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How to Check Your Car’s Manufacturing Year

Find your car’s real manufacturing date using the VIN. This helps you determine warranty validity, fair pricing and insurance premiums based on vehicle age.

  • 14 May 2025
  • 3 min read
  • 10 views

Knowing a car's real manufacturing date—especially a used one—is important when buying a car. Dealers sometimes mislead vehicle age; even new car shops have been known to pass off previous-year models as current ones. Fortunately, you can check this information by learning to read a car's Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Let’s explore how to check car manufacturing date.

Steps on how to check car manufacturing date

Different makers place the date code in various spots within the VIN. Here's how to check manufacture date of car for famous car brands in India:

  • Hyundai: The VIN's 10th letter shows the production year, while the 19th letter shows the month.
  • Mahindra: The 10th letter codes the year, while the 12th letter codes the month.
  • Maruti Suzuki: The company's VIN uses the 10th letter to show the producing year and the 11th letter to tell the month.
  • Tata: Tata cars use the 10th letter of the alphabet to code the producing year and the 12th letter to represent the month.

Understanding the Codes

Here’s the table to understand the month and year codes:


Month Table:

Month Codes

Month

A

January

B

February

C

March

D

April

E

May

F

June

G

July

H

August

I

September

J

October

K

November

L

December

Year Table:

Year Codes

Year

A

2010

B

2011

C

2012

D

2013

E

2014

F

2015

G

2016

H

2017

J

2018

K

2019

L

2020

M

2021

N

2022

P

2023

R

2024

S

2025

T

2026

U

2027

V

2028

W

2028

X

2029

Y

2030

FAQs

Why is knowing the creation date of a car important?

It helps ensure you pay a fair price, get the proper guarantee coverage and understand possible loss correctly.

Can I check a car's creation date online?

Some government transport services allow VIN checks, but actual proof is often more accurate.

Conclusion

By taking a few minutes to check and interpret the VIN, you can protect yourself from misinformation and ensure you know exactly what you're getting. When buying car insurance, the production date is crucial in setting your rates and benefits. Insurers calculate rates based partly on the vehicle's age, with newer vehicles generally getting higher complete insurance prices due to their higher value. For third party car insurance, the making year helps decide the appropriate price slab as per insurance regulatory rules.






Disclaimer: The information provided in this blog is for educational and informational purposes only. It may contain outdated data and information regarding the Insurance industry and products. It is advised to verify the currency and relevance of the data and information before taking any major steps. ICICI Lombard is not liable for any inaccuracies or consequences resulting from the use of this outdated information.

References:

https://www.mycarhelpline.com/index.php?option=com_easyblog&view=entry&id=38&Itemid=91

https://www.carandbike.com/news/identify-manufacturing-date-of-a-car-in-india-in-simple-steps-2952005

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