How To Find Kia Vehicle Manufacturing Date With VIN Number?

Determining the exact age of your Kia vehicle is simpler than you might think. The key to unlocking this information lies in the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN), a unique code assigned to every car. In this guide, we'll show you how to decipher your Kia's VIN to pinpoint its manufacturing month and year.  

Every Kia comes equipped with a readily accessible VIN. By understanding the specific characters within this code, you can accurately determine when your car rolled off the assembly line. Let’s dive into the details of Kia VIN numbers and how to interpret them.

Kia Car VIN Number

How To Read VIN Number Of Kia Vehicles?

A VIN number consists of multiple characters and digits and it could span up to 22 characters. However, the number of characters and digits varies from one carmaker to the next, but there are essentially 2 characters that are required to know the manufacturing date of any vehicle. In the case of Kia cars and SUVs, their VIN number generally consists of 17 characters. 

In Kia vehicles, the VIN characters begin with MZB. The 10th character represents the year of manufacturing. To find the month of manufacture, however, the VIN needs to be punched in Kia System. 

Let’s take the image below as an example. In this, the VIN of the Kia Seltos is MZBEU812TRN61****.

Here, the 10th character is R, which indicated this particular Kia Seltos was manufactured in 2024. 

You can use the table below to check the year of manufacturing of your Kia vehicle.

Code Structure For Year

Take a look at the characters used for different years:

Code

Year

A

2010

B

2011

C

2012

D

2013

E

2014

F

2015

G

2016

H

2017

J

2018

K

2019

L

2020

M

2021

N

2022

P

2023

R

2024

S

2025

T

2026

V

2027

W

2028

X

2029

Y

2030

Note: Check your car’s fuel cost with Fuel Cost Calculator India

VIN Number Location On Kia Cars

The VIN placement varies across the make and model of vehicles. In most Kia cars, the VIN placement is on the base of the windscreen or under the driver’s seat carpet.

Here are the other possible placements of VIN in different make and models:

  • Under the front windscreen
  • Under the front grille
  • Under the driver's side door
  • Inside the engine bay
  • Beneath the spare wheel in the boot

Also Read: How To Find Maruti Suzuki Vehicle Manufacturing Date With VIN Number

The Benefit of Kia Car VIN Number

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) of an Kia car offers several benefits to both manufacturers and consumers:

  • Identification: The VIN uniquely identifies each vehicle manufactured by MG. It acts as a fingerprint for the car, distinguishing it from all the others. This is important for a variety of purposes, including registration, insurance, and tracking recalls or warranty claims.
  • Vehicle History: The VIN allows potential buyers to access the vehicle's history through services like CarFax or AutoCheck. This history can include past accidents, title issues, service records, and more, helping buyers make an informed decision.
  • Manufacturing Information: Certain digits within the VIN encode information about the car's manufacture, such as the country of origin, manufacturing plant, model year, and vehicle type. This information can be valuable for regulatory compliance and quality control.
  • Anti-theft Measures: VINs are used to detect vehicle theft. VINs are used by law enforcement agencies to track stolen vehicles and identify owners. 
  • Recall Notices and Warranty Claims: VINs are used by manufacturers to identify specific vehicles affected by recalls or warranty claims. 
  • Parts Compatibility: The VIN helps ensure that the correct parts are used. Auto manufacturers maintain databases that link VINs to specific parts and specifications, facilitating accurate repairs and replacements.
  • Insurance Purposes: VINs are necessary for insurance companies to accurately evaluate the value and risk profile of a vehicle.

Overall, the VIN plays a vital role in various aspects of automobile manufacturing, sales and ownership, providing essential information and facilitating critical processes throughout the vehicle's life cycle.

Also Read: How To Find Mahindra Vehicle Manufacturing Date With VIN Number

Note: Check your Car EMI with our - Car Loan EMI Calculator

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Nikil Jonathan

Nikil's a huge fan of classic cars, especially Italian beauties such as the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint and the Iso Grifo. His love for cars and bikes originated when he first laid his eyes on a poster of the Ferrari F40 and the MV Agusta F4 when he was just a child. He also loves all things analogue, especially vintage cameras and turntables.

5 Comments

  1. C Car Hamro says:
    March 27 2024 11:22:50

    Loved reading your article. it was really informational for me. wish to see more in the coming days.


    Reply: Thank you for your continued support!
  2. B Baba says:
    August 28 2024 12:34:28

    Thanks for valuable info. KIA provides only 17 digit VIN in India. Is that correct ?


    Reply: Hi, Kia provide a 19-digit VIN for all their cars. The full 19-character VIN can be found punched to the inside wall of the bonnet or on the engine block.
  3. K Karthikeyan says:
    November 04 2024 17:25:56

    I have 7 after * "*7" what is the month then?


    Reply: Hi, Kia use a system on alphabets or numbers for the 19th character, which helps decode the month of manufacturing. In this case, the car was manufactured in July.
  4. S Satya says:
    December 14 2024 18:44:55

    Mine has 0after * then which month manufacturing

  5. K Kishan says:
    December 23 2024 13:29:32

    I have *1 at end. 19th character is 1, so does this mean manufacturing month is January? Car dealer informed its November manufactured!!

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