VIN Decoder · Hyundai
Hyundai VIN Decoder: KMH, TMA, NLH and KM8 Codes
Plenty of Hyundais on European roads have never seen Korea. An i30 or Tucson starting TMA came out of Nošovice in the Czech Republic; an i10, i20 or Bayon starting NLH from İzmit in Turkey. Cars like the Ioniq 5, the Santa Fe or the petrol Kona arrive from Ulsan with KMH. Position 9 has its own story: up to model year 2023 Hyundai put a letter there on European cars, so the check digit cannot work.
- WMI set: 6 codes: KMH, TMA, NLH, KM8, 5NP, 5NM
- Plant codes: 5 letters, U to H
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a Hyundai VIN
Scope: Hyundai KMH · TMA · NLH · KM8 · 5NP · 5NM0 / 17
A Hyundai VIN never contains I, O or Q. If the 0 in the serial of your i20 looks like an O, type a zero.
What a Hyundai VIN says, and what it leaves out
The first three characters name the factory company, not the brand. KMH is Hyundai Motor Company in Korea, TMA is Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech, NLH is Hyundai Assan in İzmit. Positions 4 to 8 describe line and body: a 2020 i30 from Nošovice reads TMAH381A, a 2022 i20 from İzmit NLHBR51G.
Position 9 is the odd one out. On the 50 European Hyundais up to model year 2023 that we checked, it held a letter such as A, D or G, and not one of them passed the ISO 3779 formula. From model year 2024 that changed: 11 of the 12 newer VINs we tested computed correctly, among them a 2025 Tucson from Nošovice and a 2025 i10 from İzmit. Short version? Amber on an older European Hyundai means nothing.
In position 10 sits a real model year, even on cars for Europe, which many European makers do not offer. L is 2020, N 2022, S 2025. Position 11 is the plant: J for Nošovice, Z for İzmit, U for Ulsan, A for Asan, H for Montgomery in Alabama.
Hyundai WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| KMH | Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea: cars, and the SUVs sold in Europe, such as the Kona, Ioniq 5 and Santa Fe |
| TMA | Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech, Nošovice: i30, ix35 and Tucson, Kona Electric |
| NLH | Hyundai Assan Otomotiv, İzmit, Turkey: i10, i20, Bayon |
| KM8 | Hyundai Motor Company, South Korea: SUVs built for North America, such as a US Kona |
| 5NP | Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Montgomery: cars such as the Sonata |
| 5NM | Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Montgomery: SUVs such as the Tucson and Santa Fe |
Two independent records stand behind every row: NHTSA's vPIC register for the US-market codes and the Wikipedia WMI table (partly citing the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt) for TMA and NLH, then Wikibooks and real VINs from European sales listings as the second check. Genesis has codes of its own, KMT and KMU, and will get a separate page.
Nošovice, İzmit or Ulsan: where your Hyundai comes from
A Hyundai bought in Germany, Poland or Romania usually comes from one of three plants, and the VIN tells you which in two places: the WMI and position 11. Importing an i20 from a German dealer? Expect NLH and a Z, because it was built in Turkey, not in Korea.
Nošovice, Czech Republic: TMA
- Opened in November 2008. The i30, ix35 and Tucson, and the Kona Electric, come from here.
- Plant letter J; every TMA VIN we checked carried it.
- Position 9 is a letter up to model year 2023 and a real check digit from 2024 on.
İzmit, Turkey: NLH
- Hyundai Assan, opened in September 1997, builds the i10, i20 and Bayon for Europe.
- Plant letter Z on every NLH VIN we saw, from a 2017 i10 to a 2025 i20.
- A 2025 i10 such as NLHDN51C… computes; a 2022 i20 with G in position 9 does not.
Korea and North America: KMH, KM8, 5NP, 5NM
- European Konas, Ioniq 5s and Santa Fes start KMH and show U for Ulsan.
- The same Kona for the US starts KM8 and always carries a valid check digit.
- 5NP and 5NM are Montgomery, Alabama (plant letter H): a check-digit failure there is red.
US decoders put a European Ioniq 5 in 1992
Position 10 repeats every 30 years, and North American decoders use position 7 to choose the cycle: a digit there means the older one. Every European Hyundai VIN we checked carries 1 in position 7. NHTSA's own decoder therefore dates a 2022 Ioniq 5 (N) as 1992 and a 2024 Kona (R) as 1994. If an online report gives your Hyundai a 1990s year, take the newer cycle.
A green result means position 9 matches the ISO 3779 sum. Red is reserved for Hyundais built for the US or Canada (KM8, 5NP, 5NM, or a KMH with a letter in position 7), because the digit is required by law there. Amber marks a European VIN that does not match; on a 2019 i30 that is simply how Hyundai wrote it. With R or S in position 10, amber more likely points to a typo.
Model year: position 10 on a Hyundai
Position 10 carries the model year whether the Hyundai was built for American customers in Montgomery or for a dealer in Dortmund. N on a Nošovice Tucson means 2022, S on an İzmit i10 means 2025. Does the advert say 2021 while the VIN shows N? Hyundai's model year can start months before the calendar year, so compare it with the first registration: field B of the German registration certificate, or the V5C in Britain. A US 5NM Tucson settles the 30-year cycle through position 7; for a European one, take the more recent year.
| 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 Hyundai WMI codes KMH, TMA and NLH mean?
KMH is Hyundai Motor Company in South Korea. TMA is Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Czech in Nošovice, the source of the i30, Tucson and Kona Electric. NLH is Hyundai Assan in İzmit, Turkey, which builds the i10, i20 and Bayon. KM8 marks Korean-built SUVs for North America; 5NP and 5NM the Alabama plant in Montgomery.
Why does my European Hyundai fail the check digit?
Because up to model year 2023 Hyundai did not put a check digit in position 9 on European cars. A letter sits there instead, such as A on a 2020 i30 or G on a 2022 i20, and the formula cannot produce a letter. From model year 2024 nearly every European VIN we tested computed, so a 2024 or 2025 Hyundai that fails is worth re-reading one character at a time.
My Kona's VIN starts with TMA, my neighbour's with KMH. Why?
Hyundai builds the Kona Electric for Europe in Nošovice, so it carries TMA and plant letter J. Petrol and hybrid Konas come from Ulsan in Korea and carry KMH and U. Both are genuine. A Kona bought from a US importer will start KM8 instead.
Where is the VIN on a Hyundai?
Three places on the car, and they must agree. The windscreen shows it at the bottom on the driver's side, a sticker on the driver's B-pillar repeats it, and the body carries it stamped in the engine bay near the bulkhead. On paper it is on the British V5C, and in field E of the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I for a car registered in Germany.
What can't a Hyundai VIN tell me?
Whether an i30 has the 1.0 or the 1.5 petrol engine, which colour it left Nošovice in, what options were ticked and how it was serviced: none of that sits in the 17 characters. Positions 4 to 8 stop at model line and body. Ask for the service book, the registration papers or a printout from a Hyundai dealer.