At a glance
- Model code
- Positions 7 and 8 (GY A3, G8 Q7, F1 Q8)
- Trim and package
- Position 4
- Audi Sport (RS) WMIs
- WUA cars, WU1 SUVs
- 2027 model year
- V in position 10
On this page
What the Audi VIN decoder shows
The decoder confirms the VIN is valid, then reads Audi's record in NHTSA's vPIC database: model year, model, trim, body class, drive, engine displacement and cylinders or electric drive, fuel type, transmission, GVWR, doors, the plant and the air bag layout. Recall campaigns NHTSA lists for that model and year appear under the result; for the status of one specific car, use NHTSA's VIN recall search.
Audi belongs to the Volkswagen Group, and its VINs are laid out differently from many brands. The model isn't in positions 4 to 6. It's in positions 7 and 8, with the trim in position 4 and the engine in position 5.
How to read an Audi VIN
Volkswagen Group of America files Audi's VIN breakdown with NHTSA. This is the 2027 version (revision of October 12, 2026), with U.S. examples:
| Position | What Audi encodes | 2027 codes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturer and type (WMI) | W = Germany |
| 2 | WMI | A = Audi AG, U = Audi Sport GmbH |
| 3 | WMI | WAU Audi AG cars, WA1 Audi AG SUVs, WUA Audi Sport cars, WU1 Audi Sport SUVs |
| 4 | Series: trim and package | Q7: A Premium, C Premium Plus, E Prestige, F Prestige with Launch edition package |
| 5 | Engine type | U 2.0L four-cylinder (201 hp, A3), Y 2.9L six-cylinder (429 hp, Q7 and Q9), R 4.0L eight-cylinder (631 hp, RS Q8), C electric (A6 Sportback e-tron) |
| 6 | Restraint systems | For example C on an A3: front side, curtain and knee air bags; D adds rear side air bags |
| 7 | Model, first character | GY A3/S3/RS 3, FU A5/S5, FN A6, GH A6/S6 Sportback e-tron, F8 A8 L/S8, FW e-tron GT |
| 8 | Model, second character | FJ Q3, GF Q6 e-tron, G8 Q7/SQ7, F1 Q8/SQ8/RS Q8, G9 Q9/SQ9 |
| 9 | Check digit | Calculated per NHTSA's formula |
| 10 | Model year | V = 2027 |
| 11 | Plant | A Ingolstadt, N Neckarsulm, 7 Heilbronn, 1 Gyor, 2 San Jose Chiapa, D Bratislava |
| 12 | Sequential production number | Positions 12 to 17 |
| 13 | Sequential production number | |
| 14 | Sequential production number | |
| 15 | Sequential production number | |
| 16 | Sequential production number | |
| 17 | Sequential production number |
Engine letters only mean something next to the model code: 5 is the S3's 328 hp 2.0L but the S5's 362 hp 3.0L, and V is a 4.0L eight-cylinder in the SQ7 but a 3.0L six-cylinder in the Q8.
Example: building 2027 Audi VINs from the code sheet
These patterns follow Audi's 2027 sheet. They stop after the year because the plant and serial depend on the car, and ? marks the check digit, so they aren't real VINs:
- WAUBUCGY?V: Audi AG car (WAU), A3 Sedan quattro 2.0T (B), the 201 hp 2.0L (U), front side, curtain and knee air bags (C), A3 Sedan family (GY), 2027 (V).
- WAUB5CGY?V: the same body and series letter, but engine 5 makes it a 328 hp S3.
- WA1AYAG8?V: Audi AG SUV (WA1), Q7 Premium (A), the 2.9L six-cylinder (Y), restraint A, Q7 family (G8), 2027 (V).
- WAU1CAGH?V: A6 Sportback e-tron RWD Premium (1), electric drive rated at 375 hp combined (C), restraint A, A6 Sportback e-tron (GH), 2027 (V).
A real Audi VIN decoded: 2025 Q6 e-tron
This 2025 Q6 e-tron went through an NHTSA crash test (test 15422), and the test record lists its VIN. NHTSA's vPIC database returns this for WA112BGF7SA018426:
| Field | vPIC result |
|---|---|
| Vehicle | 2025 Audi Q6 e-tron Premium |
| Body | SUV, 4 doors |
| Powertrain | Electric (battery electric), 322 hp |
| Plant | Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany |
| GVWR | Class 2E: 6,001 to 7,000 lb |
| Airbags | Front, side (rows 1 and 2) and curtain (rows 1 and 2) |
| Listed as standard | Automatic emergency braking, pedestrian automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane keeping assist, lane centering, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control and rear automatic braking |
vPIC's airbag and safety fields can be incomplete; the window sticker or owner's manual has the full list.
RS models and the Audi Sport codes
Audi Sport GmbH has its own WMIs: WUA for cars and WU1 for SUVs. Audi's sheet notes that the RS 6 Avant, RS 5 Coupe and Sportback, RS 7 Sportback and R8 Coupe and Spyder are identified by WUA, and it marks the RS 3 the same way. Plant code 7 on the sheet is Audi Sport GmbH's site in Heilbronn (Bollinger Hofe), Germany.
Audi plant codes in vPIC
| Code | Plant | Used on |
|---|---|---|
| A | Ingolstadt, Germany | WAU, WA1, WUA, WU1 |
| N | Neckarsulm, Germany | WAU, WUA |
| 7 | Heilbronn, Germany (Audi Sport) | WAU, WUA |
| 1 | Gyor, Hungary | WAU, WA1, WU1 |
| 2 | San Jose Chiapa, Mexico | WA1, WU1 |
| D | Bratislava, Slovakia (Volkswagen Slovakia) | WAU, WA1, WU1 |
| B | Brussels, Belgium | WA1, WU1 |
| P | Zwickau, Germany | WA1, WU1 |
| K | Karmann, Rheine, Germany | WAU |
| R | Martorell, Spain | WAU |
vPIC also lists TRU, an Audi AG passenger car code registered in Hungary.
Audi models in vPIC
vPIC lists 24 Audi models for 2026, including the A3, A5, A6, A6 allroad, A8 L, Q3, Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8, the S and SQ versions, RS 3, RS 6 Avant, RS 7, RS Q8 and the S and RS e-tron GT. The 2025 list adds the A4, A4 allroad, A7, Q5 e, RS 5, S4, S6 and S7. All years together come to 57 names, from the 4000, 5000, 80, 90, 100, 200, V8 and Coupe to the TT, R8 and e-tron.
Where is the VIN on an Audi?
At the lower left corner of the windshield, readable from outside, as federal rules require for cars and SUVs (49 CFR 565.13). It's repeated on the certification label in the driver's door opening (49 CFR 567.4) and on the title and registration.
To see the original options and packages, the Audi window sticker page explains how to get the sticker. Selling your Audi? CarShots puts your phone photos on a clean backdrop in about 20 seconds each. For other Volkswagen Group brands, see the Volkswagen VIN decoder.