{"id":4446,"date":"2020-06-03T21:23:36","date_gmt":"2020-06-03T21:23:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/carexamer.com\/blog\/?p=4446"},"modified":"2026-02-28T20:46:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T20:46:41","slug":"what-is-a-vin-number-why-do-you-need-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/carexamer.com\/blog\/what-is-a-vin-number-why-do-you-need-it\/","title":{"rendered":"What is a VIN Number & Why do you Need It?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/path><\/svg><\/span><\/span>Estimated reading time: <\/span>3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every single car on the road has a VIN number, but understanding what it is and what it means is one of the best ways to get a true insight into your vehicle. When it comes to admin behind your car, there are some really important things to learn. You have important documents like your licence, registration, V5c, etc. There\u2019s a lot. On top of that, you need to know about running and maintaining it too. That\u2019s a battle in itself. What isn\u2019t so commonly mentioned, however, is VINs, or Vehicle Identification Numbers. They\u2019re a fundamental of your car\u2019s conception but understanding these mysterious little numbers and what they do and mean is a separate story altogether. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What is a VIN number?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Firstly, let\u2019s look at what a VIN actually is. We know that that stands for a vehicle identification number, but what does that really mean? Well, it\u2019s a 17-digit number that your car contains as a way of identifying your car to the dot. It\u2019s completely unique to your vehicle and that makes it stand apart from every other car in the whole world. All just from the one number!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What does a VIN do?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The next obvious question for what VINs are for tends to be what it actually does. That\u2019s what license plates are for after all, right? Well, not entirely. A VIN is the real barebones DNA behind your car, and it\u2019s what you need for a lot of legal activities like reg changes, as well as other things too. That\u2019s perfect for doing history and vehicle checks as well as a range of other things as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, one of the greatest uses of a VIN comes from fraud in a lot of cases especially with things like car cloning<\/a> being so common out there and so easy to do too. The VIN is something that is totally your own and something that can always make sure your car is legit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you Find a VIN?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Despite being something that every single car on the road has, it\u2019s also something that a lot of people don\u2019t actually know how to find too. It\u2019s a great thing to learn, and it\u2019s actually much more common than you may think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Generally speaking, you\u2019ll actually find it on your dashboard. That\u2019s right, it\u2019s right there. To see it though, you\u2019ll need to get out of your vehicle and actually look in the very bottom corner of your windscreen to see it there. It can also be on your door frame too (just like your tyre pressures).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What a Vin Really Means<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So now that you\u2019ve found this magical confusing code, you may well be thinking about what it could mean. It looks like a real contraption after all, but it\u2019s not actually as manic as it sounds. Each character actually has a whole story behind it and it all works together to keep you safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n