Audi A5 VIN Decoder

Decode any Audi A5 VIN free in seconds. Type the 17-character VIN above and pull the generation, model year, body style, engine, plant of origin, and open NHTSA recalls. No account, no credit card, no email gate.

Below: generations and body styles since 2008, WMI and plant codes verified against real production VINs, a position-by-position guide, and where Audi stamps the VIN on an A5, S5, or RS5.

About the Audi A5

The A5 launched for the 2008 model year as a two-door coupe, giving Audi a stylish alternative to the A4 sedan built on the same underlying platform. A Cabriolet joined for 2010, and the nameplate has since gone through a genuine identity change: what started as a coupe-first line became, in its third generation, the direct successor to the A4 sedan and wagon.

Generation	Type code	US years	Body styles	Notes
1st gen	Typ 8T	2008-2017	Coupe, Cabriolet (2010+)	Shares the B8 platform with the A4; no Sportback sold in the US
2nd gen	Typ 8W / F5	2018-2024 (Sportback through 2025)	Coupe, Cabriolet, Sportback (liftback)	Shares the B9 platform with the A4; Sportback outlasted Coupe/Cabriolet by one model year
3rd gen	B10	2026-present	Sedan, Avant	Replaces the outgoing gas A4 nameplate; no coupe or convertible body style

That third-generation jump needs context. In 2023 Audi announced a naming scheme where odd numbers would mark combustion cars and even numbers electric ones, which meant the long-running A4 sedan and Avant wagon would be renamed “A5” to free up “A4” for a future electric model. Audi walked the broader strategy back in February 2025 after dealers and buyers found it confusing, but the already-launched A5 sedan and Avant kept their new name. So a 2026 A5 Sedan is mechanically and historically the A4’s successor, not a continuation of the old coupe. Meanwhile, the previous-generation A5/S5/RS5 Sportback stuck around through the 2025 model year after the Coupe and Cabriolet were dropped for 2025, so there was a brief overlap where two very different “A5” families were both on sale.

The S5 has run alongside the A5 as the sportier six-cylinder trim since the car’s introduction, and the RS5 joined the US lineup for the 2013 model year as the range-topping performance version, originally with a naturally aspirated 4.2L V8 and later with turbocharged V6 power.

Audi A5 WMI codes (positions 1-3)

The first three characters of a VIN form the World Manufacturer Identifier, assigned by SAE on behalf of ISO. These are the WMIs confirmed on real A5-family VINs decoded through NHTSA’s vPIC:

WMI	Country	Vehicle type	Confirmed on
WAU	Germany	A5, S5 (Coupe, Cabriolet, Sportback, Sedan, Avant)	1st gen, 2nd gen, 3rd gen
WUA	Germany	RS5 (Coupe, Sportback)	2nd gen

Every A5-family VIN we decoded carried a German WMI. RS5 models consistently use the WUA prefix associated with Audi Sport, while the standard A5 and S5 use WAU. Treat a VIN that doesn’t start with one of these two as suspect.

How to decode an Audi A5 VIN, position by position

Every A5, S5, and RS5 built for the US since the 2008 model year uses the 17-character ISO 3779 standard.

Positions 1-3: World Manufacturer Identifier

See the WMI table above. Position 1 identifies the assembly country. Every US-market A5 we found traces back to Germany, whether built at Ingolstadt or Neckarsulm.

Positions 4-8: Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)

This is where Audi encodes body style, engine, and restraint data. We decoded real A5, S5, and RS5 VINs across both major generations, and the same pattern seen on the A4 holds here too: there’s no single “engine digit,” the differentiation lives across the full five-character block.

Generation	Positions 4-8	Car / engine	Real VIN decoded
1st gen	LFAFR	A5 Coupe, 2.0T I4	WAULFAFR3EA004937
1st gen	VGAFH	S5 Cabriolet, 3.0L supercharged V6	WAUVGAFH2DN005050
1st gen	CGAFH	S5 Cabriolet, 3.0L supercharged V6	WAUCGAFH1EN005372
1st gen	M2AFH	A5 Cabriolet, 2.0T I4	WAUM2AFH3GN002768
1st gen	C6AFR	RS5 Coupe, 4.2L V8	WUAC6AFRXEA901906
2nd gen	8NAF5	A5 Coupe, 2.0T I4	WAU8NAF58JA032197
2nd gen	P4AF5	S5 Coupe, 3.0L turbo V6	WAUP4AF55JA129906
2nd gen	24GF5	S5 Cabriolet, 3.0L turbo V6	WAU24GF52JN000169
2nd gen	FACF5	A5 Sportback, 2.0T I4	WAUFACF53PA047584
2nd gen	PWAF5	RS5 Coupe, 2.9L twin-turbo V6	WUAPWAF54JA904051
2nd gen	BWCF5	RS5 Sportback, 2.9L twin-turbo V6	WUABWCF56KA900106
3rd gen	4AGF5	A5 Cabriolet (last of 2nd gen), 2.0T I4	WAU4AGF56RN010183
3rd gen	5ACFU	A5 Sedan, 2.0T I4 mild-hybrid	WAU5ACFU4TN018021

Notice the RS5’s VDS block (PWAF5 for Coupe, BWCF5 for Sportback) is entirely different from the A5 and S5 blocks, which lines up with the RS5’s separate WUA WMI. Within the standard A5 and S5, body style and engine both shift the block: a 2nd-gen A5 Coupe reads 8NAF5, the mechanically related S5 Coupe reads P4AF5, and the Sportback reads FACF5. A decoder reads the full five-character VDS against Audi’s build data rather than isolating one digit as “the engine code.”

US engines by generation: 1st gen ran a 3.2L FSI V6 at launch, replaced by the 2.0T TFSI I4 as the sole gas engine from 2010 on, with the S5 on a 4.2L V8 through 2012 and a supercharged 3.0L V6 from 2013; the RS5 used a naturally aspirated 4.2L V8. 2nd gen standardized the A5 on a 2.0T TFSI I4, moved the S5 to a turbocharged 3.0L V6, and gave the RS5 a twin-turbo 2.9L V6. The 3rd-gen A5 sedan and Avant use a 2.0L TFSI I4 with 48-volt mild-hybrid assist; Audi has confirmed S5 and RS5 sedan and Avant versions for this generation as well, the RS5 moving to a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Europe has also sold 2.0 and 3.0 TDI diesel A5 and S5 variants across both older generations; none of those diesel VINs were part of the US-market data set used here, since a US A5 has never been sold with a diesel engine.

Position 9: Check digit

Calculated from the other 16 characters using fixed weighting and modulo-11 math, the check digit catches typos. Every VIN used in this guide decoded clean; a single mistyped character anywhere breaks the math, and any compliant decoder, DMV, or insurer will reject it.

Position 10: Model year

The 10th character maps to model year on a repeating 30-year cycle shared industry-wide. For an A5 built since 2007, here’s how to read it:

Char	Year	Char	Year	Char	Year
7	2007	H	2017	S	2025
8	2008	J	2018	T	2026
9	2009	K	2019
A	2010	L	2020
B	2011	M	2021
C	2012	N	2022
D	2013	P	2023
E	2014	R	2024
F	2015
G	2016

The letters I, O, and Q are never used, since they’re easy to confuse with 1 and 0. Because the cycle repeats every 30 years, a “T” could mean 1996 or 2026; no A5 existed in 1996 (the nameplate launched for 2008), so context settles which cycle applies.

Position 11: Assembly plant

A single character narrows the VIN to a specific factory. This is one of the clearest splits in the whole VIN, and it tracks body style closely:

Char	Plant	Confirmed on
A	Ingolstadt, Germany	1st- and 2nd-gen Coupe and Sportback; RS5 Coupe and Sportback
N	Neckarsulm, Germany	1st- and 2nd-gen Cabriolet; 3rd-gen Sedan and Avant

Every Coupe and Sportback VIN we decoded, across both older generations, came from Ingolstadt, matching Audi’s own production statements. Every Cabriolet we decoded, from a 2013 S5 Cabriolet to a 2016 A5 Cabriolet, came from Neckarsulm instead. When Audi moved the nameplate to the sedan/Avant body style for the 3rd generation, full production shifted to Neckarsulm as well, so a modern A5 Sedan and an old A5 Cabriolet actually share a plant code despite being very different cars.

Positions 12-17: Serial number

The final six characters are the production sequence stamped on your specific A5, S5, or RS5 as it left the line, making the full 17-character string unique to that one car.

Where to find the VIN on an Audi A5

• Lower-left corner of the windshield, visible from outside the car
• Driver’s side door jamb (Audi data sticker with VIN, paint code, and equipment codes)
• Stamped on the engine bay firewall/bulkhead
• Vehicle title, registration, and (for European buyers) the Certificate of Conformity

The windshield and door jamb are fastest to check on a lot. The firewall stamp, physically tied to the body shell, is the one to check if you suspect the other labels were swapped.

Check recalls and safety information

Once you’ve decoded the VIN above, cross-reference it against open safety campaigns. The A5 has been part of several notable Takata airbag inflator recalls affecting Audi’s B8- and B9-era lineup, along with a coolant pump fire-risk campaign shared with the A4, A6, and Q5 from the same production years.

To check your specific car: decode the VIN with the tool above to confirm the exact model, generation, and year, then search it directly on NHTSA’s recall database or Audi’s own recall lookup, and contact an Audi service center for any open campaign. Recall repairs are free regardless of vehicle age, mileage, or ownership history.

Frequently asked questions

How do I decode an Audi A5 VIN?

Type the 17-character VIN from the windshield, door jamb, or title into the decoder above. Results return in seconds: generation, model year, body style, engine, plant, and open NHTSA recalls. No sign-up required.

How do I tell a Coupe, Cabriolet, and Sportback apart from the VIN?

The VIN doesn’t spell out “Coupe” or “Cabriolet” as a word, but the plant character at position 11 is a strong clue: N almost always means Cabriolet, since every convertible A5 or S5 we decoded came from Neckarsulm, while A covers Coupe and Sportback, both built at Ingolstadt. The full VDS block at positions 4-8, read against Audi’s build data, is what actually distinguishes Coupe from Sportback, since both share the Ingolstadt plant code.

Is the new Audi A5 Sedan the same car as the old A5 Coupe?

No. The A5 Sedan and Avant that launched for the 2026 model year are the renamed successor to the Audi A4, built on a new platform in Neckarsulm. Audi briefly used an odd-number-for-combustion naming scheme that turned the A4 into the A5; it reversed that broader strategy in 2025 but kept the new A5 sedan’s name. The older coupe-based A5 family (Coupe, Cabriolet, Sportback) is a mechanically distinct line that ran from 2008 through the 2025 model year.

Where is the VIN on an Audi A5?

The lower-left corner of the windshield (readable from outside) and the driver-side door jamb sticker, both required by federal labeling regulation. The engine bay firewall carries a physical stamp that should match both.

What does an A5 VIN starting with WUA mean?

WUA is the WMI Audi Sport uses for the RS5, the performance flagship of the lineup. A standard A5 or S5 carries WAU instead. Both are built in Germany; the different WMI reflects the performance sub-brand, not a different country of assembly.

Is the Audi A5 VIN decoder really free?

Yes, with no sign-up, covering everything the factory stamped into the VIN. A full vehicle history report, covering accidents, odometer readings, and prior ownership, is an optional paid upgrade. Our guide on VIN decoder vs. vehicle history report explains the difference.

Can an Audi A5 VIN be faked?

The 17 characters can be retyped on a counterfeit plate, but the check digit catches most single-character changes through math, and the firewall stamp is physically tied to the original car. If the windshield and door-jamb VINs match but the firewall stamp doesn’t, treat the car as suspect. Our guide how to check if a car is stolen by VIN covers next steps.

Decode any Audi A5 VIN free

Type your 17-character A5, S5, or RS5 VIN into the decoder above for an instant breakdown. To go deeper:

• Audi VIN decoder hub for the brand-wide guide
• Audi A4 VIN decoder for the platform-mate this generation of A5 replaced
• How to read a VIN number for the general standard
• What every character in a VIN means for a position-by-position reference
• Classic car VIN decoder (pre-1981) for pre-standard chassis numbers
• VIN decoder vs. vehicle history report for what a decode covers vs. what it doesn’t
• How the VIN check digit works for verifying a VIN was not mistyped or altered
• VIN formats by country and manufacturer for what the first three characters tell you