat delamination — reported on white and silver colours, especially on 2015-2019 models

Red Flags Specific to Used Hyundai Cars

• Theta II 2.0T or 2.4 GDI engine (2011-2019) with no documented recall completion — engine-bearing failure was a large recall, verify it was carried out
• 1.6T with the 7-speed dual-clutch (7DCT) that hesitates or jerks at low speed — mechatronic or clutch wear
• Tucson or Santa Fe past 80,000 km with clunking over bumps — rear trailing-arm bush wear
• N or N-Line badges and bodykit that do not match the model code returned by the VIN decode
• 2015-2019 white or silver car with bubbling or peeling clear-coat — a known paint-delamination issue, not accident damage

Sample Hyundai VIN Decoder Output

Below is a real example of what the free Carlytics decoder returns when you enter a Hyundai VIN. Fields tagged

Paid

are part of the EUR 8.90 full report and not shown in the free preview.

Example VINKMHXXXXXX5RXX1234Hyundai Tucson — example

Field	Decoded value	Tier
VIN	Validated 17-character ISO 3779 string	Free
Make	Hyundai	Free
Model	Tucson	Free
Model Year	Decoded from position 10	Free
Engine Code	Decoded from VDS positions	Free
Displacement	Returned where VDS allows	Free
Power (kW / HP)	Returned where VDS allows	Free
Fuel Type	Petrol / Diesel / Hybrid / EV	Free
Transmission	Manual or automatic family	Paid
Body Type	Saloon / Estate / SUV / Hatch	Free
Country of Origin	Ulsan, South Korea	Free
Production Date	Returned where factory record is accessible	Paid
Trim / Variant	Returned where factory record is accessible	Paid

Output may vary by build year and market. Newer Hyundai VINs return richer factory-spec detail; older pre-2000 VINs may return abbreviated VDS positions.

Ready to check your vehicle?

Enter the VIN number below to get a free instant report.

How the Hyundai VIN Is Structured

Every Hyundai VIN follows the ISO 3779 standard — 17 characters split into the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI, positions 1-3), Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS, positions 4-8), and Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS, positions 9-17). Hyundai uses KMH for Korean-built passenger cars and 5NP/5NM for US production. Position 4 identifies the model line (Tucson, i30, etc.), position 5 the trim level, and position 6 the body type. IONIQ electric models use specific KMH sub-codes.

Pos.	Meaning	Hyundai example
1-3	WMI — manufacturer + country	KMH = Hyundai car, South Korea; 5NP/5NM = US-built Hyundai
4	Model line	Tucson / i30 / Kona / Santa Fe / IONIQ
5	Trim / grade level	Encodes the equipment grade
6	Body type	Hatch / saloon / estate / SUV
7-8	Engine & restraint system	Engine family and restraint descriptor
9	Check digit	Mathematical validation — flags fraud and transcription errors
10	Model year	P = 2023, R = 2024, S = 2025, T = 2026
11	Plant code	Ulsan / Asan (KR), Montgomery (US), Nošovice (CZ)
12-17	Production serial number	Unique sequential build number for this car

VIN position 10 encodes the model year — the full code table is in the next section.

Hyundai VIN Model-Year Codes (Position 10)

The 10th character of every Hyundai VIN encodes the model year. It is a letter or digit from a fixed 30-year cycle that skips the letters I, O, Q, U and Z (too easily confused with 1, 0 and 2) and the digit 0. Because the cycle repeats every 30 years, a single code maps to two possible years — the decade is confirmed from the chassis generation and build record. Find the 10th character of your VIN below.

Code	Model year	Code	Model year
G	1986 / 2016	1	2001 / 2031
H	1987 / 2017	2	2002 / 2032
J	1988 / 2018	3	2003 / 2033
K	1989 / 2019	4	2004 / 2034
L	1990 / 2020	5	2005 / 2035
M	1991 / 2021	6	2006
N	1992 / 2022	7	2007
P	1993 / 2023	8	2008
R	1994 / 2024	9	2009
S	1995 / 2025	A	2010
T	1996 / 2026	B	2011
V	1997 / 2027	C	2012
W	1998 / 2028	D	2013
X	1999 / 2029	E	2014
Y	2000 / 2030	F	2015

Note: a few manufacturers shift the model-year letter for cars built in the late summer of the previous calendar year, so build date and model year can differ by a few months. The Carlytics decoder resolves the exact year from the VIN plus the Hyundai build record.

How to Find Your Hyundai Production Date

The production date matters for warranty, recall eligibility, and confirming a car was actually built when the seller claims. Registration date and build date can differ by months on Hyundai stock that sat on dealer lots before first registration.

Hyundai prints the production date on the manufacturer plate inside the engine bay, on the driver-side door-jamb sticker (build month and year), and in the factory build record kept on file by the manufacturer. On modern cars the plate is usually a metal rivet plate; on older cars it may be a foil sticker.

VIN position 10 carries the model year as a single letter (P = 2023, R = 2024, S = 2025, T = 2026). Model year and production date can differ — cars built in the late summer of one calendar year are often registered as the following model year.

The Carlytics decoder returns the production year from the VIN itself; the EUR 8.90 paid report adds the exact build month and plant where the Hyundai factory record is accessible.

Hyundai Factory option codes

Hyundai factories tag every option fitted to a car with an in-house option-code system. The codes appear on the build sheet (often glued inside the boot well, the spare-wheel tray, or the inside of the service book) and itemise every factory-fitted extra — gearbox, climate, audio, trim, drive assist, paint and interior colour.

Example codes — These codes are how the dealer parts desk orders replacement panels and trim in the right colour and texture. Photographing the option sticker before purchase is the single most useful piece of due diligence on any used car.

Carlytics decodes the factory-fitted equipment from the VIN where the manufacturer's build record is accessible, and flags discrepancies between the decoded spec and what the seller claims.

Hyundai VIN Decoder vs Hyundai VIN Check — What's the Difference?

The two terms get used interchangeably, but they answer different questions. A decoder reads what is baked into the VIN; a check pulls the records the VIN can never contain.

VIN decoder — what the car IS

Reads the 17 characters and returns the static factory identity: make, model, model year, engine family, body type and plant of origin. This is encoded in the VIN itself, so it is the same on day one and at 200,000 km. This is what the free decoder above returns.

VIN check — what HAPPENED to the car

Looks the VIN up against history records: cross-border mileage readings, accident and write-off markers, open safety recalls, theft-database status and ownership count. None of this lives in the VIN — it is recorded over the car's life. This is the EUR 8.90 Hyundai report.

Free Hyundai VIN Decoder vs EUR 8.90 Full Report

The free decoder confirms the factory specification of the car in front of you. The paid report adds the cross-border history layer — the part that exposes mileage roll-backs and undisclosed accidents on imported Hyundai stock.

What you get free

Make, model and model year
Engine family and basic displacement
Country and plant of origin (where VIN positions allow)
Body type and number of doors
VIN validity check (ISO 3779 check digit)

What is in the EUR 8.90 report

Cross-border mileage history reconciliation
Open safety recalls and recall completion status
Theft-database lookup across European registries
Ownership-history record count and country path
Accident-flag and write-off indicator where available
Common-complaint summary for this engine + year + chassis combination
Market value estimate for the destination country
Full ECU, transmission, and factory option codes where the build record is accessible

Cross-Border Risk Profile for Hyundai

Hyundai's European supply is shaped by its Czech plant (Nosovice) and Turkish plant (Izmit). Czech-built i30, Tucson and Kona move throughout Central Europe and into Germany; Turkish-built i10 and i20 flow into the Balkans and the wider EU. Hyundai's long factory warranty means a large share of used examples are still within or recently out of cover, which makes verifying the original first-registration date against the dashboard claim important. The Tucson and Santa Fe carry the most cross-border value. A VIN report closes the mileage- and warranty-history gap between the origin-market record and the destination registration.

Origin

South Korea — Ulsan, South Korea, Asan, South Korea. Largest off-lease and ex-fleet supply enters the used market here first.

Cross-border flow

Hyundai stock crosses EU borders into Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, the Baltics and the Balkans. Mileage records rarely transfer with the registration document.

Buyer leverage

A Hyundai VIN report reconciles the origin-country service touch points with the destination registration. The gap that exporters exploit becomes visible to the buyer.

Hyundai Plants & WMI Codes

Hyundai operates 7 assembly plants across 6 countries. The first three VIN characters identify the corporate-registered origin; the 11th character identifies the specific plant. Knowing the production plant matters because market-specific equipment, climate prep, and regulatory homologation differ by build location.

WMI codes

KMH	Hyundai — South Korea
KMJ	Hyundai — South Korea
KM8	Hyundai — South Korea
KMF	Hyundai — South Korea
KME	Hyundai — South Korea
5NP	Hyundai — South Korea
5NM	Hyundai — South Korea

Assembly plants

Ulsan, South Korea

Asan, South Korea

Montgomery, USA

Nosovice, Czech Republic

Izmit, Turkey

Chennai, India

Beijing, China

Where to find the VIN on your Hyundai: On Hyundai vehicles, the VIN is located on the dashboard near the windshield (driver's side), on the driver's door jamb sticker, and stamped on the firewall or front right inner fender in the engine bay. Korean-market models may have the VIN on a separate plate near the engine.

Popular Hyundai Models — Dedicated VIN Check Pages

Each Hyundai model below has its own decoder page with model-specific common issues, generation chassis codes, and mileage-band analysis. Click through for the deep page or decode any VIN from the form at the top.

Hyundai Tucson Hyundai i30 Hyundai Kona Hyundai i20 Hyundai IONIQ 5 Hyundai Santa Fe Hyundai i10 Hyundai IONIQ 6 Hyundai Bayon Hyundai Staria

Hyundai VIN Decoder FAQ

Common questions about decoding Hyundai vehicle identification numbers, plus model-specific buyer guidance.

What does a KMH or 5NP VIN prefix mean on a Hyundai?

KMH is the Hyundai WMI for passenger cars built in South Korea, while 5NP and 5NM identify US-built Hyundais (Montgomery, Alabama). Czech-built cars from Nosovice and Turkish-built cars from Izmit carry their own plant-specific WMIs. The 4th character then narrows the model line and the 10th gives the model year. If you are buying a European-market i30 or Tucson, expect a Korean (KMH) or European plant WMI rather than a US prefix.

Was my Hyundai affected by the Theta II engine recall — and how do I check?

The Theta II 2.0T and 2.4 GDI engines (build years roughly 2011-2019, fitted to some Tucson, Santa Fe, Sonata and i40 variants) were subject to a large recall and warranty-extension programme for connecting-rod-bearing failure that can seize the engine. The recall is tied to the VIN. The Carlytics paid report flags whether a recall remains open against this VIN, so you can confirm the corrective inspection or engine replacement was actually carried out before you buy.

How do I check the battery health on a used Hyundai IONIQ or Kona Electric?

High-voltage battery state-of-health is not encoded in the VIN — it requires a dealer-tool readout. The Carlytics paid report flags whether a recent battery-health diagnostic or any module replacement has been logged against the VIN. This is especially relevant on Kona Electric and earlier IONIQ models, where a battery-pack recall and replacement programme means you should confirm whether this specific car received an updated pack.

How can I tell a genuine Hyundai N from an N-Line styling trim?

The full-fat N models (i20 N, i30 N, Kona N) have a distinct factory model code in the VIN, separate from the N-Line appearance package. Sellers fit N-Line or N badges and bodykits to lesser trims and price them up. The Carlytics free decode returns the model from the VIN; the paid report confirms the factory build, so an 'i30 N' that left the factory as an N-Line cannot be sold to you at the performance model's price.

Where exactly is the VIN on a Hyundai?

Four locations: (1) at the base of the windscreen on the driver's side, visible from outside; (2) on a sticker inside the driver's door frame; (3) stamped on the firewall or front right inner fender in the engine bay; (4) on the registration document. The door-frame sticker and engine-bay stamping are the most reliable on high-mileage cars where the windscreen label may have faded.

How do I check whether a used Hyundai has an open recall?

Hyundai has issued recalls covering the Theta II engine, brake-fluid and ABS items, and Takata airbag inflators on some models. Open recalls are tied to the VIN and remain with the car through every owner change. The Carlytics paid report flags any recall still showing open against this VIN so you can have it corrected free at a Hyundai dealer before the next inspection.

Can I decode a Hyundai VIN for free, and what does the paid report add?

Yes — the decoder on this page returns the model, body style, engine family, model year and plant from any Hyundai VIN at no cost, and validates the check digit to expose a fabricated VIN. The paid Carlytics report adds the layers a free decode cannot reach: mileage-history cross-check, accident and total-loss markers, theft status and open-recall flags from registry and workshop data.

Get the Full Hyundai Vehicle History Report — EUR 8.90

Cross-border mileage history, accident records, theft database, safety recalls, market value, and Hyundai-specific common-issue analysis. Delivered in under 60 seconds. 14-day no-questions refund on every report.

Free Hyundai VIN Decoder