Every Volkswagen Passat (2016–2022) carries a 17-character VIN that begins with the 1VW WMI. The Passat is a gas sedan; this page shows what each character of a Volkswagen Passat VIN means and gives 4 checksum-valid sample VINs you can drop straight into test fixtures. Synthetic — not real: no scraping, no real-owner data. The generator below is pre-filtered to the Passat.
Each sample below is built from the real 1VW WMI and the Passat's descriptor, so it decodes to a Volkswagen Passat of the right model year:
Have a real Volkswagen Passat VIN? Decode it →
Worked on the sample 1VWSA7A32GM450126 — a 2016 Volkswagen Passat:
| Position | Section | Value | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | WMI | 1VW | Marks the VIN as Volkswagen, built in United States |
| 4–8 | VDS | SA7A3 | Descriptor for the Passat — sedan body, gas powertrain |
| 9 | Check digit | 2 | Mod-11 checksum over the other 16 characters |
| 10 | Model year | G | Code G = 2016 |
| 11 | Plant | M | Assembly-plant code |
| 12–17 | Serial | 450126 | Sequential production number |
Positions 1–3 of every Volkswagen Passat VIN read 1VW — the World Manufacturer Identifier that marks the vehicle as Volkswagen, assembled in United States (North America). After the WMI, positions 4–8 (SA7A3 in our seed) describe the Passat itself; see the full 17-digit format.
Position 10 encodes the model year. For the Passat, 2016 is code G and 2022 is code N. See the 2022 year code or the check-digit math.
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A Volkswagen Passat VIN is 17 characters starting with the 1VW WMI, for example 1VWSA7A32GM450126. Positions 4–8 describe the Passat, position 9 is the check digit, position 10 is the model year, and 12–17 are the serial number.
Read it left to right: 1VW is the Volkswagen WMI, positions 4–8 are the Passat descriptor, position 9 verifies the VIN via a mod-11 checksum, position 10 gives the year, position 11 the plant, and 12–17 the serial. Paste any VIN into the decoder to do it automatically.
The Passat in our seed uses the 1VW WMI (United States). Any VIN beginning with 1VW decodes to Volkswagen.
No. They are synthetically generated but checksum-valid, use the real Volkswagen 1VW WMI, and carry the Passat's descriptor and a valid year code — so a decoder returns a Volkswagen Passat. No real vehicle's VIN is used.