VIN Decoder · Honda
Honda VIN Decoder: JHM, SHH, 1HG and JH2 Codes
Honda's European VINs hide a 0 in position 9. A Civic from Swindon, a Jazz from Suzuka, a CR-V from Yorii: all 21 European VINs we checked, built between 2004 and 2022, had it. The same Swindon line also built Civic hatchbacks for the US, and those carry a genuine check digit in that spot. The decoder reads cars and Honda motorcycles alike, from a Kumamoto Gold Wing (JH2) to a Thai-built CB500F (MLH).
- WMI set: 18 codes: 14 car, 4 motorcycle
- Plant codes: 12 letters and digits, two sources each
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a Honda VIN
Scope: Honda JHM · JHL · SHH · SHS · NLA · 1HG · 19X · 5J6 · 7FA · 5FN · 5FP · 2HG · 2HK · 3CZ · motorcycles JH2 · ZDC · MLH · 1HF0 / 17
Honda never uses I, O or Q. The round character in position 9 of a European Honda is the digit zero, not the letter O.
How to read a Honda VIN
Characters 1 to 3 tell you which Honda company issued the number. JHM and JHL are Honda Motor Co. in Japan, SHH and SHS were Honda of the UK Manufacturing in Swindon, NLA is Honda Türkiye. In North America each plant has its own prefix: 1HG for cars from Ohio, 5J6 for CR-Vs from East Liberty, 2HG for Civics from Alliston in Ontario.
Honda's own model code fills positions 4 to 8, along with body and version. Positions 9 to 11 are where Honda splits by market. A European Honda keeps 0 in position 9 as a fixed character; a North American one carries the ISO 3779 check digit there, because US law requires it. In both versions, position 10 carries the model year. That is not a given among Japanese makers, since a European Toyota shows 0 there instead.
Position 11 names the plant. U is Swindon, S Suzuka, X Yorii, K the Kumamoto motorcycle factory, L East Liberty and H Alliston. After that comes Honda's six-digit production serial. Is the VIN on the windscreen identical to the one in your papers? Compare those six digits first.
Honda WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| JHM | Honda Motor Co., Japan: passenger cars. European Jazz, HR-V and the CR-V from 2018 use it too |
| JHL | Honda Motor Co., Japan: SUVs and MPVs, e.g. CR-V from Sayama |
| SHH | Honda of the UK Manufacturing, Swindon: Civic, both for Europe and US-spec hatchbacks |
| SHS | Honda of the UK Manufacturing, Swindon: CR-V for Europe |
| NLA | Honda Türkiye, Gebze: Civic sedan until 2021 |
| 1HG | Honda of America Mfg., Ohio: cars such as the Accord from Marysville |
| 19X | Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, Greensburg: cars such as the Civic |
| 5J6 | Honda of America Mfg., Ohio: SUVs such as the CR-V from East Liberty |
| 7FA | Honda Manufacturing of Indiana, Greensburg: SUVs such as the CR-V |
| 5FN | Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, Lincoln: Pilot and other SUVs and minivans |
| 5FP | Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, Lincoln: Ridgeline pickup |
| 2HG | Honda of Canada Mfg., Alliston: cars such as the Civic |
| 2HK | Honda of Canada Mfg., Alliston: SUVs such as the CR-V |
| 3CZ | Honda de México, Celaya: SUVs such as the HR-V |
| JH2 | Motorcycle · Honda Motor Co., Japan: Gold Wing, Africa Twin, CBR1000RR from Kumamoto |
| ZDC | Motorcycle · Honda Italia Industriale, Atessa, Italy |
| MLH | Motorcycle · Thai Honda, Bangkok: e.g. CB500F |
| 1HF | Motorcycle, ATV, side-by-side · American Honda, USA |
Two independent references back every prefix in this table: the US vPIC database or the KBA list on one side, a published VIN reference on the other. Acura codes such as JH4, 19U and 5J8 are left out; vPIC files them under the same Honda companies, but they are a separate make.
Japan, Swindon or Ohio: what the VIN says about your Honda
The Hondas in European classifieds come from Japan, England and Turkey; the ones imported from America may come from Ohio, Indiana, Alabama, Ontario or Mexico. Each route leaves its trace in the VIN. Looking at a used Civic hatchback in Germany? If it was built for Europe in Swindon, it starts SHH and the first block ends in 0. The 2019 and 2020 CR-Vs we checked start JHM instead and carry X for Yorii.
Built in Japan: JHM, JHL, JH2
- European Jazz and HR-V e:HEV VINs we checked carry S for Suzuka; the newer CR-V carries X for Yorii.
- Position 9 is 0 on European cars, a computed check digit on US-spec ones.
- JH2 is a motorcycle: the Gold Wing has been built in Kumamoto, plant K, since 2011.
Built in Europe: SHH and SHS from Swindon, NLA from Gebze
- Swindon built Civics (SHH) and CR-Vs (SHS) with plant letter U until July 2021.
- Gebze in Turkey built the Civic sedan under NLA; Honda ended it in 2021.
- ZDC marks motorcycles from Honda Italia in Atessa, plant letter F.
North America: 1HG, 19X, 5J6, 7FA, 5FN, 5FP, 2HG, 2HK, 3CZ, 1HF
- The check digit is the law here, so a mismatch shows red.
- Position 7 is a letter on modern US cars, which pins position 10 to the 2010–2039 cycle.
- A JHM or SHH VIN with anything but 0 in position 9 is US-spec and must compute too.
An American decoder may call your 2022 Jazz a 1992
US decoders settle the 30-year cycle with position 7: a digit there means 1980–2009. European Hondas keep a digit in position 7, so NHTSA's vPIC reads the N of a 2021 Jazz hybrid sold in Germany (JHMGR6870NS…) as 1992. Read position 10 against the first registration date instead.
Green: position 9 computes. Red: it fails on a North American VIN, or on a JHM, JHL, SHH or SHS VIN built to US specification. Amber: it fails on a European Honda, which is what a 0 in position 9 produces about ten times out of eleven. Honda bikes outside North America also show amber, as we could not confirm how their European VINs fill position 9.
Model year: position 10 on a Honda
Honda puts a model year in position 10 on every market, Europe included: 8 on a 2008 Swindon Civic, K on a 2019 CR-V from Yorii, N on a 2022 HR-V. The letters repeat every 30 years. On a US-spec car position 7 resolves that; on a European Honda the registration does. Do not expect year code and registration to match exactly. A CR-V coded H, for 2017, was first registered in 2018. Buying in Germany? The first registration sits in field B of the registration certificate, Teil I; in the UK, on the V5C. On a motorcycle position 7 proves nothing, even on US bikes.
| Code | Model year | Code | Model year |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 2010 | M | 2021 |
| B | 2011 | N | 2022 |
| C | 2012 | P | 2023 |
| D | 2013 | R | 2024 |
| E | 2014 | S | 2025 |
| F | 2015 | T | 2026 |
| G | 2016 | V | 2027 |
| H | 2017 | W | 2028 |
| J | 2018 | X | 2029 |
| K | 2019 | Y | 2030 |
| L | 2020 |
Frequently asked questions
What do the Honda WMI codes JHM, SHH, SHS and JH2 mean?
JHM is Honda Motor Co. in Japan, used on cars including the European Jazz, HR-V and newer CR-V. SHH and SHS were the Swindon plant: Civic and CR-V. JH2 is a Honda motorcycle from Japan. North American codes such as 1HG, 5J6, 2HG and 3CZ name the plant's company and country; Acura codes like JH4 belong to Acura.
Why does my European Honda fail the check digit?
Because Honda puts a fixed 0 in position 9 on cars for Europe. It only matches the ISO 3779 result by chance, about once in eleven. In 21 European VINs from SHH, SHS and JHM cars, every one had 0 and only three happened to compute. That is why the decoder shows amber, not red. A US-spec Honda is different: the Swindon-built Civic hatchbacks sold in America carry a real check digit.
Where is the VIN on a Honda?
On a US-spec car it must be readable through the windscreen next to the left pillar. European rules want it stamped into the bodywork on the right, and it is repeated on the manufacturer's plate. Your papers carry it too: field E on a German Zulassungsbescheinigung (part I) and the vehicle section of a British V5C. On a motorcycle the VIN is the frame number, a different number from the one stamped on the engine.
Can I decode a Honda motorcycle VIN here?
Yes. JH2 covers bikes from Japan, such as a Gold Wing, Africa Twin or CBR1000RR from Kumamoto. MLH is Thai Honda in Bangkok, the code on a US-spec CB500F; ZDC is Honda Italia in Atessa; 1HF covers American Honda bikes, ATVs and side-by-sides. Importing a US Gold Wing? Its check digit must compute, but position 7 cannot tell you the model year cycle the way it does on a car.
What does a Honda VIN not tell you?
Colour, trim level, optional equipment, service history, mileage: none of it is encoded. Positions 4 to 8 narrow down model, body and version, nothing more. Those answers live in the stamped service book and in the MOT or TÜV reports.