VIN Numbers Starting With YV — Built in Sweden
A VIN starting with YS through YW was built in Sweden. YV1 and YV4 are Volvo Cars, YS3 is Saab, YS2 is Scania. But Volvo also builds in Belgium, China and South Carolina — so a Volvo without a Y is completely normal.
Free · instant · no signup · NMVTIS & NHTSA data
A VIN beginning with YS through YW identifies a vehicle manufactured in Sweden. The main Swedish WMIs are YV1 (Volvo Cars, passenger cars), YV4 (Volvo SUVs), YV2 (Volvo Trucks), YS3 (Saab), YS2 (Scania) and YT9 (low-volume makers including Koenigsegg). The letter Y is shared — YA–YE is Belgium, YF–YK is Finland and Y6–Y0 is Ukraine — so the second character confirms Sweden.
Reading a Swedish-built VIN
The first character places the factory. Everything that matters about the individual vehicle comes after it.
- 1Check the second characterYS–YW is Sweden. YA–YE is Belgium, YF–YK is Finland, YL–YR is Malta and Y6–Y0 is Ukraine.
- 2Identify the makerYV1 and YV4 Volvo Cars, YV2 Volvo Trucks, YS3 Saab, YS2 Scania, YT9 Koenigsegg.
- 3Expect Volvos without a YGhent in Belgium is YV as well, but Chinese-built Volvos start with L and Charleston-built ones with a US code.
- 4Run the historySaab's production ended over a decade ago, so anything wearing that badge is old enough that the record trail is the whole story.
What the code tells you
Cars, trucks and buses split
Volvo Cars and Volvo Group are separate companies, and their identifiers reflect it — YV1/YV4 for cars, YV2/YV3 for trucks and buses.
The Saab question
YS3 belongs to a manufacturer that stopped building cars in 2011. Parts and service support, not build country, is the practical concern.
Volvo's global plants
Torslanda and Ghent, Charleston in South Carolina, and Chinese plants under L codes — one brand, several country prefixes.
Polestar is not Swedish-built
Polestar's cars have been produced in China and carry the WMI LPS, despite the brand's Swedish identity.
VINs beginning with YS through YW: manufacturer codes
The first three characters of the VIN are the World Manufacturer Identifier. These are the ones you are most likely to meet on a Swedish-built vehicle — a representative list, not a complete one, since a large manufacturer holds many codes across plants and vehicle classes.
| WMI | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| YV1 | Volvo Cars | Passenger cars, Torslanda |
| YV4 | Volvo Cars | SUVs |
| YV2 | Volvo Trucks | Commercial |
| YV3 | Volvo Buses | — |
| YS3 | Saab | Trollhättan, historic |
| YS2 | Scania | Commercial trucks |
| YT9 | Koenigsegg | Low volume, Ängelholm |
| YS4 | Scania | Buses |
Decode the other sixteen characters
The country code is one character. Enter the full VIN to get the make, model, year and plant — plus title brands, theft records, accidents and open recalls.
One brand, four country codes: how to read a Volvo VIN
Volvo Cars builds at Torslanda in Sweden and Ghent in Belgium, opened a plant near Charleston, South Carolina in 2018, and produces several models in China. Those four sources yield different first characters, and all four are ordinary Volvos.
The one people get wrong most often is Polestar. It is a Swedish brand, it is closely tied to Volvo, and its cars have been built in China — so a Polestar VIN typically starts with L and carries the WMI LPS. Nothing is amiss; the character reports the plant.
Volvo Trucks and Volvo Buses are a separate matter entirely. Volvo Cars was sold out of the Volvo Group in 1999 and the two have been distinct companies since. Their WMIs are distinct too — YV1 and YV4 for cars, YV2 and YV3 for commercial vehicles.
What a Swedish VIN is worth checking for specifically
For a Volvo, the useful checks are the same as for any mainstream car — title brands, total-loss history, odometer consistency, open recalls, open liens — and a US-titled Volvo sits in the same record systems as a Ford.
Saab is the case that deserves its own thought. Production ended in 2011, which means every Saab on the road is at minimum fifteen years old. The risk profile shifts accordingly: accumulated title history across multiple owners and states, a higher likelihood of an unreported repair, and the practical question of parts supply.
None of that is legible from the badge or the country code. It comes from reading the specific vehicle's record: how many owners, which states, what brands were ever applied, and what the reported odometer readings look like plotted in order. That is what a history report does with the same seventeen characters you have already decoded.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a VIN starting with YV mean?
The vehicle was built by Volvo in Sweden. ISO 3779 allots the YS–YW range to Sweden, with YV1 and YV4 belonging to Volvo Cars and YV2 to Volvo Trucks.
Do all Volvos have VINs starting with Y?
No. Volvo builds in Belgium, China and South Carolina as well as Sweden, and each plant's vehicles carry the WMI of the country they were assembled in.
Why does a Polestar have a VIN starting with L?
Because Polestar's cars have been assembled in China. The brand is Swedish, but the first VIN character reports the plant country, not the brand's headquarters.
Is a Saab VIN still checkable?
Yes. Saab stopped building cars in 2011, but any Saab titled in the United States has a full record trail — title brands, ownership changes and odometer readings — keyed to its VIN.
Other country codes & related lookups
Read another country's manufacturer codes, or go straight to a full decode.
Get your full vehicle history report
Where a vehicle was built is fixed at the factory. Where it has been titled, whether it was ever written off, and what the odometer actually read are recorded against the same VIN.
Start Your Free CheckNMVTIS-sourced · DPPA compliant
Always check the VIN before you buy
The free preview shows title brands, theft status and open recalls in seconds, and flags whether accident and odometer records exist. The full history is $14.99 — one-time, no subscription.
Check any VIN
Enter a 17-character VIN or U.S. license plate to run a free check and pull the full report.
Related VIN Checks
More tools to verify any vehicle's history