What does KNA at the start of a Kia VIN mean?

KNA is the manufacturer code for Kia passenger cars built in South Korea. KND is used for Korean-built SUVs and MPVs.

How do I know if my Kia was assembled in Europe?

A VIN starting with U5Y means assembly at the Žilina plant in Slovakia. That applies to Ceed, Sportage and EV6 models for the European market.

Why does the Telluride start with 5XX?

5XX identifies Kia's West Point, Georgia facility in the USA. The Telluride is built there exclusively.

How do I get the exact options on my Kia?

The most reliable approach is to give your VIN to a Kia dealer, who will query the manufacturer system.

Do older Kia models work?

Any Kia after 1981 with a 17-character VIN is decodable. Earlier models may use a shorter format that is not compatible.

How do I check a Kia recall in France?

Use kia.com/fr or contact your dealer. The DGCCRF also publishes European recall notices.

Do Kia and Hyundai share the same VIN?

No. Kia uses KNA/KNC/KND (and others such as 5XX, U5Y); Hyundai uses KMH/KMF/5NP. Even with shared platforms (E-GMP, N3), the identifiers stay separate.

Is the EV6 recognised by the decoder?

Yes. The EV6 has VDS codes specific to the E-GMP platform, including Standard Range, Long Range and GT variants.

Kia VIN-Decoder

Decodieren Sie die VIN-Nummer Ihres Kia, um auf die technischen Daten, den Herstellungsort und die Ausstattung zuzugreifen.

Kia VIN-Decoder

Decodieren Sie die VIN-Nummer Ihres Kia, um auf die technischen Daten, den Herstellungsort und die Ausstattung zuzugreifen.

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Kia VIN Decoder

Everything About Your Kia From the VIN

A Kia VIN packs the essentials into 17 characters: model line, powertrain, place of manufacture and production start date. Our decoder turns that technical code into clear information.

Kia WMI Prefixes: Where Your Vehicle Comes From

Kia Corporation, part of Hyundai Motor Group, uses different WMIs depending on whether assembly is in South Korea, Europe or the United States:

WMI PREFIX	ENTITY	COUNTRY
KNA	Kia Corporation — passenger cars	Südkorea
KNC	Kia Corporation — commercial vehicles	Südkorea
KND	Kia Corporation — SUVs and MPVs	Südkorea
5XX	Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia	USA (West Point, GA)
U5Y	Kia Slovakia s.r.o.	Slovakia (Žilina)
LJD	Dongfeng Yueda Kia	China (Yancheng)

Decoding Positions 4–8 on a Kia

The VDS characters identify the model (Picanto, Rio, Ceed, Sportage, Sorento, EV6, EV9, and others), body style (sedan, wagon, crossover), engine family and passive safety level. Kia uses Smartstream naming: G for petrol, D for diesel, E for electric. AWD can be read from this section.

Smartstream powertrain letters in the VDS:

G (petrol)

D (diesel)

E (electric)

Kia Manufacturing Network and Plant Codes

The eleventh character identifies the final assembly site.

Hwaseong (South Korea)

Stinger, K5/Optima, Sorento

Sohari (South Korea)

Picanto, Rio, Ceed, Sportage

Gwangju (South Korea)

Carnival/Sedona, Bongo, EV9

West Point, Georgia (USA)

Telluride, Sorento, K5, EV9

Žilina (Slovakia)

Ceed, Sportage, EV6

A Kia VIN Broken Down

KNA CD81 1 A L 6 123456

KNA

Kia passenger cars, South Korea

CD81

Sportage (NQ5), 1.6 T-GDi

Front airbags (passive safety level)

Check digit

2020 model year

Sohari plant (position 11)

123456

Production sequence number

Kia Range Model by Model

Where each line is built and how WMIs map to regions.

By segment

SEGMENT	MODELS / NOTES	PLANTS / WMI
City cars and compacts	Picanto (JA), Rio (YB) from Sohari; Ceed (CD) at Žilina for Europe — U5Y VINs	Sohari (KNA), Žilina (U5Y)
SUVs	Sportage (NQ5) Žilina for Europe, Sohari elsewhere; Sorento (MQ4) Hwaseong or West Point; Telluride only West Point (5XX); EV9 Hwaseong plus West Point	Žilina, Sohari, Hwaseong, West Point
Elektro	EV6 (CV) on E-GMP from Hwaseong and Žilina; VDS separates Standard Range, Long Range and GT; Niro EV (SG2) at Hwaseong	Hwaseong, Žilina

City cars and compacts: Picanto, Rio, Ceed

The Picanto (JA) and Rio (YB) are built at Sohari in Korea. The Ceed (CD) is assembled in Žilina, Slovakia, specifically for the European market, so those VINs start with U5Y instead of KNA.

SUVs: Sportage, Sorento, Telluride, EV9

The Sportage (NQ5) leaves Žilina for Europe and Sohari for other markets. The Sorento (MQ4) is built at Hwaseong or West Point. The Telluride is produced exclusively at West Point (5XX), as is the EV9 in addition to Gwangju.

Electric: EV6, EV9, Niro EV

The EV6 (CV) uses the E-GMP platform and comes from Hwaseong and Žilina. VDS codes distinguish Standard Range, Long Range and GT variants. The Niro EV (SG2) is assembled at Hwaseong.

Kia Options: Packs and Trim Grades

Kia organises equipment beyond the raw VIN like this:

Trim grades

Kia structures the range in named steps (Active, Motion, GT-Line, GT), each with a predefined equipment bundle. The VIN does not spell out the trim name directly but encodes the equipment group in the VDS.

Option code (OC)

Internal reference assigned to each individual factory option. Kia dealers can pull the full list against your VIN in the aftersales system.

Dealer VIN lookup

The most reliable way to obtain exact options is to give your VIN to a Kia dealer, who queries the manufacturer system.

Kia Safety Recalls

To see whether your Kia is affected by a recall, use kia.com/fr/rappels or contact a dealer with your VIN. US imports can be traced via nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Free Decode vs Full History Report

Informationen	Kostenlos	Bezahlt
Model, engine, body style	✅	✅
Factory equipment	✅ (summary)	✅ (full)
Active recalls	✅	✅ (detailed)
Past damage / claims	❌	✅
Mileage history	❌	✅
Previous owners	❌	✅
Preis	€0	From €1

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about the Kia VIN decoder

VIN-Nummer

VIN