Correct Model Year Identification

**Rufe** · Tuesday 16th August 2005, 17:23

i noticed that there is some confusion about how people can tell the correct model year of their volvo's. its basically a problem that volvo like to start calling their models around 6 months earlier than they are, as in we are allready selling some 2006 models at the moment for example.

so how do you tell? its easy, forget about the year the car was registered, just look at the VIN number. The tenth digit is ALLWAYS the model year indicator, regardless of model, this is true for everything, from the 240's right through to the XC90's, and everything in between.

so for models up to 2000 it was generally a letter that indicated the year. the 10th digit of the vin would be a letter, if the letter was A this is 1980.

A = 1980
B = 1981
C = 1982
D = 1983
E = 1984
F = 1985
G = 1986
H = 1987
J = 1988
K = 1989
L = 1990
M = 1991
N = 1992
P = 1993
R = 1994
S = 1995
T = 1996
V = 1997
W = 1998
X = 1999
Y = 2000

From the year 2001, they changed this to be a number, so still looking at the 10th digit, this will tell you what year it is:

1 = 2001
2 = 2002
3 = 2003
4 = 2004
5 = 2005
6 = 2006

So, for example look at the complete VIN number below, and it will look something like this:

YV1LW5502V2123456

this is then for a 1997 model, as the 10th digit is a V.

hope that helps (sorry if posted before)

**Vikingxl** · Tuesday 16th August 2005, 17:25

Cheers mate!!!!!!

**spesh** · Tuesday 16th August 2005, 18:35

King of usless volvo info cheers mate,
(for everyone reading this, this is my mate who stiched me up when he went to USC and got me wound up over a 12.6 sec 850R which didn't exsist)