Kia VIN decoder

What is Kia VIN?

VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) is a 17-character combination that makes every vehicle unique. A VIN number is necessary to register a vehicle, pass an MOT, or check its history.

As the current VIN number standard became mandatory in 1981, all modern cars have it. However, the meaning of each character varies depending on the manufacturer, and Kia updated their VIN format in 2009 to provide more information about each vehicle.

Founded in 1944, Kia is a South Korean automotive manufacturer. Initially, it produced steel tubing and bicycle parts. By the 1950s, Kia expanded into motorcycles, trucks, and eventually cars. Kia collaborated with Ford in 1986, significantly boosting the car manufacturing process.

Today, Kia is a well-known automotive brand, offering dozens of reliable, well-made models for different markets, with the Kia Sportage being among the best-selling cars in the world.

Where to search for the VIN?

Normally, a VIN number can be located in several different places, allowing you to inspect each of them and make sure they match. The exact location of each VIN number depends on the car’s make and model, but there are specific common locations where the VIN is usually found in most vehicles.

Here’s where you can find it in Kia cars:

• On the dashboard behind the windshield
• Driver’s side door pillar
• Front end of frame (older cars)
• In the engine bay, stamped into the firewall
• On a registration certificate

When checking the VIN number, take a closer look to make sure it hasn’t been tampered with. Scratches and uneven or mismatching characters can warn you about a potential scam.

What is a Kia VIN decoder?

Whether you’re buying or driving a Kia, its VIN number can help you learn more about the car’s past. Using a VIN lookup, you can get a vehicle history report that can reveal mileage rollbacks, damages, thefts, historical photos, and other essential information for car buyers and owners.

All you need to do is to ask for a car’s VIN number or look for it yourself. Remember that if a seller hides the VIN number from you, there’s probably something fishy about the car’s history.

How accurate is the information provided by the Kia VIN decoder?

carVertical’s Kia VIN decoder collects information from 900+ registries and databases worldwide, including governmental registries, vehicle inspection centers, law enforcement databases, dealerships, insurance companies, and other reliable sources. We regularly process and maintain data, therefore, a history report is a great way to evaluate a car when buying it or provide more information when selling or maintaining it.

Sometimes, databases and registries don’t have much information about specific vehicles, therefore, these reports can appear a bit scarce. In that case, you’ll get your spent credits back automatically.

How to decode a VIN number - Kia VIN breakdown

A modern car’s VIN number is divided into four sections: World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI), Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS), Security Check Digit, and Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS).

Each section provides specific information, such as model, body style, or country of manufacture. While the decoding process is much simpler with a decoder, understanding the purpose of particular characters can help you make a few quick insights.

The vehicle serial number (last 5 characters) and the Check Digit (9th character) are the only characters solely for identification purposes that don’t contain any facts about the vehicle. In fact, the Check Digit is a result of a specific mathematical formula to ensure the legitimacy of the VIN.

World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI)

The first 3 characters reveal the country of origin and the type of the car. Here are the possible combinations:

Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)

The second section (VDS) consists of 5 characters, revealing basic information about the car.

For instance, the 6th character represents the body type: “4” stands for a 4-door sedan, “5” means a 5-door hatchback, “6” is a 2-door coupe, and “8” stands for 5-door wagon.

The 4th character reveals the model, therefore, there are more variations:

Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS)

The last section has 8 characters. The 8th VIN character represents the engine type.

Here are the possible characters with respective meanings:

You may also want to pay attention to the 10th and 11th characters, representing the model year and the manufacturing plant code, respectively. The model year can be very useful for making sure the seller doesn’t lie, and it’s easy to check.

Here’s how a 10th character reveals the model year:

Finally, you can also check the 11th character to learn where the car was built. Each manufacturer sets specific characters with respective meanings. Here’s how it works in VIN numbers for Kia cars:

Is a Kia VIN decoder available for a free VIN check?

A Kia VIN decoder is free, but it only checks if the number is legitimate and reveals the engine type, body type, model year, and other basic information. However, full vehicle history reports aren’t free because they contain data from governmental registries, manufacturers’ databases, vehicle inspection centers, and other sources that charge for data.

List of Kia models

Current Kia models:

• Kia Ceed
• Kia XCeed
• Kia Proceed
• Kia Forte
• Kia K3
• Kia Picanto
• Kia Ray
• Kia Rio
• Kia K5
• Kia K8
• Kia K9
• Kia Pegas
• Kia Soul
• Kia EV5
• Kia EV6
• Kia EV9
• Kia KX5
• Kia Mohave
• Kia Niro
• Kia Seltos
• Kia Sonet
• Kia Sorento
• Kia Sportage
• Kia Stonic
• Kia Telluride
• Kia Carens
• Kia Carnival

Former Kia models:

• Kia Credos
• Kia K4
• Kia K7
• Kia KX7
• Kia Mentor
• Kia Opirus
• Kia Pride
• Kia Rondo
• Kia Spectra
• Kia Stinger
• Kia Soul
• Kia Venga

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