Free Volvo 850 Series VIN Decoder

How to decode a Volvo 850 Series VIN

Characters 1-3 of a Volvo 850 Series VIN

World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) codes are unique three-letter codes assigned to every vehicle manufacturer worldwide. For the Volvo 850 series produced between 1993 and 1997, the WMI code is YV1. This code indicates that the Volvo Car Corporation, located in Sweden, is the manufacturer of these passenger cars. The presence of this WMI in a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) ensures the vehicle’s authenticity and origin, acting as an essential reference for registration, identification, and regulatory compliance. Specifically, the YV1 WMI code on a Volvo 850 series car confirms its Swedish manufacture and classification as a passenger vehicle by Volvo.

List of WMI Codes for a Volvo 850 Series

WMI: YV1

• Model Years Covered: 1993-1997
• Example VIN: YV1LS5512P2095952
• Manufacturer Name: Volvo Car Corporation
• Vehicle Type: Passenger Car
• City:
• State or Province:
• Country: Sweden

Characters 4-8 are the Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS) of a Volvo 850 Series VIN

These characters correspond to components like:

• Engine type
• Transmission
• Model or trim
• Body style
• Gross vehicle weight range

Below find the known vehicle descriptor codes for a Volvo 850 Series:

Auto manufacturers have some discretion to decide how they want to code this section, but its contents and decoded results are generally consistent.

Character 9 is the “check digit” in a Volvo 850 Series VIN.

Based on a formula developed by the US Department of Transportation, it helps reduce fraud by ensuring the validity of the VIN.

10th Character in the Volvo 850 Series VIN — Year Code

11th Character in the Volvo 850 Series VIN — Plant Code(s)

Known Volvo 850 Series Assembly Factory VIN Code(s)

VIN Characters 12 - 17 of a Volvo 850 Series

The final 6 characters in a Volvo 850 Series’s 17-digit VIN are its serial number, which will be unique to every vehicle.

What info can a Volvo 850 Series VIN reveal?

• Model Year: The VIN can reveal the vehicle’s model year, suggesting that it ‘may’ be from the 1995 model year, providing insights into the age and potential technological features available at that time.
• Engine Details: The VIN decoding specifies that the vehicle ‘may’ have a 2.3-liter, 5-cylinder engine made by Volvo, model B5234T, featuring an in-line configuration and ‘possibly’ tailored for gasoline use, illustrating the vehicle’s performance capabilities.
• Body Specifications: The vehicle is identified as a Wagon with 4 doors, indicating its body style and size, which ‘may be’ useful for understanding vehicle capacity and utility.
• Safety Features: The presence of front airbags for both the driver and passenger in the 1st row, along with a pretensioner, ‘suggests’ that the vehicle is equipped with essential safety systems to protect occupants in case of a crash.
• Fuel Type: With gasoline as the primary fuel type, users ‘can’ gauge fuel economy and emission standards ’likely’ expected from the vehicle, contributing to operational cost estimations.
• Turbocharged Engine: The vehicle ‘might’ be equipped with a turbo, hinting at enhanced engine performance through increased power output compared to naturally aspirated engines.
• Manufacturing Information: The VIN details ‘indicate’ that the vehicle ‘was’ manufactured in Ghent, Belgium, providing a glimpse into its geographical production origins which ‘can’ have implications for vehicle design and standards.

Sample VIN Decode Report for a Volvo 850 Series