You may ask yourself, what’s a VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)? Here’s the Car Insurance 411.

What is a Vehicle Identification Number?

As the name implies, a VIN is the Vehicle Identification Number used to identify a vehicle. Vehicle manufacturers assign the unique 17-character code to each vehicle based on standardized requirements. As your fingerprint is to you, the VIN is to your vehicle; similarily, it is used to identify a vehicle. And like fingerprints, each vehicle’s VIN is different.  It provides information about its features that car insurance companies use to learn if you have a deluxe or base model. As a vehicle ages, it is a point of historical data to see things like car wreck records.

Fun fact: VINs do not include the letters O (o), I (i), and Q (q) to avoid confusion with numerals 0, 1, and 9.

What do Vehicle Identification Numbers tell car insurance companies?

VINs were shorter before 1981 and each manufacturer chose their own lengths and formats. In 1981 the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) standardized the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) to 17 characters. Auto insurance companies use a vehicle’s VIN to learn such characteristics as the year, make, model, serial number, body type and engine type to determine their car insurance rates. Now some also look up a vehicle’s history.

What does a VIN tell me?

VINs can give at least 7 pieces of information: Country where built, manufacturer, vehicle type /brand/engine size, model year, assembly plant and serial number. Vehicle VIN search services provide a vehicle history which can be helpful in determining car insurance claim involvement before you purchase it. Some charge and some do not; either way, use can use “VIN history search” to find one that suits your needs. A car dealership may offer such a history on a used car purchase.

Two other resources:

• Decode your VIN on the NHTSA’s website: https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/decoder/
• Look up VIN for possible thefts or total losses on the National Insurance Crime Bureau’s website (NICB): https://www.nicb.org/vincheck

So that’s the snapshot look at car insurance 411 on VINs, vehicle identification numbers.

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