VIN Decoder · Kia
Kia VIN Decoder: U5Y, KNA, KND and 5XX Codes
A Ceed in a European classified ad starts U5Y and carries an L in position 11: built in Žilina, Slovakia. A Niro, Sorento or Picanto begins KNA and comes from Korea. Look at position 9. On a 2021 Niro or a 2017 Ceed it holds a letter such as F or L, where a check digit should be. The 2026 and 2027 cars from Žilina we found compute properly.
- WMI set: 8 codes, KNA to 3KP
- Plant codes: 7, from Žilina to Pesquería
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a Kia VIN
Scope: Kia KNA · KND · KNE · U5Y · U6Y · 5XX · 5XY · 3KP0 / 17
A Kia VIN never contains I, O or Q. The round character after U5YPV81B on a Sportage is a zero.
What a Kia VIN actually tells you
The first three characters name the Kia company that built the car. KNA and KND are Kia Corporation in Korea, for cars and for SUVs or MPVs. U5Y is Kia Slovakia in Žilina, which has built the Ceed since 2006 and later added the Sportage, XCeed and EV2. In the US, 5XX and 5XY stand for the West Point plant in Georgia; 3KP is the Pesquería plant in Mexico.
Kia's model descriptor fills characters 4 to 8: KNACC81G reads as a Niro from Hwaseong, U5YHN816 as a Ceed, KNAB351 as a Picanto. Position 9 is where European Kias part company with US ones. Across 37 European VINs up to model year 2025 we found letters there (F, G, A, L, W and others), never a valid ISO 3779 check digit. US-market Kias pass every time. So do the four 2026 and 2027 cars from Žilina we checked.
Position 10 is a genuine model-year code on every Kia we looked at, European or American. Position 11 names the plant: L for Žilina, 5 for Hwaseong, 6 for Gwangmyeong, 7 for Gwangju, T for Seosan. Then follows a six-digit serial.
Kia WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| KNA | Kia Corporation, South Korea: passenger cars such as the Picanto, Niro and Sorento |
| KND | Kia Corporation, South Korea: SUVs and MPVs such as the Sportage, EV6 and Carnival. Also used on the Hyundai Entourage |
| KNE | Kia, South Korea: older passenger cars exported to Europe |
| U5Y | Kia Slovakia, Žilina: Ceed, Sportage, XCeed, EV2. Also used on the Hyundai ix35 built there |
| U6Y | Kia Slovakia, Žilina: SUV code listed in VIN references; the Sportages we checked all use U5Y |
| 5XX | Kia Georgia, West Point: passenger cars such as the K5 |
| 5XY | Kia Georgia, West Point: SUVs such as the Telluride. Also used on the Hyundai Santa Fe built there |
| 3KP | Kia Mexico, Pesquería: passenger cars such as the Forte. Also used on the Hyundai Accent built there |
NHTSA's vPIC register lists KNA, KND, 5XX, 5XY, 3KP and U5Y; the Wikipedia and Wikibooks WMI tables confirm them and add KNE and U6Y. Decoded real VINs back up the plant letters. For KND, U5Y, 5XY and 3KP, vPIC names both Hyundai and Kia as the make, so the badge on the bonnet settles which one you are looking at.
Korea, Žilina or Georgia: how the VIN differs
Is your Kia European or Korean? A Ceed or XCeed always comes from Žilina. A Sportage may come from Slovakia or from Gwangju, and the first three characters settle it. The Niro, Sorento, EV6 and Picanto sold in Europe are Korean, and none of the European VINs we checked from Korea carried a check digit.
Built in Žilina: U5Y, plant L
- Ceed, XCeed and European Sportage. Every U5Y VIN we found carries L in position 11.
- Up to model year 2025, position 9 is usually a letter such as L, N or W, so amber is normal.
- The 2026 Sportage and the EV2 (year code V) we checked carry a valid check digit.
Built in Korea: KNA, KND
- Plant 5 is Hwaseong (Niro, Sorento, EV6), 7 Gwangju (Sportage, Soul), T Seosan (Picanto), 6 Gwangmyeong (Carnival).
- On European-spec cars position 9 holds a letter: F on a Niro, A or J on a Picanto, B, D or H on a Sorento.
- A KN code with a letter in position 7 is US-spec, and its check digit must compute.
North America: 5XX, 5XY, 3KP
- West Point (G) builds the Telluride and K5; Pesquería (E) the Forte.
- Here position 9 is required by law, and a failed calculation shows red.
- A letter in position 7 means a 2010 or later model year, so R reads as 2024, not 1994.
U5Y, KND, 5XY or 3KP is not always a Kia
Kia's plants have built Hyundais under Kia codes: the ix35 in Žilina (U5Y), the Santa Fe in West Point (5XY), the Accent in Pesquería (3KP) and the Entourage in Korea (KND). The code tells you the plant, not the badge. One more exception: on a 1995 to 1998 Sportage, plant 5 can mean Karmann in Osnabrück rather than Hwaseong.
Green: position 9 computes. Red: a North American Kia, or a Korean one built to US spec, where the check digit fails; that is a typo or a doctored number. Amber: a European Kia whose position 9 holds a letter, which is how Kia wrote these VINs for years. A 2026 Žilina car showing amber deserves a second look at what you typed.
Model year: position 10 on a Kia
Every Kia market gets a real year code in position 10. On a 2017 UK-registered Ceed we found G, which is 2016, so the code can run a year ahead of or behind first registration. In North America position 7 settles the 30-year cycle. For a European Kia, ask which decade fits: a U5Y car cannot be from the 1990s, because Žilina had not built a Ceed before 2006. Buying in Germany? Hold the code against the first-registration date printed under B on the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I; British sellers have the same date on the V5C.
| 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 Kia WMI codes U5Y, KNA, KND and 5XY mean?
U5Y is Kia Slovakia in Žilina, home of the Ceed and XCeed. KNA is Kia Corporation in Korea for cars, KND for SUVs and MPVs. 5XX and 5XY are Kia Georgia at West Point, 3KP Kia Mexico in Pesquería. KND, U5Y, 5XY and 3KP have also appeared on Hyundais built in those plants.
Why does my European Kia fail the check digit?
Because on most European VINs Kia used position 9 for a letter of its own, not for a check digit. A 2021 Niro carries F there, a 2017 Ceed L, a Picanto A or J. All 37 European VINs we tested up to model year 2025 failed the formula, so amber is the expected result. If the VIN starts KN and has a letter in position 7, it is a US-spec car and should pass.
Was my Sportage built in Slovakia or Korea?
Read the first three characters and position 11. U5Y with L means Žilina; KND with 7 means Gwangju. The badge and the bodywork will not tell you; the VIN does. Importing one from Germany? Check that the registration document shows the same 17 characters.
Where is the VIN on a Kia?
Check three spots: the plate where the dashboard meets the windscreen, the certification sticker on the driver's side B-pillar, and the number punched into the engine-bay bulkhead. The same 17 characters must appear on a UK V5C, or in box E of a Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I issued in Germany. One character out of line is reason enough to walk away.
What can't a Kia VIN tell you?
Whether a Sportage is a GT-Line, its paint, its options and whether it was serviced on time: the VIN is silent on all of it. KNACC81G with M in position 10 tells you Niro, Hwaseong, model year 2021. Nothing more. For the rest, you need the Kia service book and the order the first owner signed.