VIN Decoder · Lexus
Lexus VIN Decoder: JTH, JTJ, 2T2 and 58A Codes
Look up Lexus in the official WMI register and you will find nothing. Every Lexus code is filed under a Toyota company: JTH and JTJ under Toyota Motor Corporation in Japan, 2T2 under the Cambridge plant in Ontario, 58A under Georgetown in Kentucky. The TX even shares 5TD with Toyota's Highlander. So the badge on the boot is not in the first three characters, but the build is. And on a European Lexus, position 10 holds a 0 rather than a year.
- Lexus WMI set: JTH · JTJ · JT8 · JT6 · 2T2 · 58A · 5TD
- Plant letters: A, C, U, S — Japanese digits left out
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a Lexus VIN
Scope: Lexus JTH · JTJ · JT8 · JT6 · 2T2 · 58A · 5TD (TX)0 / 17
A Lexus VIN never uses I, O or Q. The 0 in position 10 of a European UX or RX is a zero, not the letter O.
How a Lexus VIN is built
JTH marks a Lexus car from Japan, JTJ a Lexus SUV. A UX 250h sold in Italy in 2021 reads JTHY65BH, a 2024 RX for France JTJCJBGA. In the 1990s two other prefixes were in use: JT8 on the LS 400 and GS 300, JT6 on the first RX 300. North American plants add three more. 2T2 is the RX from Cambridge, Ontario, 58A the ES from Georgetown, Kentucky, and 5TD the TX from Princeton, Indiana.
Position 9 is a check digit, and Lexus computes it properly on European cars too. We recalculated 21 VINs of RX, UX, CT, NX, IS and LBX models sold in Europe between 2006 and 2025. Every one passed. What we could not find was a European Lexus VIN from before 2006, so for older imports the result stays advisory.
Position 10 is where the markets split. An ES built in Georgetown for 2019 carries K there. The same model shipped from Japan to Germany carries 0, and so did all 21 European VINs we tested. Position 11 names the plant: A for Motomachi, C for Cambridge, U for Georgetown, S for Princeton. Japanese factories such as Tahara and Toyota Motor Kyushu's Miyata plant use digits that change meaning from model to model.
Lexus WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| JTH | Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan: Lexus passenger cars such as the IS, ES, CT, UX, LC and LBX |
| JTJ | Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan: Lexus SUVs such as the RX, NX and RZ |
| JT8 | Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan: older Lexus cars, e.g. LS 400 and GS 300 of the 1990s |
| JT6 | Toyota Motor Corporation, Japan: older Lexus SUVs, e.g. RX 300 of 1999 and 2000 |
| 2T2 | Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, Cambridge: Lexus RX |
| 58A | Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky, Georgetown: Lexus ES |
| 5TD | Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana, Princeton: Lexus TX, shared with Toyota Highlander and Grand Highlander |
NHTSA's register returns no WMI at all for the name Lexus; each code above is filed under a Toyota company. We matched every one against vPIC decodes of real VINs, which report the make as Lexus, and against two independent VIN references. Is your VIN on 5TD? Then positions 4 to 8 decide whether it is a TX or a Toyota.
Built in Japan or North America: what changes in the VIN
Every Lexus we found in European listings came from Japan. The Lexus models built in Canada and the US are North American cars, and in Europe you meet them as personal imports. Thinking of shipping a US-market RX to Europe? Its VIN starts 2T2 and states the year; the European RX next to it starts JTJ and does not.
Japan for Europe: JTH, JTJ
- Position 9 computes: 21 of 21 European VINs from 2006 to 2025 passed.
- A 0 sits in position 10: no year in the number at all. Take it from the registration papers.
- Position 11 is a digit, e.g. 2 on a UX or CT from Miyata. Digits are model-specific, so the plant is not named.
Japan for North America: JTH, JTJ, JT8, JT6
- Same prefixes as European cars, but position 10 carries a year letter.
- There the law requires the check digit; if it fails, the result turns red.
- A in position 11 is Motomachi: the LC 500, the GS from 2016 and the RZ.
Built in North America: 2T2, 58A, 5TD
- 2T2 with C is an RX from Cambridge, 58A with U an ES from Georgetown.
- 5TD with S is Princeton, where the TX shares the line with Toyota SUVs.
- Position 7 settles the 30-year year cycle, so a K on a 58A ES means 2019.
Lexus pitfall: the WMI says Toyota
Many decoders print Toyota Motor Corporation as the manufacturer of a Lexus. That is not an error: Lexus holds no WMI of its own, and the register files JTH, JTJ, 2T2 and 58A under Toyota companies. The real trap is 5TD. A 2024 TX and a 2024 Grand Highlander from Princeton both begin 5TDAAA, so the first three characters cannot tell a Lexus from a Toyota. If you are buying a TX as an import, check the full VIN against the badge and the registration document.
Green: the digit in position 9 checks out. Red is reserved for North American cars: a 2T2, 58A or 5TD VIN, or a JTH or JTJ one with a year letter in position 10. A European Lexus that fails shows amber, because we could not test the older European format. On a modern UX or RX, amber almost always means a mistyped character.
Model year: position 10 on a Lexus
For North American Lexus models the year sits in position 10: K for 2019 on a Georgetown ES, R for 2024 on a Princeton TX. Letters repeat every 30 years, so an S on a JT8 LS 400 means 1995, not 2025. A Lexus built for Europe carries 0 there; none of the 21 European VINs we checked states a year. Looking at a used NX at a German dealer? Ask for the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I and read entry B: that is when the car was first registered. A UK V5C carries the same date.
| 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
Which WMI codes does Lexus use?
JTH for cars and JTJ for SUVs built in Japan, JT8 and JT6 on older models such as the LS 400 and the first RX 300. 2T2 is the RX from Cambridge, Canada, 58A the ES from Georgetown, Kentucky. The TX from Princeton, Indiana, uses 5TD, a code it shares with Toyota.
Why does the decoder call my Lexus a Toyota?
Because the WMI register does. Lexus owns no manufacturer code of its own; JTH, for example, is registered to Toyota Motor Corporation. NHTSA's decoder, which reads the whole VIN rather than just the prefix, still reports Lexus as the make for the same number.
Should a European Lexus VIN pass the check digit?
A modern one should. All 21 European-market Lexus VINs we recalculated, from a 2006 IS 220d to a 2025 LBX, carried a valid digit in position 9. If a UX or RX fails, compare the number character by character with the windscreen before drawing conclusions. For a Lexus registered in Europe before 2006 we have no data, so a mismatch there is shown as advisory only.
Where do I find the VIN on a Lexus?
Lexus places it under the windscreen, driver's side, where you can read it from outside the car. On cars for North America this spot is required by law, next to the left windscreen pillar. Your paperwork repeats it: a UK V5C lists it among the vehicle details, and in Germany it is entry E on the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I.
What does a Lexus VIN not tell me?
Trim, colour and optional equipment are not in the 17 characters. A European Lexus does not even state its model year, and a Japanese one does not name its factory, since the plant digit depends on the model. Ask for the service book and, if it still exists, the original order confirmation.