VIN Decoder · Renault
Renault VIN Decoder: VF1 and VYS Codes Explained
VF1 does not mean built in France. A Clio V from Bursa, a Twingo from Novo Mesto, a Captur from Valladolid, an Austral from Palencia and an Arkana from Busan all start VF1. Positions 10 to 17 are not year and plant either, just one running 8-digit number. So how do you read a Renault VIN? Start with position 9, whose meaning changed with the model line.
- WMI set: 2 codes, VF1 and VYS
- Plant codes: none: position 11 is a serial digit
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a Renault VIN
Scope: Renault VF1 · VYS (including Renault-built Mitsubishi and the Alpine A290)0 / 17
No Renault VIN contains I, O or Q. A character that looks like an O in the running number is a zero.
What a Renault VIN actually tells you
VF1 is Renault, whichever factory built the car. A Clio V from Bursa in Turkey, a Twingo from Novo Mesto in Slovenia, a Captur from Valladolid and a Kadjar or Austral from Palencia in Spain all carry it. So does the Arkana from Busan in South Korea. VYS is the second code, used for the electric cars made by Ampere: the Renault 5 E-Tech from Douai, the Renault 4 E-Tech and the Alpine A290.
Positions 4 to 6 give the model. On current cars the code is an R plus the last two characters of Renault's internal one: RJA for the Clio V, RJB for the Captur II, RJL for the Arkana, RHN for the Austral. Positions 7 and 8 read 00, and position 9 holds a working check digit. We tested 89 real VINs from 2016 to 2025 across 14 model lines, and all 89 passed. A VIN such as VF1RJA00771…, a 2023 Clio, is typical.
Older cars are built differently. On a Clio III or IV, Mégane III, Scénic III or a Master up to 2015, positions 4 to 8 are model and version, and position 9 is a letter or digit that does not compute: only 1 of 24 passed, which is chance. The change came model by model, not on one date. The Mégane IV switched in 2016, the Master in 2017, and the Clio IV never did. Positions 10 to 17 carry no year and no plant, just a running number. The 2023 Clio, Trafic, Kangoo, Austral and Twingo all sit in the 7xxxxxxx range.
Renault WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| VF1 | Renault, all plants: France, Turkey, Slovenia, Spain, South Korea. Also on Renault-built Mitsubishi ASX and Colt |
| VYS | Renault and Alpine electric cars made by Ampere: Renault 5 E-Tech, Renault 4 E-Tech, Alpine A290 |
Each code has two sources: an official maker register plus a separate VIN database. Dacia's UU1 and the codes NM1, KNM, VS5 and VN1 are left out on purpose: we found no Renault-badged European car that carries them.
Where your Renault was built, and what the VIN says about it
Renault has one code for Europe, and that is the trap: the VIN cannot tell you the factory. Buying a Clio V in Manchester and wondering whether it came from France? Position 11 will not say, because on these cars it is a digit of the build number. Bursa Clios show 9, 6, 5 and 1 there, Novo Mesto Twingos 7, 0, 2, 9 and more.
Current format: Clio V, Captur II, Austral, Zoe, Twingo III, R5
- Positions 7 and 8 are 00 and position 9 is a working check digit: 89 of 89 real VINs passed.
- Positions 10 to 17 are one running 8-digit number, not a year and not a plant.
- A mismatch here is red: on this format it points to a mistyped character.
Older format: Clio III and IV, Mégane III, Scénic III, early Master
- Positions 4 and 5 are the model, 6 to 8 the version, and position 9 often shows a letter such as H, A, D or E.
- The check digit does not compute (1 of 24 passed), so amber is normal. A Clio IV in 2018 still used this format: VF17RB20A58….
- The running number still ends at position 17. Do not read a year from position 10.
The Arkana from Busan
- Positions 10 and 11 are the letters U and C, then a 6-digit serial: VF1RJL00XUC….
- All 9 Arkanas we checked read this way, and so did a 2023 Koleos.
- Not every Koleos does: the 2018 and 2021 ones we saw use the plain 8-digit form.
Position 10 is not a model year, position 11 is not a plant
Generic decoders read position 10 as the year and position 11 as a plant such as Douai, Flins or Maubeuge. On a European Renault both are digits of the build number. A 2023 Clio V with VF1RJA00469… is read as 2006 by many tools, and 2023 to 2025 cars as 2007. For the year, use field B of the registration document.
Green: position 9 computes. Red: a current-format Renault that fails, because on that format all 89 real VINs passed. Amber: the older format, where a failing check digit is the normal case and says nothing about the car.
Model year: not in a Renault VIN
Position 10 shows 6 on 2019 to 2022 cars and 7 on 2022 to 2025 cars, which is a running-number digit and no year code. Three Clio V from 2020, 2021 and 2023 all show 6. Checking a used Clio IV on the V5C? Field B gives the date of first registration. An expat in Germany with a Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I finds it in the same field. The 30-year cycle does not apply here: the decoder shows the year as not in the VIN.
| 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 Renault WMI codes VF1 and VYS mean?
VF1 is Renault, used at every plant: France, Turkey, Slovenia, Spain and South Korea. VYS is used for electric cars made by Ampere: the Renault 5 E-Tech from Douai, the Renault 4 E-Tech and the Alpine A290. The Mitsubishi ASX and Colt that Renault builds also start VF1.
My Clio V's VIN starts with VF1. Was it built in France?
Not necessarily. A Clio V from Bursa in Turkey starts VF1, and so does a Twingo from Novo Mesto in Slovenia. The VIN holds neither the plant nor the year, so it cannot settle the question. Ask the seller for the registration document and the build documentation instead.
Should a Renault VIN pass the check digit?
A current-format one should: all 89 real VINs from 2016 to 2025 passed, across 14 model lines. Older Clio IV, Mégane III and Scénic III numbers do not compute (1 of 24), and they often show a letter in position 9. There amber is normal, and a failure alone proves nothing.
Where is the VIN on a Renault?
On recent models it is visible at the bottom of the windscreen on the driver's side. It also sits on the manufacturer's plate under the bonnet, with the type code and paint code on it, and is stamped into the body under the passenger seat. In a UK V5C look under vehicle details; in a German Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, at field E.
Why does an Arkana VIN have U and C in it?
The Arkana is built in Busan, South Korea, and its VIN reads differently: positions 10 and 11 are U and C, followed by a 6-digit serial, for instance VF1RJL00XUC…. All 9 Arkanas we checked looked like this, and a 2023 Koleos did too.
What can't a Renault VIN tell you?
Trim, options and paint are absent, and the model year and plant are too. The paint code is on the plate under the bonnet. Note too that the Mercedes Citan, built by Renault in Maubeuge, carries a Mercedes VIN, and Renault-built Nissans such as the Micra and Townstar start VNV. Neither is decoded as a Renault.