The ISO standard vehicle identification number (VIN) was introduced for the Porsche model year 1981.
VINs consist of 17 characters and for Porsche can be decoded as follows:-
| Position | Explanation | North America notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | W = German based manufacturer. | ||
| 2 | P = Porsche. | ||
| 3 | 0 (zero) = Passenger car (applies to all except Cayenne and Macan) or 1 = SUV (applies to Cayenne and Macan). | ||
| 4 | for RoW = Z (filler) | chassis.[1] | |
| 5 | for RoW = Z (filler) | engine(0 = none, 2 = at least 2). | |
| 6 | for RoW = Z (filler) | restraint system. | |
| 7 | First character of model type (read positions 7,8 and 12 together). | ||
| 8 | Second character of model type (read positions 7,8 and 12 together). | ||
| 9 | For RoW = Z (filler) | Calculated checkdigit. | |
| 10 | Year code. | ||
| 11 | Factory code. | ||
| 12 | Third character of model type (read positions 7,8 and 12 together). | ||
| 13 | Body configuration code or leading digit of serial number. | ||
| 14 | First digit of serial number. | ||
| 15 | Second digit of serial number. | ||
| 16 | Third digit of serial number. | ||
| 17 | Fourth digit of serial number. | ||
VIN has been implemented differently in two regions, they consist of the following countries:-
USA etc. = USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Switzerland.
RoW = Rest of world. (i.e. everywhere except USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Switzerland.)
Vehicle Specification for "USA etc" is a 3 character code giving details of the body type, engine, seatbelts and airbags fitted.
(More info needed.)
On 2010+ North America market vehicles, the first digit will be 'A' instead of '9'
More properly described as 'Model year'. While the code may indicate a particular year it may well be the 'model year' which could be the subsequent year, for instance a 1994 registered vehicle may well be a model year 1995 on the VIN/chassis number.
| Code | Year | --- | Code | Year | --- | Code | Year | --- | Code | Year | --- | Code | Year | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L | 1990 | Y | 2000 | A | 2010 | L | 2020 | |||||||
| B | 1981 | M | 1991 | 1 | 2001 | B | 2011 | M | 2021 | |||||
| C | 1982 | N | 1992 | 2 | 2002 | C | 2012 | N | 2022 | |||||
| D | 1983 | P | 1993 | 3 | 2003 | D | 2013 | P | 2023 | |||||
| E | 1984 | R | 1994 | 4 | 2004 | E | 2014 | R | 2024 | |||||
| F | 1985 | S | 1995 | 5 | 2005 | F | 2015 | S | 2025 | |||||
| G | 1986 | T | 1996 | 6 | 2006 | G | 2016 | T | 2026 | |||||
| H | 1987 | V | 1997 | 7 | 2007 | H | 2017 | V | 2027 | |||||
| J | 1988 | W | 1998 | 8 | 2008 | J | 2018 | W | 2028 | |||||
| K | 1989 | X | 1999 | 9 | 2009 | K | 2019 | X | 2029 |
| Code | Factory | Notes | Models produced | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S | (Stuttgart) Zuffenhausen - Germany | Includes occasional production from Weissach. | All 911s. Minority of 986 Boxsters, 987 Boxster/Cayman and 981 Boxster. 549 of the 1991 944s,[2] as well as all 924 Carrera GTS/GTR.[3] Majority of 968s. All Taycans. | |
| N | Neckarsulm - Germany. | Audi factory | Majority of 924 and 944s. Minority of 1992 968s. | |
| L | Leipzig - Germany. | All Cayenne, Panamera and Carrera GT. | ||
| U | Uusikaupunki - Finland. | Valmet Automotive factory. | Majority of 986 Boxsters and 987 Boxster/Cayman. | |
| K | Osnabrück - Germany. | VW factory, ex-Karmann, hence the "K" | All 981 Caymans. Majority of 981 Boxsters. | |
| D | Bratislava - Slovakia. | VW factory | Cayennes |
A leading "0" usually means standard coupé, for the RoW markets. For the 944 and 968, US cars are usually identified by a leading "5". 944 convertibles have a leading "3" (RoW) or "8" (US). Sometimes this model code extends into the 14th digit, such as for the 968 CS which had chassis numbers beginning with "15".[4]
WP0ZZZ94ZFN40**** a 944.
WP0ZZZ98Z7U770439**** a Cayman'
WP0ZZZ92ZGN40**** a 924S.
WP1ZZZ9PZ8LA7**** a Cayenne.
WP0ZZZ96ZRS81**** a 968.
WP0ZZZ99Z5S73**** a 911.
WP0ZZZ97ZAL08**** a Panamera.
WP0ZZZ98Z4L00**** a Carrera GT.
WP0ZZZ98Z8U72**** a Boxster S.
WP0ZZZ99Z5S76**** a 911 C2S Convertible.
WP0ZZZ99Z2S64**** a 911 C4 convertible.
WP1AF2A51FLB9**** a Macan Turbo
WPOZZZ95ZJS90**** a 959
WP1ZZZ9YZLDA3**** a Cayenne E-hybrid
WP0ZZZ99ZKS12**** a Targa 4 GTS
WP0AA2Y18NSA1**** a 2022 Taycan sedan, RWD, for North America
Most of the information summarised here was first published in articles by Chris Horton in the December 2010 and January 2011 editions of Porsche Post (Magazine of the Porsche Club Great Britain), additional information was first posted on 968uk.com in November 2004.