Decode any Daihatsu VIN free in seconds. Enter the 17-character vehicle identification number from your Daihatsu into the decoder above and get the model, year, engine family, trim, factory options, plant code, and recall status — instantly, with no sign-up and no credit card.

This page is the Daihatsu VIN hub. Below you’ll find Daihatsu-specific WMI codes, the brand’s plant codes, a position-by-position guide to reading a Daihatsu VIN, where to find the VIN on your Daihatsu, and direct links to the Daihatsu VIN decoders for individual models.

About Daihatsu

Daihatsu Motor Company is Japan’s oldest carmaker, founded in 1907 as Hatsudoki Seizo. The company specialised early in small-displacement engines and kei cars — Japan’s lightweight 660cc class — and has been a majority subsidiary of Toyota since 1998 (fully merged in 2016). Daihatsu builds the Mira, Move, Tanto, and Copen kei cars for Japan, and the Terios, Xenia, and Rocky for Southeast Asian and emerging-market customers.

Daihatsu withdrew from the European market in 2013 and never operated as a standalone brand in North America. Most Daihatsu VINs you’ll encounter outside Japan are on grey-import kei cars in Australia, the UK, and Canada. Every Japanese-built Daihatsu VIN starts with J. The model lineup overlaps significantly with the Toyota Pixis, Toyota Roomy, and Subaru Pleo — these are rebadged Daihatsus.

Daihatsu WMI codes (positions 1–3)

The first three characters of your VIN — the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) — tell you who built the vehicle and where. The WMI is assigned by SAE International on behalf of ISO. Here are the WMIs you’ll encounter on Daihatsu vehicles:

If your Daihatsu VIN begins with any of the codes above, it’s a genuine Daihatsu. A Daihatsu VIN starting with an unlisted WMI may indicate a rebadge, a regional partner build, or a counterfeit — decode the full VIN with the tool above to confirm.

How to read a Daihatsu VIN — position by position

Every Daihatsu VIN built since 1981 uses the ISO 3779 17-character standard. The 17 characters split into three blocks:

Here is what each position means specifically on a Daihatsu:

Positions 1–3: World Manufacturer Identifier

See the WMI table above. The country code at position 1 tells you where the vehicle was assembled — not where Daihatsu is headquartered. A Daihatsu assembled outside Japan (Ikeda, Kyoto, Oita) carries the country code of the assembly plant.

Positions 4–8: Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)

Daihatsu VDS positions encode the model family (L = Mira / Move / Tanto, J = Hijet, B = Boon / Sirion). Position 8 commonly identifies the engine — KF for the 660cc turbo three-cylinder kei engine, NR for the 1.3 / 1.5 small-car engines shared with Toyota.

Position 9: Check digit

The check digit is the most important single character in any VIN. It is calculated from the other 16 characters using a fixed weighting table and modulo-11 math. If even one character of a Daihatsu VIN is mistyped, the check digit will not match — and any compliant decoder, DMV, or insurance system will flag the VIN as invalid.

Position 10: Model year

The 10th character maps to a model year on a 30-year cycle. Skim the chart below to translate yours:

The letters I, O, and Q are never used in any VIN — including Daihatsu — because they look too similar to the digits 1 and 0.

Position 11: Assembly plant

The single character at position 11 identifies the specific factory. I = Ikeda (Osaka), K = Kyoto, O = Oita-Nakatsu.

Positions 12–17: Serial number

The final six characters are the production sequence number stamped on your specific Daihatsu as it rolled off the line. Combined with the previous 11 characters, this makes every Daihatsu VIN globally unique.

Where to find the VIN on a Daihatsu

You can find your Daihatsu VIN in several places. The lower-left windshield and the door jamb are the easiest to read; the others are useful when one of those labels has been damaged or replaced.

• Lower-left windshield (Japanese-domestic-market labelling)
• Driver-side door jamb (chassis number plate)
• Stamped on the engine bay bulkhead or front cross-member
• Japanese shaken (inspection) and registration documents

If your Daihatsu is older and built before 1981, the chassis number is shorter than 17 characters and follows a Daihatsu-specific format. For pre-1981 vehicles, use our classic car VIN decoder guide.

Check Daihatsu recalls and safety information

Open and historic recalls on Daihatsu vehicles are tracked by national transport authorities. The fastest way to check a specific Daihatsu:

1. Decode the VIN with the tool above to confirm the model and model year
2. Cross-reference the 17-character VIN with the Japan MLIT recall database
3. Review any open safety actions and contact your nearest Daihatsu authorised service centre for free repair

Recalls are repaired free of charge by the manufacturer regardless of vehicle age or ownership history.

Frequently asked questions

How do I decode my Daihatsu VIN?

Type the 17-character VIN from your Daihatsu’s windshield, driver-side door jamb, or vehicle title into the decoder at the top of this page. Results return in seconds and include make, model, model year, body style, engine family, transmission, plant of origin, and open NHTSA recalls. No registration is required.

Where is the VIN on my Daihatsu?

The two easiest spots are the lower-left corner of the windshield (visible from outside the car) and the driver-side door jamb sticker. Both locations are required by federal labelling regulation on every road-going Daihatsu sold in North America and the EU.

Is the Daihatsu VIN decoder free?

Yes. VinDecoderPlus decodes every Daihatsu VIN free of charge with no sign-up or credit card. Full vehicle history reports — including ownership records, accident history, and odometer history — are available as an optional paid upgrade.

What does the VIN tell me about my Daihatsu?

A VIN decode confirms the original factory configuration of your Daihatsu: model, year, body style, engine, transmission, trim level, factory options, country and plant of origin, and any recall actions issued against that VIN. It does not record colour (which is on the build sheet), current mileage, accident history, or ownership chain — for those, you need a paid vehicle history report.

Can a Daihatsu VIN be faked?

The 17 characters themselves can be retyped, but the check digit at position 9 makes silent tampering nearly impossible — any single-character change breaks the math. Daihatsu VIN plates are tamper-resistant by federal standard. If you suspect a cloned VIN, our guide how to check if a car is stolen by VIN walks through the next steps.

Decode any Daihatsu VIN free

Type your 17-character Daihatsu VIN into the decoder at the top of this page and get a full breakdown instantly. To learn more about VIN structure in general, see our guides:

• How to read a VIN number
• What every character in a VIN means
• Classic car VIN decoder (pre-1981)
• VIN decoder vs. vehicle history report