Kia VIN decoder

Free KIA VIN Decoder to check car history and specifications.

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.

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 reports 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:

WMI Combination	Description
KNA	Kia South Korea (passenger car)
KNC	Kia South Korea (truck)
KND	Kia South Korea (multi-purpose vehicle)
KNE	Kia South Korea (passenger car)
KNG	Kia South Korea (bus)
LJD	Dongfeng Yueda Kia
MZB	Kia India Pvt Ltd.
PNA	Kia made by Naza in Malaysia
TMA	Kia made by Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech
U5Y	Kia Motors Slovakia
U6Y	Kia Motors Slovakia (multi-purpose vehicle)
XTK, XWK	Kia made by Izh Avto
XWE	Kia made by Avtotor
Z94	Kia made by Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Rus
3KP	Kia Motor Manufacturing Mexico (Passenger Vehicle)
5XY	Kia Motor Manufacturing Georgia (Passenger or multi-purpose Vehicle)
8LG	Kia made by Aymesa in Ecuador
9UW	Kia made by Nordex in Uruguay

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:

4th character	Model
A	Rio (2018- , Mexican-built)
C	Niro (2017-) or EV6 (2022-)
D	Rio (2010- , Korean-built)
E	Stinger (2018-2023) or Seltos (2021-)
F	Forte (2010-)
G	Optima (2010-2020), Magentis (2010), or K5 (2021-)
H	Rondo (2010-2017)
J	Soul (2010-)
K	Borrego/Mohave (2010-), Sorento (2011-2015), Sportage (2010), or Sportage (2023- , US-built)
L	Cadenza (2014-2020) or K900/K9/Quoris (2013-2018)
M	Sedona (2010-2021)
N	Carnival (2022-)
P	Sportage (2011- , Korean-built), Sorento (2016-2020), or Telluride (2020-)
R	Sorento (2021-)
S	K900/K9/Quoris (2019-)

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:

8th character	Engine types
1	1.6 Liter DOHC Gamma G4FC I4, 1.6 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Gamma-II G4FJ I4, 2.4 Liter DOHC Theta-II G4KE I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Theta-II G4KH I4, 3.8 Liter DOHC Lambda G6DA V6, 3.3 Liter DOHC GDI Lambda II G6DH V6, Electric motor (201hp).
2	2.0 Liter DOHC Beta-II G4GC I4, 1.6 Liter DOHC GDI Gamma-II G4FD I4, 1.6 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Gamma-II G4FJ I4, 1.6 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Smartstream G1.6T G4FP I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC Theta-II G4KD I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC Beta-II G4GC Federal emissions I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Theta-II G4KH I4, 2.4 Liter DOHC Theta-II G4KE I4, 3.5 Liter DOHC Lambda II G6DC V6, 4.6 Liter DOHC Tau G8BA V8, Electric motor (134hp).
3	1.6 Liter DOHC Alpha-II G4ED I4, 1.6 Liter DOHC GDI Gamma-II G4FD I4, 1.6 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Gamma-II G4FJ I4, 2.4 Liter DOHC Theta-II G4KE I4, 2.4 Liter DOHC GDI Theta-II G4KJ I4, 2.7 Liter DOHC Delta G6BA V6, 2.0 Liter DOHC GDI Nu G4NC I4, 3.8 Liter DOHC Lambda G6DA V6, 3.8 Liter DOHC GDI Lambda II RS G6DJ V6, 3.5 Liter DOHC GDI Smartstream G3.5 Lambda III G6DT V6.
4	2.7 Liter DOHC Mu G6EA V6, 2.0 Liter DOHC Beta-II G4GC, 5.0 Liter DOHC GDI Tau G8BE V8.
5	1.6 Liter DOHC GDI Gamma-II G4FD I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC GDI Nu G4NC I4, 3.3 Liter DOHC GDI Lambda II G6DH V6.
6	1.8 Liter DOHC Nu G4NB I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC Nu G4NA I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Theta-II G4KH I4, 2.4 Liter DOHC GDI Theta-II G4KJ I4, 2.7 Liter DOHC Mu G6EA V6, 3.3 Liter DOHC twin-turbocharged GDI Lambda II RS G6DP V6.
7	1.6 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Smartstream G1.6T G4FP I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC Nu G4NH I4, 2.4 Liter DOHC GDI Theta-II G4KJ I4, 3.3 Liter DOHC GDI Lambda II G6DH V6, 3.5 Liter DOHC Lambda II G6DC V6.
8	2.0 Liter DOHC GDI Nu G4NC I4, 2.4 Liter DOHC Theta-II G4KE I4, 2.5 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Smartstream G2.5T Theta-III G4KP I4.
9	2.4 Liter DOHC Theta-II G4KE.
A	1.6 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Gamma-II G4FJ I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC Nu G4NH I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Theta-II G4KL I4, Electric motor (225hp).
B	1.6 Liter DOHC GDI Gamma-II G4FD I4, Electric motor (167hp).
C	1.6 Liter DOHC GDI Kappa-II G4LE I4 + Electric, 1.6 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Gamma-II G4FJ I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC GDI Nu G4NG I4 + Electric, 2.4 Liter DOHC GDI Theta-II G4KJ I4, 2.5 Liter DOHC GDI Smartstream G2.5 Theta-III G4KN I4, 3.3 Liter DOHC twin-turbocharged GDI Lambda II RS G6DP V6, 3.8 Liter DOHC GDI Lambda II G6DN V6, Electric motors (320hp).
D	1.6 Liter DOHC GDI Kappa-II G4LE I4 + Electric, 1.6 Liter DOHC Gamma-II G4FG I4, 2.0 Liter DOHC Nu G4NH I4, 2.4 Liter DOHC Theta-II G4KK I4 + Electric, 2.0 Liter DOHC GDI Nu G4NG I4 + Electric, 2.5 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Smartstream FR G2.5T Theta-III G4KR I4.
E	1.6 Liter DOHC GDI Smartstream G1.6 G4LL I4 + Electric, 2.0 Liter DOHC GDI Nu G4NG I4 + Electric, Electric motor (109hp or 576hp).
F	1.6 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Gamma-II G4FJ I4, 1.6 Liter DOHC GDI Smartstream G1.6 G4LL I4 + Electric, 2.5 Liter DOHC GDI Smartstream G2.5 Theta-III G4KN I4, 2.5 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Smartstream G2.5T Theta-III G4KP I4.
G	Electric motor (201hp), 1.6 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Smartstream G1.6T G4FT I4 + Electric.
H	1.6 Liter DOHC turbocharged GDI Smartstream G1.6T G4FT I4 + Electric.
U	2.0 Liter DOHC Nu G4NH I4.

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:

Code	Year	Code	Year	Code	Year	Code	Year	Code	Year	Code	Year
A	1980	L	1990	Y	2000	A	2010	L	2020	Y	2030
B	1981	M	1991	1	2001	B	2011	M	2021	1	2031
C	1982	N	1992	2	2002	C	2012	N	2022	2	2032
D	1983	P	1993	3	2003	D	2013	P	2023	3	2033
E	1984	R	1994	4	2004	E	2014	R	2024	4	2034
F	1985	S	1995	5	2005	F	2015	S	2025	5	2035
G	1986	T	1996	6	2006	G	2016	T	2026	6	2036
H	1987	V	1997	7	2007	H	2017	V	2027	7	2037
J	1988	W	1998	8	2008	J	2018	W	2028	8	2038
K	1989	X	1999	9	2009	K	2019	X	2029	9	2039

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:

11th character	Manufacturing plant
E	Pesqueria, Nuevo Leon, Mexico
G	West Point, Georgia, USA
J	Nošovice, Czech Republic (TMA) (Hyundai plant)
L	Žilina, Slovakia
N	Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, India
R	Saint Petersburg, Russia (Hyundai plant)
T	Seosan, South Korea (Donghee Auto Co. Ltd. plant)
5	Osnabrück, Germany (Karmann, KNA), Hwasung, South Korea.
6	Sohari plant, Gwangmyeong, South Korea
7	Gwangju, South Korea

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 Kia models work with our free VIN decoder?

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

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.

Car history report

Avoid costly problems by checking a car's history. Just enter the VIN and get a full report.

Trusted by 6,000,000+ people across 38 countries