VIN Decoder · Tesla
Tesla VIN Decoder: XP7, LRW, 5YJ and 7SA Codes
A Model Y built in Grünheide near Berlin does not start with W. Its VIN opens with XP7, a Dutch code issued to Tesla's European company, and only the B in position 11 says Germany. A Model 3 from Shanghai starts LRW, a Model S from Fremont 5YJ. All three carry a check digit that really computes, and position 7 even shows whether the battery is lithium iron phosphate.
- WMI set: XP7 · LRW · 5YJ · 7SA · 7G2 · SFZ
- Plant codes: 6 codes, two sources each
- Last verified: 8 October 2026
Decode a Tesla VIN
Scope: Tesla XP7 · LRW · 5YJ · 7SA · 7G2 · SFZ0 / 17
A Tesla VIN never contains I, O or Q. The round character in LRW3E7FA… or 5YJ is always a zero or a letter like D, never an O.
What a Tesla VIN actually tells you
Positions 1 to 3 name the Tesla company that issued the number. 5YJ is Tesla, Inc.'s code for Fremont-built cars. 7SA has been used for US-built Model X and Model Y since model year 2022; earlier ones still read 5YJ. 7G2 is the truck code for the Cybertruck and the Semi. LRW belongs to Gigafactory Shanghai, XP7 to Tesla's European company for cars from Grünheide.
Positions 4 to 8 follow the same layout on every Tesla: model (S, 3, X, Y), body and steering side, restraint system, energy type, motor. Position 7 is E for electric, or F for a lithium iron phosphate battery. Position 8 is the drive unit: on a US Model 3, A is single motor, B dual motor, C dual motor Performance. A right-hand-drive Model 3 for the UK has F in position 5 instead of E.
Position 9 computes correctly under ISO 3779 on every Tesla in our sample, whether the car was registered in Sweden, the Netherlands or the UK. After it come the year letter and then the factory letter: F Fremont, A Austin, C Shanghai, B Grünheide. Positions 12 to 17 are the serial number.
Tesla WMI codes
| WMI | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 5YJ | Tesla, Inc., Fremont, California: Model S and Model 3, plus Model X and Model Y up to model year 2021. Also the US-assembled Roadster |
| 7SA | Tesla, Inc., USA: Model X and Model Y from model year 2022, built in Fremont or Austin |
| 7G2 | Tesla, Inc., USA, trucks: Cybertruck from Austin, Semi from Reno, Nevada |
| LRW | Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai, China: Model 3 and Model Y, many of them sold in Europe |
| XP7 | Tesla's European company (a Netherlands code) for Model Y built at Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg in Grünheide |
| SFZ | Tesla Roadster (2008–2012) assembled by Lotus in Hethel, England |
Two sources stand behind every Tesla code here: NHTSA's vPIC register or Tesla's Part 565 filings on one side, an independent VIN reference on the other. LRW and XP7 are not in the US register at all, because neither plant builds cars for the US; real European VINs and two VIN references confirm them instead.
Where your Tesla was built, and what the VIN says about it
A Tesla in a European classified can come from three factories on three continents, and the first three characters tell you which. Looking at a used Model Y in Germany? XP7 means Grünheide, LRW means Shanghai. Every European-market Model S and Model X VIN we checked starts 5YJ and carries F for Fremont.
Grünheide, Germany: XP7
- Model Y only, built since 2022. The WMI is Dutch, the plant letter B is German.
- A UK Model Y from Grünheide reads XP7YH…, the H marking right-hand drive.
- Every XP7 VIN we checked, from 2022 to 2026, carried a valid check digit.
Shanghai, China: LRW
- Model 3 and Model Y, plant letter C in position 11.
- LRW3E7FA… is a Model 3 with an LFP battery: F in position 7, A for single motor.
- European LRW cars use motor letters such as K that do not appear in Tesla's US filing.
Fremont, Austin, Reno: 5YJ, 7SA, 7G2
- Model S and Model X for Europe: 5YJ and plant letter F, with a restraint code in position 6 that Tesla's US filings do not list.
- A US Model Y from model year 2022 starts 7SA; Austin builds carry A in position 11.
- Cybertruck and Semi share the truck code 7G2: A for Austin, N for Reno.
XP7 is not a German code
The decoder will show a Netherlands WMI and a German plant on every Grünheide Model Y. That conflict is correct, not a sign of a forged VIN: XP7 falls in the XL–XR block reserved for the Netherlands, where Tesla's European company is based, while B in position 11 is the plant near Berlin.
Green means position 9 computes. Because Tesla calculates the check digit for every market, a mismatch is red on this page even for a car from Grünheide or Shanghai. In practice that almost always means a mistyped character. Compare the windscreen plate with the door pillar label before you suspect anything else.
Model year: position 10 on a Tesla
Unlike most European makers, Tesla puts a year letter in the tenth character whatever the market: P is 2023, R 2024, T 2026. Position 7 on a Model S, 3, X or Y is always a letter, which puts the code in the 2010–2039 cycle. The model year is not the date of first registration, though: we found Berlin Model Ys listed as 2022 and as 2024 cars that both carry P. Buying in Germany? The Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I dates the car's first registration under B, and the British V5C carries that date as well.
| 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 Tesla WMI codes XP7, LRW, 5YJ and 7SA mean?
XP7 is Tesla's European company, used for Model Y from Grünheide. LRW is Gigafactory Shanghai, which builds Model 3 and Model Y. 5YJ is Tesla, Inc. in Fremont, used for Model S and Model 3 and, until model year 2021, for Model X and Y. 7SA took over the US-built Model X and Y from model year 2022. 7G2 is the truck code, SFZ the Lotus-built Roadster.
Why does my German-built Model Y have a Dutch WMI?
XP7 sits in the XL–XR range assigned to the Netherlands, and it was issued to Tesla's European company. The car was still built in Grünheide: B in position 11 is the Berlin-Brandenburg plant. Check that letter rather than the first character.
Should a European Tesla VIN pass the check digit?
Yes. We ran 24 European-market VINs through the ISO 3779 formula: Model Y from Grünheide, Model 3 from Shanghai, Model S and Model X from Fremont, model years 2016 to 2026. All 24 passed. If yours fails, a character has most likely been misread. If it still fails after a careful check, ask the seller why.
Where is the VIN on a Tesla?
Tesla mounts a VIN plate on the dash below the windscreen, readable from outside on the driver's side. Open the driver's door and the B-pillar shows a printed Tesla label with the same 17 characters. A third copy is punched into the right-hand side of the body, on a Model S into the right front sill. On German papers it is entry E of the Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil I, and a UK V5C shows it among the vehicle details.
Does the VIN show the battery size?
Not on a current Tesla. Position 7 only tells you whether the pack is lithium iron phosphate (F) or another chemistry (E); it gives no kilowatt-hours. Early Model S VINs from 2012 did encode a battery tier in position 8. Paint, wheels, interior and software packages are not in the VIN either.