Audi VIN decoder

What you see when you decode an Audi

Our tool asks NHTSA’s vPIC service about the VIN and shows the factory data Audi reported: model year, model, trim, body, drive type (quattro where it applies), engine displacement, cylinders and fuel or the electric drive, the plant, airbag locations and weight class. NHTSA’s recalls for that year and model are listed below it. None of this is history. Title brands, accident or total-loss records and odometer readings are in a history report (pricing); other brands decode in the VIN decoder.

Audi manufacturer codes (WMI)

The first character is the country of the registering company: W for Germany, and vPIC lists TRU under Hungary. Audi’s 2027 breakdown notes that the RS 6 Avant, RS 5 Coupe and Sportback, RS 7 Sportback and R8 are identified by WUA, the Audi Sport code, and it lists WU1 as Audi Sport’s SUV code, which in 2027 covers the RS Q8. So a VIN starting WUA or WU1 belongs to an Audi Sport GmbH vehicle.

How Audi fills positions 4 to 8 and 11

• Position 4, series: the trim and packages. On the 2027 A5 quattro 2.0 TFSI, for example, 1 is the base car, 4 adds the S line black optic package and 3 the Vorsprung package.
• Position 5, engine: U is the A3’s 2.0 TFSI and 5 the S3’s, W the RS 3’s 2.5-litre five-cylinder; on the S and RS e-tron GT the codes are 9 and 8, both electric.
• Position 6, restraints: which side, curtain, knee and center airbags are fitted.
• Positions 7 and 8, model: GY for the A3, S3 and RS 3; FU for the A5 and S5; FN for the A6 sedan; GH for the A6 and S6 Sportback e-tron; F8 for the A8 L and S8; FW for the e-tron GT.
• Position 11, plant: for cars, A is Ingolstadt, N Neckarsulm and 7 Audi Sport in Heilbronn, Germany. For SUVs, the sheet adds 1 for Győr, Hungary, 2 for San José Chiapa, Mexico, and D for Volkswagen’s Bratislava plant in Slovakia.

Because position 4 carries packages, the VIN of an Audi can confirm what a seller calls a Vorsprung or black optic car, at least for the model years whose breakdown you can see.

Audi recalls and model year

Position 10 is V for every 2027 model in the breakdown; see VIN year codes for other years. To check one car, use Audi’s recall and service campaign lookup or NHTSA’s VIN search. The decoder shows recalls listed for the model in general.

Before you buy a used Audi

• Match the VIN at the base of the windshield and on the door label to the title.
• For an RS 5, RS 6, RS 7, R8 or RS Q8, the first three characters should be WUA or WU1 (2027 breakdown).
• Check the title history for salvage, rebuilt or flood brands (salvage title check).
• Compare the mileage with earlier records (odometer rollback check).

Want both main history reports on an Audi? The CARFAX and AutoCheck bundle is $12.99.