At a glance
- Chevrolet WMIs in NHTSA data
- 31, from 1G1 to KL8
- Position 3 on a US-built Chevy
- 1 car, C truck, N SUV, B incomplete
- Silverado plant letters (2026)
- Z Fort Wayne, 1 Oshawa, G Silao
- Corvette plant code
- 5 = Bowling Green, Kentucky
On this page
How to read a Chevy VIN
GM writes a VIN table for each model, every model year, and files it with NHTSA. This chart walks through a 2026 Silverado 1500 using GM's 2026 standard. The same positions mean different things on a Corvette or an Equinox, which is why the decoder matches the whole VIN, not one character at a time.
| Pos. | Meaning on a Chevrolet | 1GCUKEED4TZ379878 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Region of build: 1 United States, 2 Canada, 3 Mexico, K South Korea | 1 |
| 2 | G for General Motors | G |
| 3 | Brand and type: 1 Chevrolet car, C Chevrolet truck, N Chevrolet MPV, B incomplete | C |
| 4 | GVWR class, brakes and body style | U: Class F (7,001 to 8,000 lb), hydraulic brakes, body style 43 |
| 5 | Chassis: A is 2WD and K is 4WD on the Silverado 1500 | K |
| 6 | Series within that chassis | E: RST, so KE is a Silverado 1500 RST 4WD |
| 7 | Restraint system | E: AY0 belts with front, front-side and roof-side airbags |
| 8 | Engine, listed with GM's RPO code | D: L84 5.3L V8 |
| 9 | Check digit | 4 |
| 10 | Model year | T: 2026 |
| 11 | Plant, read together with position 1 | Z: Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| 12 | Sequence number, first digit | 3 |
| 13 | Sequence number, second digit | 7 |
| 14 | Sequence number, third digit | 9 |
| 15 | Sequence number, fourth digit | 8 |
| 16 | Sequence number, fifth digit | 7 |
| 17 | Sequence number, last digit | 8 |
Series letters get reshuffled. In GM's 2026 table KE is a Silverado 1500 RST 4WD; in the 2027 table KE is an LT-L 4WD. Always read a Chevy VIN against its own model year.
Silverado VIN decoder example: a 2026 1500 RST
Here is what the decoder gets back from NHTSA's vPIC database for that truck. GM coded the trim, so unlike some older pickups, the RST shows up by name.
| Field | Result |
|---|---|
| Year, make, model | 2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 |
| Trim | RST |
| Body and drive | Pickup, 4WD |
| Engine | 5.3L V8, GM code L84 |
| Plant | Fort Wayne, Indiana |
| GVWR | Class 2F: 7,001 to 8,000 lb |
| Restraints | AY0, active manual belts |
| Standard safety equipment | ESC, traction control, forward collision warning, lane keeping, pedestrian and rear automatic emergency braking |
On a Silverado, position 1 changes what position 11 means: 1 is a US plant (Z is Fort Wayne), 2 is Canada (1 is Oshawa) and 3 is Mexico (G is Silao).
Corvette and Camaro VINs: what changes
Cars use the same 17 positions, but GM splits positions 4 to 6 differently. In the 2027 Corvette book, positions 4 and 5 are the model and trim and position 6 is the body.
- 1G1YV3D50V5300992 is a 2027 Corvette Grand Sport 3LT convertible: YV is Grand Sport 3LT, 3 the convertible body, 5 the 6.7L LS6 V8, V the 2027 model year and 5 the Bowling Green plant.
- Other 2027 Corvette pairs: YA, YB and YC are Stingray 1LT, 2LT and 3LT; YD, YE and YF are Z06; YG and YJ are ZR1; YN and YR are ZR1X.
- Engine letters on 2027 Corvettes: 3 is the 5.5L LT6, 5 the 6.7L LS6 and 7 the twin-turbo 5.5L LT7.
The Camaro isn't in vPIC's 2025 or 2026 Chevrolet lineup, but earlier Camaro VINs decode the same way. A 2022 example, 1G1FF1R75N0131200, comes back as a 1LZ/1SS coupe with the 6.2L LT1 V8, built at Lansing Grand River, Michigan.
Which Chevy models does NHTSA list?
vPIC holds 124 Chevrolet model names going back decades. For the 2025 and 2026 model years it lists:
- Trucks: Silverado, Silverado HD, Colorado, Express, BrightDrop.
- SUVs and crossovers: Tahoe, Suburban, Suburban HD, Traverse, Blazer, Equinox, Trailblazer, Trax.
- Cars: Corvette, plus the Malibu for 2025.
- Incomplete chassis for upfitters: 3500HG through 7500XD.
For the GMC version of the Silverado, see the GMC VIN decoder. To compare every GM brand on one page, use the GM VIN decoder.
Chevy WMIs: 1G1, 1GC, KL7 and the odd ones
vPIC lists 31 World Manufacturer Identifiers for Chevrolet. Most read like the Silverado's 1GC: region, G for General Motors, then brand and type. A few stand out:
- KL1, KL7 and KL8: Korean-built Chevrolets. The 2027 Trax and Trailblazer both start with KL7.
- 3GN and 3GC: Mexico. The 2027 Equinox starts with 3GN and comes from San Luis Potosi.
- 6G1: a Chevrolet passenger car from Australia.
- 3N6 and JN6: trucks registered to Nissan in vPIC that carry the Chevrolet make.
- 2C1 and 2CN: older codes that vPIC also lists for Geo.
Where is the VIN on a Chevy?
Look through the windshield on the driver's side. On cars, SUVs and pickups up to 10,000 lb GVWR, federal rules put the VIN there, readable from outside the vehicle (49 CFR 565.13). The same number is on the certification label on the driver's door edge or latch post, next to the month the vehicle was built, and on the title and registration. A Silverado HD rated over 10,000 lb GVWR isn't covered by the windshield rule, so start with the door label.
What a Chevy VIN won't tell you
The decode stops at what GM coded: model, trim where GM filed one, engine, restraints and plant. It can't show options, paint, price or the build sheet. GM's standard pairs each engine's RPO code with a VIN character, which is why L84 or LS6 shows up in the result, but the rest of the RPO list is on the window sticker. Paint has its own label; here is where to find the paint code.
For recent model years, the Chevrolet window sticker lookup pulls the original sticker with the full option list.