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Kia VIN Decoder

Paste a 17-character Kia VIN to decode the year, model, trim, engine, and where it was built — instantly, from NHTSA data. Free, no sign-up.

How to read a Kia VIN

Kia builds in South Korea (VINs starting with KN) and in West Point, Georgia (starting with 5XX). Some compacts come from Mexico and start with 3KP. The first three characters — the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) — are the fastest tell. These are the Kiaprefixes you'll see most often:

KND
Kia SUVs built in South Korea — Sportage, Sorento
KNA
Kia passenger cars built in South Korea
5XX
Kia built in the U.S. (West Point, Georgia) — Optima/K5, Sorento
3KP
Kia cars built in Mexico — Forte, Rio

These are the common prefixes, not an exhaustive list — manufacturers add and retire WMIs over time. The decoder above always reads the authoritative record from NHTSA. For the full breakdown of all 17 VIN positions and the model-year chart, see the main VIN decoder guide.

Common Kia models this decoder covers

Kia ForteKia OptimaKia SportageKia SorentoKia Soul

Kia VIN decoder FAQ

How do I decode a Kia VIN?▾
Paste the full 17-character Kia VIN into the decoder above and it returns the year, model, trim, engine, transmission and body style from NHTSA's database. Every Kia built since 1981 has a 17-character VIN you can decode this way.
What does a Kia VIN start with?▾
Kia VINs commonly begin with KND, KNA, 5XX, 3KP. The first three characters are the World Manufacturer Identifier: the first tells you the country of assembly and the next two identify Kia and the vehicle class.
Where are Kia vehicles built?▾
Kia builds in South Korea (VINs starting with KN) and in West Point, Georgia (starting with 5XX). Some compacts come from Mexico and start with 3KP. You can read the exact plant country from the first VIN character and confirm the specifics in the decoded result above.
Is this Kia VIN decoder free?▾
Yes — decoding a Kia VIN here is free, needs no sign-up, and pulls directly from the U.S. government's NHTSA vPIC database.

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Decode every Kia you take in — automatically

DealerVLO is a dealer management system for independent used-car lots. Paste a VIN when you add a vehicle and the year, make, model, trim, engine and GVWR fill themselves — no re-typing onto the title application or the listing.

  • Inventory with photo management and a public dealer website
  • Deal jacket — Bill of Sale, FTC Buyers Guide, Federal Odometer Disclosure
  • Customer CRM with encrypted PII and a website lead inbox
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