How to Check VIN /Chassis Number?

Table of Contents

• What is a VIN or a Chassis Number?
• Why is a VIN or a Chassis Number important?
• How to Decode Vehicle Registration Number?
• Different ways how to check your vehicle’s Chassis number
• Ways to check Vehicle details by Chassis Number?
• How to check the engine number?
• Why is it important to check the VIN before purchasing or selling a car?
• Components of the 17 characters VIN Number
• How to get your vehicle detailed online?

There are several ways of checking the VIN number of your two-wheeler. By visiting the website of NR e-services, you can check the details online. Apart from this, you can also check the VIN number through various offline methods like the dashboard of your vehicle, the hood, the spare tyre, your dealer, etc. This article will discuss the various methods to gather the VIN details of your vehicle.

If you have a vehicle, you would have probably heard about “chassis”, “vehicle identification number “etc. However, are you aware of what exactly they are or where you can find them on your vehicle? Read on to know more about it.

What is a VIN or a Chassis Number?

A Vehicle Identification Number or a VIN or the Chassis number is an exclusive identification number allotted to all the vehicles and it is through this number the relevant authorities check registration by chassis number in India. Each and every motor vehicle has a 17 digits VIN number which is treated as the only identity of the vehicle.

There are quite a few reasons why you may want to know your vehicle’s VIN Chassis number. The VIN number implies the place of manufacture of the vehicle, manufacturing year and other important statistics and information about the vehicle. You may also want to know the VIN number if you want to place an order for certain parts of the vehicle and is eager to see the precise built and the model of the respective vehicle.

Why is a VIN or a Chassis Number important?

A Vehicle Identification Number is a globally acknowledged and recognized standard to classify different categories of motor vehicles as well as commercial vehicles and also private vehicles like cars, trucks, buses, and motorcycles. Interesting to note here is that a Vehicle Identification Number has a sequence of letters and numbers where each and every character implies a definite data and information about the motor vehicle. The VIN is critical as it is the finest and a safe way of tracking the exact distinctiveness or identity of the vehicle. Usually, the vehicle registration establishments and the car manufacturers have the necessary records with VIN numbers since it empowers them to authenticate the identity of the vehicle appropriately and accurately by merely plugging in the VIN number. Hence, to check registration by chassis number in India, VIN or the chassis number is very crucial.

How to Decode Vehicle Registration Number?

To know the process to decode Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) is important. This is particularly essential if you are looking at buying an old/used vehicle. The VIN tells you the history of the vehicle such as who owns it and if it has been involved in any accidents and major repairs. This information comes in handy at the time of buying or claiming vehicle insurance. Further, it helps the buyer make a better decision.

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) offers the below information:

• World Manufacturer (WMI) Identifier
• Vehicle Description Section (VDS)
• The rest of the nine characters imply vehicle and engine type, design and displacement, manufacturing year, and so on
• Serial number

Each of the digits of your VIN implies an important statistic of your vehicle. Here’s how to decode the VIN of a vehicle:

• The first digit signifies the details of the country where your vehicle was manufactured
• The next two digits imply the manufacturer’s details
• From the fourth digit to the eighth tells you about the vehicle’s make and its engine type as well as the capacity of the engine and fuel type
• The ninth digit decodes the security code offered by the manufacturer of your bike
• The tenth digit implies the year of manufacture of your bike
• The eleventh digit tells you about the two-wheeler’s manufacturing plant
• The rest of the six digits are distinct and imply the serial number of the vehicle

Different ways how to check your vehicle’s Chassis number

Now the obvious question is how to check your vehicle’s Chassis number. You may be able to see the VIN number on the plates occupied to the chassis or the frame of the motor vehicle. A VIN is usually stamped on the chassis or can be seen on the vehicle compliance fixed plate or at the bottom angle of the windscreen. VIN or the Chassis number is also revealed in the receipt and the Registration Certificate of the motor vehicle. In case of any problems in tracing the VIN number, a vehicle expert mechanic will be able to find the same. You might ponder as to how to find chassis number from registration number In-Vehicle Identification Numbers or VIN. Well, the answer is very simple; the chassis number is defined as the last 6 digits and needless to say that it is important to find the VIN to know the chassis number. The VIN is placed differently in cars and motorcycles and hence tracing the VIN is dependent on the category of vehicle one has. An engine number is a specific number which is imprinted on the motor vehicle’s engine.

Ways to check Vehicle details by Chassis Number?

Let’s have a look at the few common places to check your vehicle’s Chassis number.

1. Registration Certificate
From the documents related to a vehicle like registration card, insurance documents, reports of body repair, the title of the vehicle etc.

2. From the Dashboard
From the documents related to a vehicle like registration card, insurance documents, reports of body repair, the title of the vehicle etc.

3. Door on the driver’s side
The VIN can also be sited in the driver’s side door. If you open the door on the driver’s side and look at the ends of the door jamb for a small white label, you will be able to see the VIN.

4. Open the hood
You can just open the hood and have a look at the front of the engine to view the VIN number

5. Front Frame
VIN is also written in the front side of the motor vehicle’s frame near the windshield gasket fluid container

6. Spare Tyre
You may look in the area where the spare tyre is generally kept to see the VIN.

7. SpThrough car dealership
By contacting your car dealers, you can collect information about the VIN number/chassis number of your vehicle.

8. Front Grille
Check the VIN printed under the front grille of the car. The VIN can also be found under the car’s hood, just beside the engine..

Chances are that you wish to check your VIN/chassis number to add the details while purchasing/renewing your new car or two-wheeler insurance.

Before you proceed, you may want to check out some of our plans offered for Two-wheeler and Car Insurance at surprisingly competitive prices and a hassle free renewal/application process.
Simply click on the link below, enter your registration details, select your preferences and browse through the most appropriate plans for your motor insurance needs.

How to check the engine number?

Checking Engine Number Online

In order to check the engine number online, follow the steps given below:

Visit the Vahan NR e-Services website and click on the ‘know your vehicle details’

1. Sign in to the website with your registered phone number
2. Enter the details of your vehicle as asked and submit
3. Upon clicking on ‘search vehicle’, you will be able to see this information:
   • Registration number of your vehicle
   • The identification number of the engine
   • The name of the owner
   • The type of fuel.

On the RC/insurance policy document

Upon purchasing a vehicle, the owner registers the vehicle in a local RTO (Regional Transport Office). The registration certificate issued includes the chassis/VIN number and other details of your vehicle. In this registration certificate (RC), you can check the details of your vehicle, including the VIN number.

Why is it important to check the VIN before purchasing or selling a car?

Let us now understand the reason as towhy VIN check is important before purchasing or selling a car. Like it is important to check the date when we buy packaged food from any departmental store to ensure that it’s not very old and also to know till when we can use it with other important information as well.

Likewise, a VIN is not just a casual grouping of several characters which gives details of the vehicle or used to check registration by chassis number in Indiabut also acts as an evidence to any illegal or criminal records or any robbery cases of the vehicle together with all the details related to insurance of the vehicle. Vehicle history information guarantees the authenticities and realness of the vehicle. Within a few seconds one can know the microscopic details of the vehicle starting from the history of ownership till the last step. If you are interested in selling off the car, you can check whether all as stated in the VIN check report is reasonable or not. After the validation, if all is found, to be honest then you might move ahead and can use it to your benefit for selling the motor vehicle to the respective customer with genuineness and faith while selling the car.

Components of the 17 characters VIN Number

It is interesting to know about the components of VIN Number and also you must know about the same. As mentioned above, a Vehicle Identification Number has 17 characters. This prearrangement of numbers was initiated from the ISO Standard 3779 in the year 1977 and the same was updated in the year 1983.

However, different vehicle manufacturers in different locations have different interpretations of the VIN, which are compatible with the ISO Standard ones and have been adopted by the United States of America and the European Union respectively. Hence the VIN of different places may have certain different attributes but the most common components have been listed in details below.

For example a sample Chassis Number is

It has the below following significant sections:

1. World Manufacturer Identifier or WMI:
   The 1st 3 characters in VIN number are the symbols for the original country and the manufacturer.
   The first digit is where the vehicle was built and the next 2 letters denote the vehicle manufacturer. In the above example, ‘1’ denotes that the vehicle was built in the US and HG is a Honda Vehicle.
   So, if the chassis number was 2HG or 3HG then it would have denoted a Honda vehicle manufactured in Canada or Mexico.
   Thus, the first 3 alphanumeric characters are called the World Manufacturer Identifier to understand who had actually manufactured the vehicle and in which country it was originally manufactured. There is a complete list to identify the same.
   For example WAU= An Audi(AU) manufactured in Germany (W)
2. Vehicle Description Section or VDS:
   The next alpha-numeric 6 characters in VIN number signify other significant details of a vehicle:
   1. 4th character: The 4th character characterizes the class of the vehicle.
      Example Suzuki has the below codes to spot vehicle type like C for a scooter, G for manifold cylinder sports/street etc.
   2. 5th character: The 5th character in the VIN number gives the engine movement. All manufacturers might have diverse codes to recognize the engine dislocation of the vehicle.
      Example Suzuki follows B means 50 CC to 69 CC, E means 90 CC to 99 CC etc.
   3. 6th character: The 6th character signifies the type of the engine.
      Example Suzuki follows the various numerical codes signifying the type of the engine. Example 2 – 2 means stroke twin-engine, 4 – 4 means stroke single engine etc.
   4. 7th Character: The 7th character in the Vehicle Identification Number displays the sequence of the design for any vehicle
   5. 8th Character: The 8th character denotes the vehicle version
   6. 9th Character: The 9th character is the VIN accurateness check digit
   7. 10th character: A 10th character is a number that says the year of the vehicle manufacturer
   8. 11th character: The 11th character in a VIN symbolizes the code of the plant where the motor vehicle was manufactured
3. Vehicle’s Serial Number:
   The 12th to 17th characters in the VIN is the serial number allotted to a particular vehicle and that is usually numbers.
   It is definitely an added bonus for you to know about your VIN Chassis number.
   You can help your friends and relatives as well in finding the same if you know where to find. Though each vehicle has a different structure and hence the VIN Chassis number also varies from one vehicle to the other, however, some common places always remain the same in most of the vehicles.

How to get your vehicle detailed online?

If you wish to find your vehicle details online, visit the official website of VAHAN, an online national registry initiative by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The registry holds your vehicle registration number, tracing which, you can get all details online. Here’s how you can do that

• Step 1: Visit the official website of VAHAN
• Step 2: Click on “Know Your Vehicle Details”, from the menu bar
• Step 3: Provide your car’s registration number when asked for it
• Step 4: Enter the Captcha code and click on “Search Vehicle”
  But, in order to protect your personal data, the insurance won’t share the entire engine or chassis number

Also Read:

• What is the insurance?
• What is Fidelity insurance?

Found this post informational?

Browse Turtlemint Blogs to read interesting posts related to Health Insurance, Car Insurance, Bike Insurance, and Life Insurance. You can visit Turtlemint to Buy Insurance Online.