GAZ VIN Decoder

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

This page is the GAZ VIN hub: GAZ-specific WMI codes, a position-by-position guide to reading a GAZ VIN, where to find the VIN on your GAZ, and how to check a GAZ vehicle for open recalls through Russia’s own regulator.
A quick note on market coverage: GAZ (Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, the Gorky Automobile Plant) is a Russian manufacturer. GAZ-badged vehicles, including the Gazelle van and truck line and the Sobol, are sold in Russia and across the CIS (the former Soviet states, including Belarus and Kazakhstan), but not in the United States or the European Union. Because of that, this page uses Russia’s own vehicle-approval and recall framework, run by Rosstandart (the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology), rather than the NHTSA references on this site’s US-market pages. The 17-character VIN itself follows the same worldwide ISO 3779 standard used by every carmaker, so the decoder above reads a GAZ VIN the same way it reads a Ford or Toyota VIN.

About GAZ

GAZ traces back to January 1932, when a new assembly plant in Nizhny Novgorod began production under a technical-assistance agreement with the Ford Motor Company signed in 1929. The factory’s early vehicles were licensed versions of the Ford Model A and Model AA, badged NAZ. In 1932 the city was renamed Gorky, and in 1933 the plant took the name Gorkovsky Avtomobilny Zavod, GAZ, a name it has carried ever since, even after the city reverted to Nizhny Novgorod in 1990.

Through the Soviet era GAZ built the Volga, a family of mid-size sedans (the GAZ-21, GAZ-24, and later GAZ-3110/3111) that served for decades as the standard car for Soviet officials, taxi fleets, and eventually ordinary buyers; it remains one of the most recognizable Soviet-era passenger cars. GAZ’s other long-running line is the Gazelle, a light commercial van and truck introduced in 1994 and still in production today as the Gazelle Next and Gazelle NN, alongside the related Sobol van (built since 1998). GAZ Group is one of the largest vehicle manufacturers to come out of Russia and the former Soviet Union, and its main passenger and light-commercial plant remains in Nizhny Novgorod.

GAZ Group has been subject to Western sanctions since 2022. For anyone decoding a GAZ VIN, the practical relevance is limited to parts sourcing and export status; it does not change how the VIN itself is built or read.

GAZ WMI codes (positions 1-3)

The first three characters of any VIN are the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI), assigned under ISO 3780. The letter X at position 1 marks a vehicle built in Russia (the ISO range X0 through X9 is reserved for Russian manufacturers). GAZ’s own vehicles use several WMIs, split by vehicle type:

GAZ vehicles are not sold new in the United States, so these WMIs do not appear in the NHTSA’s vPIC database of US-market manufacturers; a query for “GAZ” returns no match, which is expected and not an error. If a VIN in front of you doesn’t start with one of the codes above, decode the full 17 characters with the tool above to confirm what it actually is.

How to read a GAZ VIN: position by position

Every current GAZ VIN follows the same ISO 3779 17-character structure used worldwide. The 17 characters split into three blocks:

Here is what each position means specifically on a GAZ:

Positions 1-3: World Manufacturer Identifier

See the WMI table above. Every GAZ built at the Nizhny Novgorod plant carries an X-prefixed code, with the exact letters depending on whether the vehicle is a Gazelle-family commercial model or a passenger car.

Positions 4-8: Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)

These five characters encode the model line, body style, engine and fuel type, and restraint system, the block that distinguishes a Gazelle Next van from a Gazelle NN, or a cargo variant from a passenger minibus, even when both share a chassis.

Position 9: Check digit

The check digit is the single most important character in any VIN. It’s calculated from the other 16 characters using a fixed weighting table and modulo-11 math. If even one character of a GAZ VIN is mistyped or altered, the check digit won’t match, and a compliant decoder will flag the VIN as invalid.

Position 10: Model year

The 10th character maps to a model year on a 30-year cycle, identical worldwide under ISO 3779. Skim the chart below to translate yours:

The letters I, O, and Q are never used in any VIN, including GAZ’s, 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. GAZ’s flagship Gazelle and Sobol lines are built at the original Nizhny Novgorod plant; GAZ Group as a whole also includes other Russian facilities producing related components and vehicles.

Positions 12-17: Serial number

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

Where to find the VIN on a GAZ

You can find your GAZ’s VIN in several places. The vehicle passport (PTS, Pasport Transportnogo Sredstva) and the chassis stamping are the two most authoritative sources; the others are useful for a quick visual check.

• Vehicle passport (PTS) and registration certificate (STS)
• Stamped directly on the chassis or frame, usually near the engine bay
• Windshield or driver’s-side door jamb sticker, on newer Gazelle Next and Sobol models
• Service and warranty documentation from an authorized GAZ dealer

GAZ’s own history predates the modern VIN standard by decades. The company was building vehicles from 1932, well before the 17-character ISO 3779 format existed, so a genuine early Volga, GAZ-21, or older commercial GAZ may carry a shorter chassis number in a Soviet-era format instead. The decoder above is built for the standard 17-character format used on GAZ vehicles from the 1980s and 1990s onward; for background on older, non-standard formats, see our classic car VIN decoder guide.

Check GAZ recalls and safety information

Russia doesn’t use NHTSA. Vehicle safety oversight, including recalls, falls under Rosstandart (the Federal Agency for Technical Regulation and Metrology), operating under Federal Law No. 184-FZ “On Technical Regulation” and the Eurasian Economic Union’s technical regulation for wheeled vehicles (TR CU 018/2011). New GAZ models are approved through a vehicle type approval (OTTS) process, with certificates entered into Rosstandart’s public register, rather than through NHTSA certification.

The fastest way to check a specific GAZ vehicle:

1. Decode the VIN with the tool above to confirm the model, model year, and assembly source
2. Check Rosstandart’s official recall-lookup tool at easy.gost.ru, where you can search by VIN for any open recall campaign
3. Contact your nearest authorized GAZ service center with the VIN for confirmation and free recall repair

Recall repairs identified through Rosstandart’s process are carried out free of charge by the manufacturer.

Frequently asked questions

How do I decode my GAZ VIN?

Type the 17-character VIN from your GAZ’s vehicle passport, chassis stamping, or door jamb sticker into the decoder at the top of this page. Results return in seconds and include model, model year, body style, engine, and any known recall actions. No registration is required.

Where is the VIN on my GAZ?

The most reliable sources are your vehicle’s PTS (passport) and the number stamped directly onto the chassis, usually near the engine bay. Newer Gazelle Next and Sobol models also carry a windshield or door-jamb sticker, similar to cars sold in other markets.

Is GAZ sold in the USA?

No. GAZ-badged vehicles, including the Gazelle and Sobol, are sold in Russia and exported to select markets across the CIS, but not under the GAZ name in the United States or the European Union. There is no NHTSA registration for GAZ as a manufacturer.

Is the GAZ VIN decoder free?

Yes. VinDecoderPlus decodes every GAZ VIN free of charge with no sign-up or credit card required.

What does the VIN tell me about my GAZ?

A VIN decode confirms the original factory configuration: model, model year, body style, engine, and any recall actions registered against that VIN under Rosstandart’s oversight. It does not record paint color, current odometer reading, accident history, or ownership chain.

Is a GAZ VIN the same 17-character format as a European or American car’s VIN?

Yes. GAZ follows the same ISO 3779 17-character VIN standard used worldwide, with an X-prefixed WMI (X96, XTH, X1A, or X78) identifying it as a Russian-built GAZ. The main difference from a US-market brand is the regulatory body behind approval and recalls: Rosstandart and Russia’s OTTS type-approval system, rather than NHTSA.

Decode any GAZ VIN free

Type your 17-character GAZ 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
• How to check if a car is stolen by VIN