VIN Decoder · Škoda
Škoda VIN Decoder: TMB Plant and Check Digit
Most VW Group cars treat position 9 loosely. Škoda does not. We ran 115 real VINs from model years 1998 to 2026 through the ISO 3779 formula and 114 passed, so on a Škoda a failing check digit points to a typo, a tampered number or an invented one. Everything starts with TMB, even the newest Superb, which Volkswagen builds in Bratislava.
- WMI set: 1 code, TMB
- Plant codes: 12 characters, two sources each
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a Škoda VIN
Scope: Škoda TMB0 / 17
No Škoda VIN contains I, O or Q. If a character on the windscreen plate looks like an O, it is a zero.
What a Škoda VIN actually tells you
TMB stands for Škoda Auto in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic, and it sits on every European Škoda car from Fabia to Enyaq. Positions 4 to 6 are real descriptors such as JG8, KB7 or JH7, not the ZZZ filler of older VW Group numbers. A 1998 Octavia I we checked, TMBZZZ1U6W2…, still had ZZZ, and its check digit was valid anyway. Positions 7 and 8 are the model code: 1U is the first Octavia, 1Z the second, NE the third, NX the fourth.
Do not confuse that code with Škoda's internal type name. The Superb III is called Typ 3V inside the company, yet its VINs read NP. The Superb IV is Typ 3Y and reads NZ. Kodiaq is NS, Karoq NU, Enyaq NY, Kamiq NW. Searching for a number that matches the type name will find nothing.
Position 9 is Škoda's security digit. According to Škoda, it makes it possible to verify that the VIN is real. Position 10 is the model year, not the production year, in Škoda's own words: a Superb sold as a 2020 car carries M, which means 2021, and 2024 and 2025 Octavias carry R and S. Position 11 is the plant, and the next sections explain why it is more than one letter per factory.
Škoda WMI code
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| TMB | Škoda Auto a.s., Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic: every European Škoda car (Fabia, Scala, Octavia, Superb, Kamiq, Karoq, Kodiaq, Enyaq, Elroq), including the Superb IV built in Bratislava |
TMB is the only code on the page, and it is confirmed twice: by a manufacturer register and by an independent VIN reference. Škoda cars made in India, Russia, China or Ukraine use other prefixes; this page does not cover them.
Where your Škoda was built, and what the VIN says about it
One prefix, three stories. A used Octavia in a UK or German classified can come from either of two Czech factories, and a new Superb may come from Slovakia. Which one is yours? Position 11 answers, though not always in the way you would expect.
Mladá Boleslav: 0 to 4, plus F, Y and Z
- Škoda's own rule: 0 to 4 in position 11 means Mladá Boleslav. Real examples: 0 on an Octavia III, 3 on a Kamiq, 4 on a Fabia I.
- Letters appear on newer models. Every Enyaq we found carries F, Octavia IV cars from 2024 and 2025 carry Y, and the Fabia III carries Z.
- A Mladá Boleslav letter is not an error. If the decoder shows the plant, the character is on our list.
Kvasiny: 5, 6, 7 and 9
- Škoda's rule gives 5 to 9 to Kvasiny. Real examples: 5 on a Karoq, 6 on a Yeti, 7 on a Superb III, 9 on a Superb I or II.
- The 8 is deliberately left unmapped, because the Kodiaq I from Kvasiny carries it, but so do some 2006 Octavia I cars.
- The Karoq was also built in Mladá Boleslav and, in 2018 and 2019, at Volkswagen's Osnabrück plant. It still reads TMB.
Bratislava and the missing North American path
- The Superb IV, built since December 2023 at the Volkswagen plant in Bratislava, still starts with TMB. The prefix says Škoda, Czech Republic, not where the car was assembled.
- We have seen one Superb IV from Bratislava with C in position 11. One VIN is not enough to call C a plant code, so the decoder shows no plant for it.
- Škoda sells no cars in North America, and NHTSA's vPIC lists no Škoda car prefix. There is no US-style variant to expect.
Position 11 is not one letter per factory
Škoda spreads each factory over a range of characters and adds letters for new models, so you cannot learn a short table. The same character can also change meaning over the years: 8 is on Kvasiny-built Kodiaqs today, but also on 2006 Octavias. The decoder therefore shows no plant for 8 instead of guessing. And the TMB prefix never tells you where a car was assembled: a new Superb carries it, yet comes from Bratislava.
Green: position 9 computes. Red: it does not, and on a Škoda that deserves attention: all but one of the 115 real VINs we checked passed, and the one failure came from a UK website page with no UK registration shown. Before suspecting fraud, read the number off the windscreen plate again, one character at a time, and set it against the V5C.
Model year: position 10 on a Škoda
Read position 10 as the model year, not the build date. A Superb sold as a 2020 car carries M, the letter for 2021, because Škoda counts model years. Buying a nearly new Octavia IV? Expect R for 2024 or S for 2025. The 30-year cycle is no worry on a Škoda, since the model code in positions 7 and 8 tells the generations apart. For the actual date of first registration, use the V5C in the UK; expats in Germany read the same date under B on their German registration certificate.
| 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 does the Škoda WMI TMB mean?
TMB is Škoda Auto a.s. in Mladá Boleslav, Czech Republic, and it is the only prefix on European Škoda cars. It covers Fabia, Scala, Octavia, Superb, Kamiq, Karoq, Kodiaq, Enyaq and Elroq, including a Superb IV assembled in Bratislava. No Škoda car has a North American prefix.
Why must the check digit of a Škoda VIN pass?
Škoda calls position 9 a security digit that lets you verify the VIN is real. Of 115 real TMB VINs from 1998 to 2026, 114 computed correctly. Some other VW Group brands put a Z there on European cars, but Škoda does not. A failing result therefore means a typo, a tampered number or one that was made up.
Which plant does position 11 show on my Škoda?
By Škoda's own rule, 0 to 4 is Mladá Boleslav and 5 to 9 is Kvasiny, with letters used in some cases. Every Enyaq we found carries F, a 2024 or 2025 Octavia IV carries Y and a Fabia III carries Z, all Mladá Boleslav. An 8 shows no plant here, because it has meant different things in different years.
My new Superb has a TMB VIN. Was it built in the Czech Republic?
Not necessarily. Since December 2023 the Superb IV has been built by Volkswagen in Bratislava, Slovakia, yet its VIN still starts with TMB. The prefix names the manufacturer, Škoda Auto in the Czech Republic, and not the factory. Check the model code instead: NZ in positions 7 and 8 marks the Superb IV, NP the Superb III.
Where is the VIN on a Škoda?
According to Škoda, on a plate visible from outside under the windscreen at the front left, and stamped on a fixed body part in the engine compartment. It is also in the registration document: field E on the UK V5C and on the German Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I. If the plate and the paperwork disagree, do not buy the car.
What can't a Škoda VIN tell you?
Equipment. Trim, extras and options sit in PR codes, three characters each, on the vehicle data sticker (a VW Group system), never in the 17 characters. Ask the dealer or read that sticker. The VIN also cannot give a build date, only the model year.