Mercedes VIN Decoder: Mercedes-Benz VIN Number Breakdown

A Mercedes VIN decoder reads the 17-character vehicle identification number and tells you who built the car, the model, body, engine, model year and assembly plant. On a US-market Mercedes-Benz, the first three characters (such as W1K, WDD or 4JG) identify the manufacturer and vehicle type, positions 4–8 code the model and engine, position 10 is the model year and position 11 is the plant.

What the VIN does not hold is the factory option list, the "data card." That record stays with Mercedes-Benz, and we cover how to get it below.

Everything in this guide comes from NHTSA's vPIC database, where Mercedes-Benz files its VIN coding. We queried it in October 2026 with valid VIN patterns for C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, GLC, GLE, GLS and Sprinter models. To decode one vehicle in a few seconds, paste its VIN into our free VIN decoder.

Mercedes-Benz VIN number breakdown at a glance

Here is a 2020 C300 sedan pattern, W1KWF8DB*LR, read position by position. The values are what vPIC returns for it.

The federal VIN rule, 49 CFR 565.15, says positions 4–8 must describe the make, line, series, body type, engine type and restraint systems, but "the characters utilized and their placement within the section may be determined by the manufacturer." That is why a Mercedes VIN looks nothing like a Ford or Chevy VIN after the first three characters. Our guide on how to read a VIN covers the general rules every automaker follows.

Positions 1–3: Mercedes WMI codes

The first three characters are the world manufacturer identifier (WMI). These are the Mercedes-Benz WMIs you are most likely to see on US vehicles, with the manufacturer name, country and vehicle type listed in vPIC.

A few notes on what the table shows:

• The country is where the WMI is registered, not always where the car was built. A W1K C-Class can be built in South Africa or Hungary. Position 11 tells you the actual plant.
• 4JG is the Alabama code. Every 4JG pattern we decoded, including the GLE, GLS and the electric EQE SUV, returned the plant in Vance, Alabama, which is in Tuscaloosa County.
• 55S decodes to the same Alabama plant. A 2015 C-Class pattern with 55S returned Vance as the plant city.

The switch from WDD to W1K

Newer Mercedes VINs start with W1 instead of WD. vPIC shows the new codes W1K, W1N, W1W, W1X, W1Y and W1Z were all added to its database on November 5, 2019, and 2020 is the earliest model year we found decoding with them.

The change did not happen overnight. When we decoded a 2020 C300 sedan pattern, vPIC accepted both WDDWF8DB and W1KWF8DB. For model year 2019, only the WDD version decoded. So a 2020 Mercedes can legitimately start with either code, and a W1K or W1N VIN on a car claimed to be a 2018 or older is worth a closer look.

If you also shop German rivals, our BMW VIN decoder guide covers the WBA and 5UX codes the same way.

Positions 4–8: model, body and engine

Many Mercedes owners expect to see the chassis number, such as 205 for the previous C-Class, in the VIN. On US-market vehicles it is not there. The vehicle descriptor section uses Mercedes letter and number codes instead, and the letters change when the model generation changes.

This is what vPIC returned when we changed one position at a time on the 2020 C300 pattern W1KWF8DB:

A rough way to read it: positions 4–5 are the model line and body, position 6 the engine variant, and position 7 the drive or performance version. Changing position 8 did not change the model, body or engine in the decode; vPIC maps it to restraint system details instead.

The codes moved with the new C-Class. A 2022 or 2023 C300 4MATIC sedan decodes from W1KAF4HB, not W1KWF. Here are more patterns we confirmed:

The engine names (M264, M256 and so on) come from vPIC's engine model field.

Positions 9–11: check digit, year and plant

Position 9 is the check digit. It is calculated from the other 16 characters, so a single typo usually makes the VIN fail. If a decoder says the check digit is wrong, re-read the VIN from the car before assuming anything else.

Position 10 is the model year: F is 2015, L is 2020, N is 2022, P is 2023 and R is 2024. Our VIN year chart has the full list.

Position 11 is the assembly plant. On W1K and W1N VINs, vPIC returned the same plant table for the C-Class, E-Class and GLC:

These are the codes vPIC accepts, not a list of where each US model was actually built. A 2020 C300 pattern, for example, decodes with any plant in the table depending on this one character, so treat it as the plant the VIN claims, then check it against the paperwork.

For 4JG SUVs, codes A, B and U all returned Vance, Alabama. For the 2019-and-later Sprinter, T returned Charleston, South Carolina, and the van section below covers its other plant codes.

Data card and option codes are not in the VIN

Mercedes enthusiasts often ask for a "data card by VIN." The data card is the factory build record: the model designation, paint and upholstery codes, and the list of factory option codes the car left the plant with.

None of that is encoded in the 17 characters. Positions 4–8 tell you the model, body, engine and restraint systems, which is what federal rules require, plus details such as drive type. Packages, wheels, interior trim and individual options sit in Mercedes-Benz records tied to the VIN, not in the VIN itself. No free VIN decoder, ours included, can read option codes out of the number.

To get the build information for a specific car:

1. Check the vehicle. Mercedes's 2016 GLC operator's manual shows a vehicle identification plate on the driver's door pillar. On US cars it lists the VIN and the vehicle model. The Canadian version of the plate also shows the paint code. Our paint code by VIN guide explains other ways to find paint.
2. Ask an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealer. Mercedes-Benz holds the factory build record, so the service department is the place to ask for the options and codes tied to a VIN.
3. Find the original window sticker. It lists the factory options in plain English. See our guide to the window sticker by VIN for the options available.

Be careful with third-party sites that claim to print a "data card" from the VIN alone. They may be matching against a database of their own, so check any paid report against the car itself.

Sprinter VIN decoder

Sprinter vans use their own WMIs and a different layout in positions 4–8. Earlier vans start with WD3 (cargo, coded as a truck) or WD4 (passenger, coded as an MPV). From the 2019-and-later generation you will see W1Y for cargo vans, W1W for passenger vans and W1X for cab-chassis models. Older Sprinters sold under the Dodge and Freightliner names may start with WD5, which vPIC lists as "Sprinter (Dodge or Freightliner)."

On a 2020 Sprinter cargo van pattern, W1Y4ECHY, vPIC returned this:

vPIC also returns the generation code "907 (VS30)" in the trim field for these vans.

For the plant, T is the US code. P, R, S and 5 decoded as Düsseldorf, Germany, and N and 9 as Ludwigsfelde, Germany. Earlier WD3 and WD4 vans we checked from the 2015 model year decoded only to Düsseldorf or Ludwigsfelde.

Sprinters are often upfitted into campers, shuttles and work trucks. The VIN describes the van as Mercedes built it. A second-stage manufacturer may add its own label for the conversion, so check that too. Our VIN location guide shows where to find the VIN on vans and trucks.

How to decode a Mercedes VIN, step by step

1. Read the VIN from the vehicle, not the listing. Mercedes's GLC operator's manual lists three places: the identification plate on the driver's door pillar, the lower edge of the windshield, and stamped under a floor covering in front of the front passenger seat.
2. Check the WMI. WDD, W1K, WDC, W1N, 4JG or a Sprinter code should match the type of vehicle in front of you.
3. Match the year and the WMI. A W1 code on a vehicle sold as a 2019 or older model is unusual.
4. Decode the full VIN with our free VIN decoder to see the model, trim, engine, drive and plant in one result.
5. Get the build record from a Mercedes-Benz dealer if options matter to the price.
6. Check recalls. Run the VIN through Mercedes-Benz USA's recall page and NHTSA's recall lookup. Our recall check by VIN guide explains what each result means.

If the decoded model, engine or plant does not match the car or its paperwork, stop and ask questions before you pay.