How Old Is My Car? Model Year vs Build Date and VIN Decoded

A car has two ages that people mix up: the model year the maker designated and the month and year it was actually built. Federal rules give you a way to read each one, and the VIN year code can point to the wrong decade if you do not check one extra character. This guide shows how to read both dates, how to turn them into an age in years, and how that age compares with the average vehicle on US roads.

How Old Is My Car? Model Year vs. Build Date

The federal VIN rule, 49 CFR Part 565, defines model year as the year used to designate a discrete vehicle model, irrespective of the calendar year in which the vehicle was actually produced, provided that the production period does not exceed 24 months. In other words, the model year is a label chosen by the manufacturer, and the build date is a separate fact.

The build date is stated on the certification label. Under 49 CFR Part 567, the label must show the month and year of manufacture, which the rule describes as the time during which work was completed at the place of main assembly of the vehicle. The rule allows it to be spelled out, such as “June 2000”, or written in numerals, such as “6/00”.

Date	Where to find it	What it tells you	Rule
Model year	VIN, 10th character (with the 7th character)	The year the manufacturer designated for the model	49 CFR 565.15
Month and year of manufacture	Certification label next to the driver’s seating position	When work at the place of main assembly was completed	49 CFR 567.4
Tire date code	Tire identification number (TIN)	The week and year that tire was made, not the car	49 CFR 574.5

How to Calculate a Car’s Age in Years

The sources above define dates, not an age formula, so the age math below is plain arithmetic. This guide counts age as the current year minus the model year, using 2026 as the current year. Counting from the build month on the label instead can give a different answer, because a model year does not have to match the calendar year of production.

Model year	Year counted	Age in years (arithmetic)
2023	2026	3
2020	2025	5
2007	2026	19
2005	2025	20
1989	2026	37

The rows show common cases, such as a 2020 car counted in 2025 or a 2007 car counted in 2026. For a month-level answer, take the label date: a label reading 6/00 means June 2000, so by arithmetic it was about 26 years and 4 months old in October 2026.

Find the Model Year From the VIN

49 CFR Part 565 says the first character of the fourth section of the VIN represents the vehicle model year, and the fourth section occupies positions 10 through 17. So the model year is the 10th character of the 17-character VIN. Each VIN character must be a letter from the set ABCDEFGHJKLMNPRSTUVWXYZ, which leaves out I, O and Q, or a numeral.

For passenger cars, multipurpose passenger vehicles, low speed vehicles and trucks of 4536 kg (10,000 lb) or less GVWR, the VIN has to be located inside the passenger compartment, readable through the glazing from outside the vehicle adjacent to the left windshield pillar, with characters at least 4 mm high. The rule requires it to be readable without moving any part of the vehicle, in daylight, by an observer with 20/20 vision.

NHTSA’s VIN decoder, which the agency describes as a way to query a vehicle’s VIN to identify specific information encoded in the number, offers a quick cross-check. NHTSA adds that the information it displays is reported by the manufacturer and that more information may be available on a label affixed to the vehicle.

Why the 10th Character Alone Can Mislead

The year codes run through 30 years and then start over. The tables in 49 CFR 565.15 list A for 1980 and A again for 2010, B for 1981 and 2011, and so on. The rule resolves this for passenger cars and for multipurpose passenger vehicles and trucks of 10,000 lb GVWR or less: if position 7 is numeric, the model year in position 10 refers to a year in the range 1980-2009, and if position 7 is alphabetic, it refers to 2010-2039.

10th character	Model year if 7th is a number	Model year if 7th is a letter
A	1980	2010
B	1981	2011
C	1982	2012
D	1983	2013
E	1984	2014
F	1985	2015
G	1986	2016
H	1987	2017
J	1988	2018
K	1989	2019
L	1990	2020
M	1991	2021
N	1992	2022
P	1993	2023
R	1994	2024
S	1995	2025
T	1996	2026
V	1997	2027
W	1998	2028
X	1999	2029
Y	2000	2030
1	2001	2031
2	2002	2032
3	2003	2033
4	2004	2034
5	2005	2035
6	2006	2036
7	2007	2037
8	2008	2038
9	2009	2039

Worked example from the table: a 10th character of L with a numeric 7th position means 1990, while the same L with a letter in the 7th position means 2020. The rule’s note names only those weight classes, so it does not state the 7th-character test for other vehicles.

Read the Certification Label for the Build Date

49 CFR Part 567 says the label goes on the hinge pillar, door-latch post, or the door edge that meets the door-latch post, next to the driver’s seating position. If none of those locations is practicable, it goes on the left side of the instrument panel, and if that is also not practicable, on the inward-facing surface of the door next to the driver’s seating position.

The statements listed for the label include the manufacturer name, the month and year of manufacture, the gross vehicle weight rating, gross axle weight ratings, a statement of conformity with federal standards in effect on the date of manufacture shown, and the vehicle identification number. The conformity wording is tied to that date: for passenger cars it reads that the vehicle conforms to all applicable standards in effect on the date of manufacture shown above.

The rule also says the label must be riveted or permanently affixed so it cannot be removed without destroying or defacing it.

The Tire Date Code Is Not Your Car’s Age

Tires carry their own date. 49 CFR Part 574 requires a tire identification number whose final group is a four-digit date code identifying the week and year of manufacture. The first two digits are the week and the last two are the last two digits of the year, and the rule’s own example is that 0109 means the first full calendar week of 2009. That date describes the tire only, so it cannot tell you the age of the car it is mounted on.

How Old Is the Average Car on US Roads?

S&P Global Mobility reported on May 27, 2025 that the average age of vehicles in the US reached 12.8 years in 2025. The same analysis put passenger cars at 14.5 years in service and light trucks at 11.9 years, with 289 million light vehicles in operation and a relatively stable 4.5 percent scrappage rate.

Group (S&P Global Mobility, 2025)	Average age in years
All vehicles in the US	12.8
Passenger cars	14.5
Light trucks	11.9
Traditional hybrids	6.4
Plug-in hybrids	4.9
Battery electric vehicles	3.7

Using the table and arithmetic only: a 2020 model counted in 2025 is 5 years old, which is 7.8 years younger than the 12.8-year average. S&P also notes that as vehicles reach the six- to 14-year window they require more frequent maintenance, repairs and parts replacements.

Related Guides

Other pages on this site cover neighboring questions: when new model year cars come out, when the car was made, how many cars are made each year, how to check your VIN for recalls, checking a car title and how to find your engine size.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Can I Tell the Age of My Car?

Read the model year from the 10th character of the 17-character VIN, using the 7th character to pick the right 30-year range, and read the month and year of manufacture from the certification label next to the driver’s seating position. Then subtract the model year from the current year (simple arithmetic) for the age in years.

How Do I Find My Car’s Model Year?

49 CFR 565.15 says the first character of the fourth VIN section, which is position 10, represents the model year. For passenger cars and for trucks and multipurpose vehicles of 10,000 lb GVWR or less, a letter in position 7 means the year falls in 2010-2039 and a number means 1980-2009. NHTSA’s VIN decoder also lets you enter a VIN to identify information encoded in the number.

Why Does the 10th VIN Character Give the Wrong Year?

It is not wrong, only incomplete. The same code appears in two year ranges 30 years apart, for example L for 1990 and for 2020. The 7th position tells you which range applies for passenger cars and for trucks and multipurpose vehicles of 10,000 lb GVWR or less.

Is the Model Year the Year the Car Was Built?

Not always. 49 CFR 565.12 defines model year as the year used to designate a discrete vehicle model, irrespective of the calendar year in which the vehicle was actually produced, provided the production period does not exceed 24 months. The certification label states the month and year of manufacture.

How Old Is the Average Car in the United States?

S&P Global Mobility reported in May 2025 that the average age of vehicles in the US reached 12.8 years in 2025, with passenger cars averaging 14.5 years and light trucks 11.9 years.

What This Guide Does Not Cover

• Titles and registration records, which differ by state; ask your state motor vehicle agency.
• Value, depreciation and lifespan; these depend on the individual car and are not covered here.
• Vehicles built before the VIN formats described in 49 CFR Part 565, and heavier vehicles outside the 7th-character rule; ask the manufacturer.

Conclusion

The model year sits in the 10th character of the VIN, the 7th character tells you which 30-year range to use, and the certification label near the driver’s seat gives the month and year of manufacture. Subtract the model year from the current year for an age in years, and keep the tire date code separate from the car.