Wiki Decoding Tesla Model S VINs

Maniac · Dec 30, 2017

I just got an update on my October order (Europe). The VIN nr that I got a month after placing the order had an "H" as the 10th digit. Which ment it was a 2017 model.

After logging in now, I noticed that the VIN nr was different, so now the 10th digit is "J". I presume this means my car will actually be a 2018 model?

Delivery is due late January, early February according to my DS.

Jean Loyens · Jul 27, 2018

Thread Summary said:
VIN Decoding Table for all years of Model S

Thank you very much for this nice article. As I am expecting my very first Tesla Model S in September I was wondering if anyone can check the month of manufacturing somehow (maybe not on the VIN?). I do know now that you can see the year (Digit 10), but I read an article somewhere that someone said: "in order to make sure you have the one with the latest update on the interior, your VIN should be higher than ........" That was when at the end of April Tesla changed the chrome line on the interior by graphite. I was thinking of buying a stock car instead of waiting for mine, but then I wanted to make sure I had the latest upgrade. So that's what I read as an answer somewhere.

wdolson · Jul 27, 2018

If you go to the delivery thread in the Model S forum, people report the progress of their order and many report the VIN or most of it (minus the last couple of digits). From that you can get a pretty good idea of what VIN was built when, but you'll have to do some scanning of the thread.

slk-A4 · Dec 22, 2018

I called Tesla Service to retrieve the date of production of my Tesla. They could not tell the exact date of production. Tesla takes the date the car was first live connected to the internet as date of production, which in my case was 21st of October 2015. There are many stickers in the car on which you can see the date of production of that specific part, which in my case all are indeed from October 2015.

wdolson · Dec 22, 2018

Not all parts of a car are built in one day in any circumstances. There are many sub-assemblies that could be made months ahead of the final assembly. But most of the final assembly is probably done in one day or over a couple of days.

My old car, which I had custom ordered from GM, had sat on the assembly line half finished for over a month due to a workers strike. There were stickers around showing March 1992 and others from late April. I took delivery in May.

Vindoctor · Feb 15, 2019

Thread Summary said:
VIN Decoding Table for all years of Model S

Note: Some values were only used in certain years and some digits changed how they were used.

Digits 1-3, WMI: 5YJ = Tesla
Digit 4, Line/Series: S = Model S
Digit 5, Body Type:

A = 5 Door Hatchback LHD
B = 5 Door Hatchback RHD

Digit 6, Restraint System:

1 =

Manual Type 2 USA Seat Belts, Dual Front Airbags, Front/Rear Side Airbags, Knee Airbags [from the 2012-2013 NHTSA filing]

Manual Type 2 Seat Belts (FR, SR*3) with front Airbags, PODS, side Inflatable restraints, Knee Airbags (FR) [from the 2014 NHTSA filing]
Manual Type 2 Seat Belts (FR, SR*3) With Front Airbags, Side Inflatable restraints. [from the 2015 NHTSA filing]

3 = Manual Type 2 Seat Belts (FR, SR*2) with front Airbags, side Inflatable restraints, Knee Airbags (FR) [from the 2014 NHTSA filing]
4 = Manual Type 2 Seat Belts (FR, SR*2) With Front Airbags, Side Inflatable restraints. [from the 2015 NHTSA filing]
6 = exact meaning unknown used in non-US orders.
7 = exact meaning unknown used in non-US orders.
8 = exact meaning unkown used in non-US executive rear seat orders.
Digit 7, Charger Type (2012-2013) / Battery Type (2014-2015) / Fuel Type (2015+):

A = 10kw Charger
B = 20kw Charger
C = 10kw Charger, w/DC Fast Charge
D = 20kw Charger, w/DC Fast Charge
H = Lithium - Ion Battery - High Capacity (85 kWh)
S = Lithium - Ion Battery - Standard Capacity (60 kWh until retired and replaced with 70 kWh battery in mid 2015)
V = Lithium - Ion Battery - Very High Capacity (90 kWh)
E = Lithium - Ion Battery - Extended Capacity (90 kWh) P90D Ludicrous
For all models, effective 1 August 2015:
E = Electric
Digit 8, Motor/Drive Unit (2012+) & Battery Type (2012-2013):

C = Base A/C Motor, Tier 2 Battery (31-40kWh)
G = Base A/C Motor, Tier 4 Battery (51-60 kWh)
N = Base A/C Motor, Tier 7 Battery (81-90 kWh)
P = Performance A/C Motor, Tier 7 Battery (81-90 kWh)
1 = Single Motor - Standard
2 = Dual Motor - Standard
4 = Dual Motor - Performance

Digit 9, Check Digit: Variable
Digit 10, Model Year:

C = 2012
D = 2013
E = 2014
F = 2015
G = 2016
H = 2017
Digit 11, Manufacture:

F = Fremont, CA (FRE)
P = Palo Alto, CA (PAO)

Digit 12, Production Series:

A = Alpha Prototype
B = Beta Prototype
R = Release Candidate Vehicle
P = Production Vehicle
S = Signature Series Vehicle
F = Founder Series Vehicle
0-9 = Production Vehicle (replaces P to allow 6 digit sequence numbers)

Digits 13-17, Production Sequence

Sources

2012-2013

Model S VINs from 2012-2013 are encoded according to these rules for the US:
ftp://ftp.nhtsa.dot.gov/mfrmail/ORG8047.pdf

2014

Model S VINs for 2014 are encoded according to these rules for the US:
ftp://ftp.nhtsa.dot.gov/mfrmail/ORG9130.pdf

The 2014 encoding made some changes to the use of some fields. A new restraint system encoding of digit 6 was added to allow for a non-bench backseat. It dropped the inclusion of the built-in charger from being included in the VIN in digit 7 to be replaced with a new indication of the battery size (Standard or High Capacity). It also changed the combined motor/battery size digit 8 into a Dual or Single motor indicator. The net effect of these changes makes it impossible to distinguish a S85, P85, or P85+ from each other. Nor can the P85D or S85D be distinguished from each other.

2015

Model S VINs for 2015 through July 31st are encoded according to these rules for the US:
ftp://ftp.nhtsa.dot.gov/mfrmail/ORG10373.pdf

Effective August 1, 2015, Model S VINs for the U.S. are encoded according to these rules:
ftp://ftp.nhtsa.dot.gov/mfrmail/ORG11229.pdf

Very little changed from the 2014 format. The restraint system digit (digit 6), retired the value of 3 for the split backseats (Executive Backseats) and replaced it with 4. It's unclear if 3 was ever actually used since the Executive Backseats weren't announced until January 12th, 2015.

Looks like Tesla is ceasing to use digit 12 as a production series indicator and starting to just use it as part of the sequence number. This is necessary to deal with sequence numbers larger than 100k which Tesla is approaching. There isn't a new NHTSA filing yet but I'd expect that to show up soonish though NHTSA takes their time posting sometimes. Initial reports here:
Tracking Model S 85D Delivery Thread

Effective August 1, Digit 7 is now always E, for "Fuel type = Electric". Digit 8 is in the range 1-4 based on single motor vs. dual motor, and standard vs. performance (though in practice it isn't possible to order a single motor performance version).

Differences for cars sold outside the US

It was observed during late 2014 that Digit 6 for European and Australian orders could have a value or 6 or 7. It's not entirely clear what the difference that value means, but it seems likely now that 6 is equivalent to the US 1 and 7 is equivalent to the US 3 but with fewer airbags (knee airbags are required in the US but not in other regions and aren't necessary for safety since the Model S does not have an engine). 2015 orders destined for Europe with the Executive Rear Seat option appear to have 8 in the 6th digit, which probably is the equivalent to the 4 found in the 2015 NHTSA filing but again without the front knee airbags.

Right Hand Drive vehicles have a B instead of an A in digit 5 (the body type digit). Though as you can see below the old beta cars also had a B in this position even though they were all Left Hand Drive.

Finding NHTSA Filings

You can find filings that Tesla Motors has made with the NHTSA (National Nighway Transportation Safety Administration) regarding the encoding of their VINs by going to:
NHTSA Product Information Catalog and Vehicle Listing
Put "Tesla Motors" in the Manufacturer Name field or "5YJ" in the WMI field. The Part 565 data is the filings they have made for VIN decoding.

The following information is preserved for historical reasons.

We'll collect any Model S VINs here. Feel free to contribute. :smile:

5YJSB1A24C2B00014 Beta #14 Pearl White
5YJSB1A28C1B00023 Beta #23
5YJSB1A29C1B00029 Beta #29, Silver
5YJSB1A23C1B00043 Beta #43, Pearl White
5YJSB1A25C1B00044 Beta #44, Sig Red
5YJSB1A22C1B00048 Beta #48
5YJSB1A2XC1B00048 Beta #55, Silver

5YJSA1AP7CFR00049 Release Candidate?, Black
5YJSA1AN5CFR00050 Get Amped @ Palo Alto, Non-performance, Silver
5YJSA1AP0CFR00104 Get Amped @ New York, Black
5YJSA1AN4CFR00105 Get Amped @ New York, Sunset Red
5YJSA1AN6CFR00106 Get Amped @ New York, Brown
5YJSA1AP6CFR00107 Get Amped @ Scottsdale, Performance, Dolphin Grey
5YJSA1ANXCFR00108 Get Amped @ New York, Green
5YJSA1AN1CFR00109 Get Amped @ Palo Alto, Catalina white
5YJSA1AN1CFR00112 Get Amped @ Scottsdale, Non-performance, Silver
5YJSA1AP3CFR00114 Performance, Black
5YJSA1AP5CFR00115 Performance, Signature Red
5YJSA1AP7CFR00116 Get Amped @ New York, Performance, Silver
5YJSA1AN9CFR00102 Get Amped @ Toronto, Non-performance, Blue

5YJSA1DP6CFP01201 Get Amped @ Palo Alto, Blue
5YJSA1DP9CFP01208 Get Amped @ Palo Alto, Black
5YJSA1DPXCFP01203 Performance, Brown, Pano roof, test drive car for Washington Square Showroom (Portland, OR)

Customer cars:

5YJSA1DP8CFF00001 Founders' #1, Performance version, 85 kWh battery, Signature Red
5YJSA1DPXCFF00002 Founders' #2, Performance version, 85 kWh battery, Black
5YJSA1DP3CFF00004 Founders' #4, Signature Red
5YJSA1DN3CFF00017 Founders' #17, 85 Non-performance, Signature Red
5YJSA1DP6CFF00028 Performance, Signature Red
5YJSA1DP3CFF00035 Founders' #35, Performance, Silver

5YJSA1DP2CFS00001 SSL #1, JasonC, Black
5YJSA1DP2CFS00029 SSL #32, ggr, Performance, custom color
5YJSA1DN6CFS00064 Non Performance, SSL #77, not standard color, black interior, pano roof
5YJSA1E44GF120000 P90D Ludicrous

Vin 00002 is actually Sig Red- not black. I have Vin tag to prove this. it’s also a P85+

BillnKay · May 14, 2019

Vindoctor said:
Vin 00002 is actually Sig Red- not black. I have Vin tag to prove this. it’s also a P85+

Accoring to the chart I am confused. My year of build is Sept 2018, the chart ends with H-2017 so my 2018 model should be I but it is J . Could it be it's listed in the Vin as a 2019???

TEG · May 14, 2019

Vindoctor said:
Vin 00002 is actually Sig Red- not black. I have Vin tag to prove this. it’s also a P85+

Does yours have "FF" or "FS" in the VIN?

I think this entry:
5YJSA1DPXCFF00002
was maybe for Elon's Founders' series (black) Model S.
The "Signature" #2 customer car (yours?) would be a different VIN with "FS" instead of "FF".
So 2 different cars:
5YJSA1DPXCFF00002 Founders' #2
5YJSA1DP4CFS00002 Signature #2

brianman · May 14, 2019

BillnKay said:
Accoring to the chart I am confused. My year of build is Sept 2018, the chart ends with H-2017 so my 2018 model should be I but it is J . Could it be it's listed in the Vin as a 2019???

The letter I is not valid for the model year character; likely to avoid confusion with the digit 1.

Look at the "Model year encoding" section here:
Vehicle identification number - Wikipedia

BillnKay · May 14, 2019

brianman said:
The letter I is not valid for the model year character; likely to avoid confusion with the digit 1.

Look at the "Model year encoding" section here:
Vehicle identification number - Wikipedia

Thanks ,that makes sense.

Darrel3000 · Dec 31, 2019

if the D in P85D means 2 motors what character represents 3 motors?

Thread Summary said:
VIN Decoding Table for all years of Model S

Note: Some values were only used in certain years and some digits changed how they were used.

Digits 1-3, WMI: 5YJ = Tesla
Digit 4, Line/Series: S = Model S
Digit 5, Body Type:

A = 5 Door Hatchback LHD
B = 5 Door Hatchback RHD

Digit 6, Restraint System:

1 =

Manual Type 2 USA Seat Belts, Dual Front Airbags, Front/Rear Side Airbags, Knee Airbags [from the 2012-2013 NHTSA filing]

Manual Type 2 Seat Belts (FR, SR*3) with front Airbags, PODS, side Inflatable restraints, Knee Airbags (FR) [from the 2014 NHTSA filing]
Manual Type 2 Seat Belts (FR, SR*3) With Front Airbags, Side Inflatable restraints. [from the 2015 NHTSA filing]

3 = Manual Type 2 Seat Belts (FR, SR*2) with front Airbags, side Inflatable restraints, Knee Airbags (FR) [from the 2014 NHTSA filing]
4 = Manual Type 2 Seat Belts (FR, SR*2) With Front Airbags, Side Inflatable restraints. [from the 2015 NHTSA filing]
6 = exact meaning unknown used in non-US orders.
7 = exact meaning unknown used in non-US orders.
8 = exact meaning unkown used in non-US executive rear seat orders.
Digit 7, Charger Type (2012-2013) / Battery Type (2014-2015) / Fuel Type (2015+):

A = 10kw Charger
B = 20kw Charger
C = 10kw Charger, w/DC Fast Charge
D = 20kw Charger, w/DC Fast Charge
H = Lithium - Ion Battery - High Capacity (85 kWh)
S = Lithium - Ion Battery - Standard Capacity (60 kWh until retired and replaced with 70 kWh battery in mid 2015)
V = Lithium - Ion Battery - Very High Capacity (90 kWh)
E = Lithium - Ion Battery - Extended Capacity (90 kWh) P90D Ludicrous
For all models, effective 1 August 2015:
E = Electric
Digit 8, Motor/Drive Unit (2012+) & Battery Type (2012-2013):

C = Base A/C Motor, Tier 2 Battery (31-40kWh)
G = Base A/C Motor, Tier 4 Battery (51-60 kWh)
N = Base A/C Motor, Tier 7 Battery (81-90 kWh)
P = Performance A/C Motor, Tier 7 Battery (81-90 kWh)
1 = Single Motor - Standard
2 = Dual Motor - Standard
4 = Dual Motor - Performance

Digit 9, Check Digit: Variable
Digit 10, Model Year:

C = 2012
D = 2013
E = 2014
F = 2015
G = 2016
H = 2017
Digit 11, Manufacture:

F = Fremont, CA (FRE)
P = Palo Alto, CA (PAO)

Digit 12, Production Series:

A = Alpha Prototype
B = Beta Prototype
R = Release Candidate Vehicle
P = Production Vehicle
S = Signature Series Vehicle
F = Founder Series Vehicle
0-9 = Production Vehicle (replaces P to allow 6 digit sequence numbers)

Digits 13-17, Production Sequence

Sources

2012-2013

Model S VINs from 2012-2013 are encoded according to these rules for the US:
ftp://ftp.nhtsa.dot.gov/mfrmail/ORG8047.pdf

2014

Model S VINs for 2014 are encoded according to these rules for the US:
ftp://ftp.nhtsa.dot.gov/mfrmail/ORG9130.pdf

The 2014 encoding made some changes to the use of some fields. A new restraint system encoding of digit 6 was added to allow for a non-bench backseat. It dropped the inclusion of the built-in charger from being included in the VIN in digit 7 to be replaced with a new indication of the battery size (Standard or High Capacity). It also changed the combined motor/battery size digit 8 into a Dual or Single motor indicator. The net effect of these changes makes it impossible to distinguish a S85, P85, or P85+ from each other. Nor can the P85D or S85D be distinguished from each other.

2015

Model S VINs for 2015 through July 31st are encoded according to these rules for the US:
ftp://ftp.nhtsa.dot.gov/mfrmail/ORG10373.pdf

Effective August 1, 2015, Model S VINs for the U.S. are encoded according to these rules:
ftp://ftp.nhtsa.dot.gov/mfrmail/ORG11229.pdf

Very little changed from the 2014 format. The restraint system digit (digit 6), retired the value of 3 for the split backseats (Executive Backseats) and replaced it with 4. It's unclear if 3 was ever actually used since the Executive Backseats weren't announced until January 12th, 2015.

Looks like Tesla is ceasing to use digit 12 as a production series indicator and starting to just use it as part of the sequence number. This is necessary to deal with sequence numbers larger than 100k which Tesla is approaching. There isn't a new NHTSA filing yet but I'd expect that to show up soonish though NHTSA takes their time posting sometimes. Initial reports here:
Tracking Model S 85D Delivery Thread

Effective August 1, Digit 7 is now always E, for "Fuel type = Electric". Digit 8 is in the range 1-4 based on single motor vs. dual motor, and standard vs. performance (though in practice it isn't possible to order a single motor performance version).

Differences for cars sold outside the US

It was observed during late 2014 that Digit 6 for European and Australian orders could have a value or 6 or 7. It's not entirely clear what the difference that value means, but it seems likely now that 6 is equivalent to the US 1 and 7 is equivalent to the US 3 but with fewer airbags (knee airbags are required in the US but not in other regions and aren't necessary for safety since the Model S does not have an engine). 2015 orders destined for Europe with the Executive Rear Seat option appear to have 8 in the 6th digit, which probably is the equivalent to the 4 found in the 2015 NHTSA filing but again without the front knee airbags.

Right Hand Drive vehicles have a B instead of an A in digit 5 (the body type digit). Though as you can see below the old beta cars also had a B in this position even though they were all Left Hand Drive.

Finding NHTSA Filings

You can find filings that Tesla Motors has made with the NHTSA (National Nighway Transportation Safety Administration) regarding the encoding of their VINs by going to:
NHTSA Product Information Catalog and Vehicle Listing
Put "Tesla Motors" in the Manufacturer Name field or "5YJ" in the WMI field. The Part 565 data is the filings they have made for VIN decoding.

The following information is preserved for historical reasons.

We'll collect any Model S VINs here. Feel free to contribute. :smile:

5YJSB1A24C2B00014 Beta #14 Pearl White
5YJSB1A28C1B00023 Beta #23
5YJSB1A29C1B00029 Beta #29, Silver
5YJSB1A23C1B00043 Beta #43, Pearl White
5YJSB1A25C1B00044 Beta #44, Sig Red
5YJSB1A22C1B00048 Beta #48
5YJSB1A2XC1B00048 Beta #55, Silver

5YJSA1AP7CFR00049 Release Candidate?, Black
5YJSA1AN5CFR00050 Get Amped @ Palo Alto, Non-performance, Silver
5YJSA1AP0CFR00104 Get Amped @ New York, Black
5YJSA1AN4CFR00105 Get Amped @ New York, Sunset Red
5YJSA1AN6CFR00106 Get Amped @ New York, Brown
5YJSA1AP6CFR00107 Get Amped @ Scottsdale, Performance, Dolphin Grey
5YJSA1ANXCFR00108 Get Amped @ New York, Green
5YJSA1AN1CFR00109 Get Amped @ Palo Alto, Catalina white
5YJSA1AN1CFR00112 Get Amped @ Scottsdale, Non-performance, Silver
5YJSA1AP3CFR00114 Performance, Black
5YJSA1AP5CFR00115 Performance, Signature Red
5YJSA1AP7CFR00116 Get Amped @ New York, Performance, Silver
5YJSA1AN9CFR00102 Get Amped @ Toronto, Non-performance, Blue

5YJSA1DP6CFP01201 Get Amped @ Palo Alto, Blue
5YJSA1DP9CFP01208 Get Amped @ Palo Alto, Black
5YJSA1DPXCFP01203 Performance, Brown, Pano roof, test drive car for Washington Square Showroom (Portland, OR)

Customer cars:

5YJSA1DP8CFF00001 Founders' #1, Performance version, 85 kWh battery, Signature Red
5YJSA1DPXCFF00002 Founders' #2, Performance version, 85 kWh battery, Black
5YJSA1DP3CFF00004 Founders' #4, Signature Red
5YJSA1DN3CFF00017 Founders' #17, 85 Non-performance, Signature Red
5YJSA1DP6CFF00028 Performance, Signature Red
5YJSA1DP3CFF00035 Founders' #35, Performance, Silver

5YJSA1DP2CFS00001 SSL #1, JasonC, Black
5YJSA1DP2CFS00029 SSL #32, ggr, Performance, custom color
5YJSA1DN6CFS00064 Non Performance, SSL #77, not standard color, black interior, pano roof
5YJSA1E44GF120000 P90D Ludicrous

SilverGS · Dec 31, 2019

Darrel3000 said:
if the D in P85D means 2 motors what character represents 3 motors?

There is no tri-motor Tesla in production yet........

Darrel3000 · Dec 31, 2019

got it. thanks. was thinking of cybertruck
whata re your thoughts

SilverGS said:
There is no tri-motor Tesla in production yet........

wdolson · Jan 1, 2020

Darrel3000 said:
got it. thanks. was thinking of cybertruck
whata re your thoughts

We'll see it when it goes into production. Tesla doesn't advertise what these codes mean. People have just figured it out.

Joesage · Aug 21, 2020

5YJSA1E20KF339769

Looking to buy this used model S (pretty much same price as a new 2020 but saving the 8k for FSD.

Any thoughts? Based on the letter it looks like it would be a 2020? also with the EPA was 373 but with the recent update should it have the same range as the new 2020s of 402?

I appreciate any help with this one

Eric M · Sep 16, 2020

This nhtsa page seems to come up with the features my new car (S) has. Pretty nice: vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov.
I wish it provided the date it came off the line though.
How do i tell if it has the 250KW charge rate? I think I read this happened in June or July?

muitec · Dec 3, 2020

Looking at the VIN coding table and I noticed that the letter "I" is skipped in digit 10 for model year

TEG · Dec 3, 2020

muitec said:
Looking at the VIN coding table and I noticed that the letter "I" is skipped in digit 10 for model year

Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN codes)/Model year - Wikibooks, open books for an open world

...Besides the three letters that are not allowed in the VIN itself (I, O and Q), the letters U and Z and the digit 0 are not used for the year code...

They don't want people to mix up ones with letter i, and zeros and letter o...

rameshratan · Sep 6, 2021

Please try this link to post your VIN to get the year of manufacturing. It will be interesting to see if cars delivered in later part of Oct are 2022 model or 2021 model. It is my understanding that cars made in October will be 2022 model year.

VIN Decoder – TeslaTap

teslatap.com

BeyondFast · Oct 16, 2021

Just received my VIN for a MSM Plaid for late October delivery. The vin decoder says its a 2021 model.

Wiki Decoding Tesla Model S VINs

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