Chevrolet VIN structure
Chevrolet VINs start with 1G1 (passenger, USA), 1GC (truck, USA), 3GN (Mexico), KL1 (GM Korea) and LSG (Shanghai GM, China). Chevy cars share the GM VIN schema with Buick, Cadillac and GMC — the 4th–5th digits separate the divisions.
WMI — the first three characters
| WMI | Manufacturer / region |
|---|---|
| 1G1 | Chevrolet USA (passenger) |
| 1GC | Chevrolet USA (truck) |
| 3GN | Chevrolet Mexico |
| KL1 | GM Korea (Chevrolet) |
| LSG | Shanghai GM (China) |
Major assembly plants
| Plant | Models built |
|---|---|
| Bowling Green, KY (USA) | Corvette |
| Lordstown, OH (USA) | Cruze (historical) |
| Detroit/Hamtramck (USA) | EV line-up |
| Ramos Arizpe (Mexico) | Blazer, Equinox |
| Orion, MI (USA) | Bolt EV/EUV |
| Gunsan (Korea) | Trax, Spark |
Model year — the 10th character
10th digit = model year; GM adopted the 17-digit VIN in 1981. Classic Chevy VINs (e.g. 1964–1980) carry year, plant and body codes in totally different positions. See the full VIN year chart.
Options and packages
On classic GM cars the VIN only goes down to engine level. In 1964, for example, GM VINs do not encode paint or interior trim at all — those live on the trim tag (cowl plate), not the VIN.
Build sheet channels for Chevrolet
| Channel | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GM Heritage / direct email | Free | GM recommends emailing the heritage center directly for build sheets — expect a wait |
| GM dealer | Free–varies | Dealers can pull VIS (vehicle information sheet) by VIN |
| Window sticker reproduction | ~$10 per label | Original Monroney label by VIN |
Full comparison across all brands: build sheet channels & prices.
Known decode traps
- 1964 GM VINs decode only to "V8 level" — no paint, no interior, no options. The trim tag is the source for those.
- Package codes (RPO codes) only became VIN-derivable in the 17-digit era; pre-1981 RPOs are on the build sheet only.
- Chevy and GMC trucks share WMIs — division is in the VDS, not the WMI.
Recalls and this brand
GM safety recalls show via NHTSA lookup; emissions campaigns again sit with the EPA and will not appear.