VIN Decoder · Nissan
Nissan VIN Decoder: SJN, JN1, VSK and VNV Codes
Every European Nissan VIN we checked has a U in position 10, from a 2004 X-Trail to a 2023 Qashqai. That U is a market code, not a year. Position 9 usually just repeats the end of the model code: the 1 of J11, the 3 of D23. SJN points to Sunderland, VSK to Barcelona, JN1 to Japan, and VNV to a Micra assembled by Renault.
- WMI set: 10 codes, SJN to 3N6
- Plant codes: 8 letters, US-format VINs
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a Nissan VIN
Scope: Nissan JN1 · JN8 · SJN · VSK · VNV · 1N4 · 1N6 · 5N1 · 3N1 · 3N60 / 17
A Nissan VIN never contains I, O or Q. The U in position 10 of a European Nissan is genuine, so don't read it as a typo.
How Nissan writes its VINs
Nissan uses two VIN grammars. Cars for the United States and Canada follow the North American rules: model year in position 10, plant letter in position 11, check digit in position 9. Everything else, including every Nissan sold new in Europe, uses Nissan's export layout. There, positions 4 to 9 spell out body, engine and model code, and the model code sits right at the end. A 2023 Qashqai from Sunderland reads SJNTAAJ12, a Barcelona-built Navara VSKCTND23.
So what is in position 9? On those export VINs it is simply the last character of the model code. We ran 51 European VINs of the Qashqai, Juke, Leaf, Navara, Pulsar, older X-Trails and the Ariya through the ISO 3779 formula, and only 4 matched, which is what chance gives you. The current T33 X-Trail is the exception: all four we tested passed.
Position 10 carries U on all 55 of those VINs, whatever the year. U is never used as a model-year code, so the VIN itself does not date a European Nissan. From position 11 on comes the serial number; on a Qashqai J11 it starts with 1 or 2, on a Leaf with 0.
Nissan WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| JN1 | Nissan Motor Co., Japan: cars and, in Europe, SUVs such as the X-Trail T33 and the Ariya. Also used for Infiniti cars |
| JN8 | Nissan Motor Co., Japan: SUVs and MPVs, mostly on US-market cars such as the Rogue, Juke and Armada. Also used for Infiniti SUVs |
| SJN | Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK, Sunderland: Qashqai, Juke, Leaf; until 2010 also the Micra |
| VSK | Nissan Motor Ibérica, Barcelona: Navara D40 and D23, Pulsar C13 |
| VNV | Nissans built by Renault in France: Micra K14 from Flins, Townstar van |
| 1N4 | Nissan North America: cars such as the Altima and US Leaf |
| 1N6 | Nissan North America: trucks such as the Frontier |
| 5N1 | Nissan North America: SUVs such as the Rogue from Smyrna. Also used for Infiniti SUVs |
| 3N1 | Nissan Mexicana: cars such as the Sentra, Versa and Kicks |
| 3N6 | Nissan Mexicana: trucks and vans such as the NV200 |
Each code appears in at least two independent references: NHTSA's vPIC register or the Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt list on one side, Wikibooks' WMI table and real VINs on the other. Infiniti-only prefixes such as JNK, JNR and SJK are left out. JN1, JN8 and 5N1 carry both makes.
Two VIN grammars, three European sources
Which Nissan is in front of you depends less on the badge than on the first three characters. A Qashqai from a German dealer and a Rogue imported from Texas can be the same car underneath, yet their VINs answer different questions. Importing a Nissan from the US? Then the year and plant are in the VIN; for a European one, they are not.
Nissan export format: SJN, VSK, JN1
- Sunderland (SJN) builds the Qashqai, Juke and Leaf. Barcelona (VSK) made the Pulsar until 2018 and the Navara until 2021.
- Position 9 is part of the model code, so amber is normal. Only the T33 X-Trail from Japan passes.
- Position 10 is U, the market letter. The build year has to come from the registration papers.
Built by Renault: VNV
- The Micra K14 was assembled at Renault's Flins plant and starts VNV, as does the Townstar van.
- These VINs follow Renault's layout. All 12 we tested carried a valid check digit.
- Position 10 holds a digit such as 5, 6 or 7. On a 2018 Micra it is not the year.
North America: 1N4, 1N6, 5N1, 3N1, 3N6
- A wrong position 9 is shown red: the US rules make the digit compulsory, and that includes US-spec cars from Japan with JN1 or JN8.
- Position 10 is the model year: M on a 5N1 Rogue means 2021.
- Position 11 names the plant: C Smyrna, N Canton, Y or L Aguascalientes, W Kyushu, M Tochigi.
The U in position 10 is not a year
Generic decoders treat position 10 as the model year. On a European Nissan that guess is worthless: U is not in the year table at all, and we have seen a lookup site date a Juke to 2010 from it. A 2010 Juke and a 2023 Qashqai carry the same U. If a listing gives a year that only comes from the VIN, ask for the registration document.
Green: position 9 computes. Red: a Nissan from the US, Canada or Mexico fails, which should not happen, since federal VIN rules there demand a working position 9. Amber: a European Nissan fails. On an SJN Qashqai or a VSK Navara that is the expected result, because Nissan never used position 9 of those cars as a checksum.
Model year: position 10 on a Nissan
On a US or Mexican Nissan, position 10 carries the model year. L on a 1N4 Altima means 2020, and position 7 decides between 1990 and 2020. A European Nissan has U there, and a VNV Micra a digit that does not match its build year. Buying a Qashqai in Germany? Trust the Erstzulassung date, box B on the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, not any year a website reads from the VIN. British buyers find the first-registration 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 Nissan WMI codes SJN, JN1, VSK and VNV mean?
SJN is Nissan Motor Manufacturing UK in Sunderland, home of the Qashqai, Juke and Leaf. JN1 and JN8 are Nissan Motor Co. in Japan. VSK is Nissan Motor Ibérica in Spain, which built the Navara and the Pulsar. VNV marks a Nissan assembled by Renault in France, such as the Micra K14. 1N4, 1N6 and 5N1 are US plants, 3N1 and 3N6 Mexican ones.
Why does my Qashqai fail the check digit?
Because it never had one. On European Nissans built in Sunderland or Barcelona, position 9 is the last character of the model code, the 1 of J11 or the 2 of J12. Only 4 of the 51 European VINs we tested matched the formula, the rate you would expect by chance. A failed check on such a car is no warning sign. On a 1N4 or 5N1 Nissan from North America it would be.
Where is the VIN on a Nissan?
Stand outside and look down through the windscreen, near the bottom corner on the driver's side. Nissan's identification plate sits on the driver's side door pillar and repeats it, and there is a further marking in the engine bay. On paper, a British V5C carries it with the vehicle details; a German Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I puts it in field E. Do the numbers on car and paper differ? Then walk away.
I imported a Nissan from Japan. Why is there no 17-character VIN?
Cars sold new in Japan carry a frame number instead: the model code, a dash and a serial, such as BNR32-304159 on a Skyline GT-R. It has no check digit and no year code, and this decoder cannot read it. Australia, for example, pads such a number to 17 characters on import, so PV35-400637 becomes 6U90000PV35….
What can't a Nissan VIN tell you?
Seventeen characters leave no room for paint, trim level, extras or a service record. A European Nissan's number goes further and skips the model year and the plant as well. Those answers sit in the registration papers, the service booklet and the dealer's original order.