VIN Numbers Starting With VF — Built in France
A VIN starting with VF through VR was built in France. VF1 is Renault, VF3 is Peugeot, VF7 is Citroën. French-built cars are rare on US roads — which is exactly why a US-market decoder will tell you less about one than you might expect.
Free · instant · no signup · NMVTIS & NHTSA data
A VIN beginning with VF through VR identifies a vehicle manufactured in France. The main French WMIs are VF1 (Renault), VF3 and VR3 (Peugeot), VF7 and VR7 (Citroën), VR1 (DS Automobiles), VF6 (Renault Trucks), VF9 (Bugatti) and VNK (Toyota's Valenciennes plant). The letter V is shared — VA–VE is Austria and VS–VW is Spain — so the second character determines the country.
Reading a French-built VIN
The first character places the factory. Everything that matters about the individual vehicle comes after it.
- 1Read the range, not the letterV is split three ways: VA–VE is Austria, VF–VR is France, VS–VW is Spain.
- 2Match the WMIVF1 Renault, VF3 and VR3 Peugeot, VF7 and VR7 Citroën, VR1 DS, VF9 Bugatti.
- 3Expect thin US decode dataFrench passenger brands left the US market decades ago, so US reference catalogues carry little specification data for them.
- 4Check the title recordIf the car has ever been US-titled, the title, theft and odometer records exist and are readable against the VIN.
What the code tells you
Generational code shifts
Peugeot and Citroën each run two identifiers — VF3/VR3 and VF7/VR7 — with newer vehicles on the VR codes.
Transplant production
VNK is Toyota's Valenciennes plant. French WMIs are not confined to French-owned brands.
Commercial vehicles
VF6 is Renault Trucks and VNV covers Renault-Nissan vans, a large share of French output by volume.
Very low volume
VF9 is Bugatti at Molsheim — a handful of cars a year sharing the table with mass-market Renaults.
VINs beginning with VF through VR: 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 French-built vehicle — a representative list, not a complete one, since a large manufacturer holds many codes across plants and vehicle classes.
| WMI | Manufacturer | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| VF1 | Renault | Passenger cars |
| VF3 | Peugeot | Passenger cars |
| VR3 | Peugeot | Current models |
| VF7 | Citroën | — |
| VR7 | Citroën | Current models |
| VR1 | DS Automobiles | — |
| VF6 | Renault Trucks | Commercial |
| VF8 | Renault | Commercial vehicles |
| VF9 | Bugatti | Molsheim |
| VNK | Toyota | Valenciennes |
| VNV | Renault Nissan | Commercial vans |
| VN1 | Renault | Light commercial |
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.
Why a French VIN is the hardest kind to decode in the United States
Renault withdrew from the US passenger market in the 1980s, and Peugeot followed at the start of the 1990s. Citroën has been absent far longer. The practical consequence is not that French VINs are unusual in structure — they follow ISO 3779 like everything else — but that the reference data US decoders draw on does not cover them.
Most free US decoders are built on the NHTSA product information catalogue, which exists because manufacturers certifying vehicles for US sale have to file specification data. A model never certified for US sale files nothing, so the catalogue has nothing to return beyond what the WMI itself says.
That is why a French VIN will typically decode to manufacturer and country and then stop. It is a coverage boundary, not an error, and no US-market tool can work around it.
What you can still learn about a French-built vehicle
Two things survive the decode limitation. The first is the structural information encoded in the VIN itself: the manufacturer from the WMI, the model year from the tenth character, the plant from the eleventh, and the check digit that verifies the number has not been mistranscribed or fabricated.
The second, and the more useful one, is the record trail. If the vehicle has ever been titled in the United States — as classic French cars, imported Bugattis and 25-year-rule imports have been — then state title records, insurance total-loss reports and theft filings exist against that VIN and can be read.
For a car that has never been US-registered, neither we nor any other US-market service can produce a history, and any service claiming otherwise is worth treating with suspicion. In Europe, the equivalent records are held by national registries and read through European providers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a VIN starting with VF mean?
The vehicle was assembled in France. ISO 3779 allots the VF–VR range to French manufacturing, with VF1 belonging to Renault, VF3 to Peugeot and VF7 to Citroën.
Does V always mean France?
No. The letter is split: VA–VE is Austria, VF–VR is France and VS–VW is Spain. The second character is what identifies the country.
Why won't a US decoder give full details for a French car?
US decode data comes largely from the federal catalogue of vehicles certified for US sale. French passenger models withdrawn from the US market decades ago were never certified, so there is no specification record to return.
Can I get a history report on a French-built car?
Only if it has been titled in the United States. History records are generated by registration, so a vehicle that has never been US-registered has no US record trail.
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