VIN Decoder · Mazda
Mazda VIN Decoder: JMZ, JM4, JM1 and 3MZ Codes
A Mazda3 from the Hofu plant gets two different VINs depending on where it is sold. For the US it starts JM1 and carries a real check digit and a model-year letter. For Europe the same car starts JMZ, or JM4 on recent Mazda3s, and position 9 is often just the letter A. Paste the number below and see which of the two you are holding.
- WMI set: 10 codes, JMZ to 4F4
- Plant codes: 0, 1, A, M, N, 5, K, T
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a Mazda VIN
Scope: Mazda JMZ · JM4 · JM1 · JM3 · 3MZ · 3MV · 7MM · 1YV · 4F2 · 4F40 / 17
A Mazda VIN never contains I, O or Q. The round character in JMZKF6W7A0… is always a zero.
What a Mazda VIN tells you, and what it hides
The first three characters split Mazda by market before they say anything about the car. JM1 and JM3 are Mazda Motor Corporation's codes for cars and SUVs going to North America. JMZ is the code for European export, and the 2020 to 2023 Mazda3s sold in Europe that we checked begin JM4. Positions 4 and 5 then name the model line: KF is the CX-5 from 2017, BP the Mazda3 from 2019, KH the CX-60.
Position 9 is where the two worlds drift apart. On a US Mazda it is an ISO 3779 check digit, and NHTSA's decoder flags a VIN that fails it as an error. On a JMZ CX-5 for Europe you will often find an A or a 6 there instead. Of 22 Mazda-built European VINs from the MX-5 NB to the 2023 CX-5, only 3 passed the formula, about what chance would give. The CX-60 is different: all six we checked passed.
Positions 10 and 11 hold year and plant on North American cars. A European Mazda does not encode the year at all. Two CX-5s registered in 2018 and 2019 both show 0 in position 10, while 2021 to 2023 cars show 9. Position 11 is more reliable: 0 for Hiroshima, 1 for Hofu, the plant that builds the Mazda3 and the CX-60.
Mazda WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| JMZ | Mazda Motor Corporation, Japan: export to Europe. Also used on the Mazda2 Hybrid built by Toyota in France |
| JM4 | Mazda Motor Corporation, Japan: seen on Mazda3 (BP) cars sold in Europe from 2020 |
| JM1 | Mazda Motor Corporation, Japan: passenger cars for North America, such as the Mazda3 and MX-5 |
| JM3 | Mazda Motor Corporation, Japan: SUVs for North America, such as the CX-5 |
| 3MZ | Mazda de Mexico Vehicle Operation, Salamanca: Mazda3 for North America since 2014 |
| 3MV | Mazda de Mexico Vehicle Operation, Salamanca: CX-30 for North America |
| 7MM | Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA, Huntsville, Alabama: CX-50 since 2022 |
| 1YV | AutoAlliance International, Flat Rock, Michigan: 626, MX-6 and the 2003–2012 Mazda6, in Ford's VIN layout |
| 4F2 | Ford Motor Company for Mazda: Tribute SUV from Kansas City Assembly |
| 4F4 | Ford Motor Company for Mazda: B-Series pickup, e.g. from Edison, New Jersey |
Two independent sources stand behind each code: NHTSA's vPIC database or the KBA manufacturer list, plus a separate VIN reference. JMZ and JM4 are not in vPIC because they are never used for North America; for those we used real VINs of cars sold in Europe. Mazda's codes for Thailand, China and Oceania are left out.
Japan, France, North America: three ways a Mazda VIN is written
Which Mazda is in front of you? A German-market CX-5, a grey-import MX-5 from the US and a Mazda2 Hybrid look alike in a car park, but their VINs follow different rules. One computes the check digit, one ignores it, and one was written by Toyota.
Built in Japan for Europe: JMZ and JM4
- Position 9 on most Mazda-built European cars is not a check digit; an A there is normal on a CX-5 or Mazda3.
- Position 10 holds no year: a 2018 CX-5 shows 0, a 2022 one shows 9.
- Position 11 reads 0 for Hiroshima (CX-5, MX-5, Mazda2) or 1 for Hofu (Mazda3, CX-60).
The Toyota-built exception: Mazda2 Hybrid
- Built since December 2021 by Toyota at Onnaing near Valenciennes, on the Yaris Hybrid.
- Still starts JMZ, but position 11 is A, Toyota's letter for that plant, so the decoder flags Japan versus France.
- Positions 4 to 8 read KBAC3, the same as a French-built Yaris, and the check digit computes.
North America: JM1, JM3, 3MZ, 3MV, 7MM, 1YV
- Position 9 has to add up here; a wrong digit turns the result red.
- The year letter sits in position 10, and the model line in positions 4 and 5 picks the 30-year cycle.
- 7MM is the CX-50 from Huntsville, Alabama, built in a plant Mazda shares with Toyota.
A US Mazda6 that reads like a Ford
Mazda6 models built for North America from 2003 to 2012 came from Flat Rock, Michigan, a plant Mazda ran with Ford as AutoAlliance International. Their VINs start 1YV and follow Ford's layout, not Mazda's: the model codes in positions 4 to 8 are Ford-style, and Flat Rock is a 5 in position 11. The same goes for the Ford-built Tribute (4F2) and B-Series pickup (4F4). Mazda's own model-line codes such as GG or GJ do not apply to these cars.
A green result means position 9 adds up. Red is kept for North American Mazdas, where US and Canadian rules demand a valid digit. When a JMZ or JM4 car misses, the result is amber: for a 2019 CX-5 that is the expected result. For a CX-60 or a Mazda2 Hybrid, amber more likely means a mistyped character.
Model year: position 10 on a Mazda
On a JM1 Mazda3 or a 7MM CX-50, the tenth character is a year letter: K stands for 2019, P for 2023, and the 30-year cycle is settled by the model line: BP only exists from 2019, VA (the CX-50) only from 2023. On a JMZ or JM4 Mazda the position carries no year at all, so do not let a decoder read 9 as 2009. Buying a CX-5 from a German dealer? Go by the first-registration date, which German papers (Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I) print under B. A British V5C carries that date too.
| 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 Mazda WMI codes JMZ, JM1 and 3MZ mean?
JMZ is Mazda Motor Corporation in Japan for European export; recent Mazda3s for Europe use JM4. JM1 (cars) and JM3 (SUVs) are the same company's codes for North America. 3MZ and 3MV come from Salamanca, Mexico, 7MM from the Huntsville plant in Alabama, and 1YV from AutoAlliance in Flat Rock, Michigan.
Why does my European Mazda fail the check digit?
Because Mazda does not compute it for most European cars. Only North America and China require it, and position 9 on a JMZ CX-5 or Mazda3 often holds an A or a 6. Only 3 of 22 Mazda-built European VINs we checked passed. The CX-60 and the Toyota-built Mazda2 Hybrid are the exceptions: on those, a failure points to a typo.
My Mazda2 starts JMZ. Was it built in Japan?
Not necessarily. The Mazda2 Hybrid sold in Europe since 2022 is built by Toyota at Onnaing near Valenciennes and carries A in position 11. The first Mazda2 of 2002 to 2007 was also built at Ford's plant in Almussafes, Spain. A Mazda2 of 2007 to 2014 with 0 in position 11 comes from Hiroshima.
Where is the VIN on a Mazda?
Look through the windscreen at its base on the driver's side. Mazda also puts it on a sticker in the driver's door jamb, and it is on the registration papers: a German Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I prints it under E, a British V5C among the vehicle details. If the numbers disagree, stop there.
What can't a Mazda VIN tell you?
Trim level, paint, options, service history: none of them is in the 17 characters. A European Mazda won't even tell you its model year. Is the CX-5 you are looking at a 2.0 petrol or a 2.2 diesel? Check the registration document or the service book, not the VIN.