VIN Decoder · Opel
Opel VIN Decoder: W0L, W0V and VXK Codes
An Astra built in Rüsselsheim today starts its VIN with VXK, a code registered to Stellantis in Poissy, France. Opel's first three characters date the car to its owner rather than its factory: W0L for the General Motors years, W0V from model year 2018, VXK and VXE for the models designed on French platforms. The decoder reads all of them, along with the plant digit at position 11 that Zaragoza, Eisenach and Ellesmere Port kept through the change of owner.
- Opel WMI set: W0L · W0V · VXK · VXE · W04
- Plant codes: 1 · 2 · 4 · 5 · 6 · 7 · 8 · G · B · S · W · Z · J
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode an Opel or Vauxhall VIN
Scope: Opel and Vauxhall W0L / W0V / VXK / VXE, Opel-built Buicks W040 / 17
No Opel VIN contains I, O or Q. The second character of W0L and W0V is the digit zero, not the letter O.
What an Opel VIN tells you
The first three characters identify whoever issued the VIN, not the country where the car was assembled. Germany's Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA) lists W0L under Adam Opel GmbH and W0V under Opel Automobile GmbH, both in Rüsselsheim. VXK sits in the same register under the French Stellantis entity. Model line, body and engine follow in positions 4 to 8. After that come the year in position 10, the plant letter in 11 and a six-character serial at the end.
Vauxhall is no different. A UK Corsa, Astra or Insignia carries the same W0L, W0V or VXK as the Opel sold in Germany, because both brands come out of one engineering organisation and the same factories. Bought a right-hand-drive car that a dealer calls a Vauxhall? Decode it here.
What the WMI really tells you is the era. PSA completed its takeover of Opel and Vauxhall on 1 August 2017, and Opel moved into Stellantis on 16 January 2021. A VIN starting with VXK belongs to a model developed after that switch, such as the Corsa F, the second-generation Mokka or the Astra L.
Opel WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| W0L | Opel and Vauxhall, General Motors era up to model year 2017 — on cars from Rüsselsheim, Eisenach, Zaragoza, Gliwice, Ellesmere Port and the Korean-built Mokka X |
| W0V | Opel Automobile GmbH from model year 2018 — Astra K, Insignia B, Crossland, Grandland, Combo |
| VXK | Opel and Vauxhall cars on Stellantis platforms — Corsa F, Mokka (second generation), Astra L |
| VXE | Opel and Vauxhall vans on Stellantis platforms — Vivaro |
| W04 | Buicks built by Opel for North America — Regal from Rüsselsheim, Cascada from Gliwice |
W0L, W0V and W04 appear in the KBA manufacturer register and in NHTSA's vPIC database; VXK and VXE were checked against the KBA register, VIN references and real Opel and Vauxhall VINs. Plant codes were matched against vPIC decodes and dated production records for each model.
GM-era vs Stellantis-era Opel VINs
Opel's VINs fall into three groups, and the split follows ownership rather than geography. Which one is yours?
Up to model year 2017
- Older layouts such as W0L0SDL… on a Corsa D or W0L0AHM… on a Zafira B usually fail the check-digit test; that is how they were built.
- Newer GM designs — Insignia, Zafira Tourer, Astra K, Mokka X — carry a computed ISO 3779 digit at position 9 even in Europe.
- Plant digits: 1 Rüsselsheim, 2 Bochum (closed December 2014), 4 Zaragoza, 6 Eisenach, 8 Ellesmere Port; letters G for Gliwice and B for GM Korea in Bupyeong.
From model year 2018
- W0V replaced W0L on Opel-built cars from model year 2018, including the GM-developed Astra K and Insignia B.
- A Corsa F or Mokka from model years 2020 to 2023 holds a letter or a non-computing digit at position 9; the 2024 and 2025 VXK and VXE VINs we checked all computed.
- Former Opel plants kept their digits (4 Zaragoza, 1 Rüsselsheim, 7 Luton); French and Spanish Stellantis plants use letters — S Sochaux, W Poissy, Z Sevel Nord, J Vigo.
Opels sold as Buicks
- The Buick Cascada (2016–2019) came from Opel's Gliwice plant, the 2018–2020 Regal from Rüsselsheim.
- These VINs follow US rules, where the check digit in position 9 is compulsory, so a mismatch there is a real warning.
- Planning to import one into Europe? Positions 4 to 8 use GM's North-American coding, not the Opel one.
Opel pitfall: the WMI is not the factory
A VXK Astra L is built in Rüsselsheim, a VXK Corsa F in Zaragoza, a W0L Astra Sports Tourer in Ellesmere Port, and a W0L Mokka X with B at position 11 in South Korea. None of them was made where the WMI points. Read position 11: the decoder flags it whenever the plant country and the WMI country disagree.
Because the check digit was never required on European Opels, a failed calculation on a W0L, W0V or VXK VIN is shown amber. Green means the digit computes. Red only appears where the digit is mandatory — on a VIN made for North America.
Opel model year — position 10
Position 10 holds the model year on every Opel generation, GM or Stellantis. The 30-year cycle never uses I, O, Q, U or Z, nor the digit 0, so an R can mean 1994 or 2024. For W0V, VXK and VXE the earlier reading is impossible: none of those codes was on an Opel before 2017. A W0L car is less clear-cut; there, hold the two candidate years against the first-registration date, which an EU registration certificate shows in field B.
| 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 are the Opel WMI codes?
W0L for Opels and Vauxhalls of the General Motors era, W0V for Opel-built cars from model year 2018, VXK for Stellantis-platform cars such as the Corsa F, Mokka and Astra L, and VXE for the Vivaro van. W04 marks Buicks built by Opel for North America. The Vauxhall badge does not change any of them.
Where do I find the VIN on an Opel?
On many Opels it is stamped into the floor pan in front of the right-hand front seat; lift the flap in the carpet to see it. on a Corsa E, for example, it sits there beneath a protective cover. The identification plate on the door frame repeats it. In the EU it also appears in field E of the registration certificate; in Germany that is the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, and UK owners find it on the V5C logbook.
Why does my European Opel fail the check-digit test?
Because no European rule forces Opel to compute it. Older W0L layouts such as a Corsa D or Zafira B usually fail, and so do VXK cars from model years 2020 to 2023, which put a letter at position 9. Insignia, Astra K and Grandland VINs normally pass. If you are buying a 2022 Corsa F, a K or D at position 9 is expected; on a W0V Insignia, a mismatch is worth a second look at the plate.
Is a VXK Opel a French car?
No. VXK is registered to the French Stellantis entity, but the car can come from anywhere: Corsa F from Zaragoza (plant code 4), Mokka from Poissy (W), Astra L from Rüsselsheim (1). Position 11 tells you the factory.
Can the VIN tell me the exact trim and equipment of my Opel?
Not in full. The 17 characters give model line, body, engine group, model year, plant and serial. Paint, trim level and individual options are held in Opel's production records and are not encoded in the VIN.