Polestar VIN Decoder: Free VIN Lookup

Decode any 17-character Polestar VIN to see year, model, engine, and build plant, instantly, free, no signup.

Enter a 17-character Polestar VIN

For full vehicle history (title brands, salvage, recalls, market value), get the report for $9.99

A Polestar VIN is a 17-character code identifying every Polestar built since the brand launched. Most Polestar 1 and 2 VINs begin with LPS (built in China), while US-built Polestar 3s come from South Carolina. Decoding is free, but it does not show title brands, theft, or accident history.

Example: decoding a Polestar VIN

Sample pattern: LPSED3KA•M•••••••

Positions	Characters	Meaning
1–3	LPS	Polestar, China
4–8	ED3KA	Model, motor/drivetrain and restraint attributes (Polestar 2)
9	•	Check digit
10	M	Model year (M = 2021)
11	•	Plant code, use live vPIC decode
12–17	••••••	Sequential production number

Structure per NHTSA 49 CFR Part 565.

Polestar WMI codes: where your Polestar was built

WMI	Country	Detail
LPS	China	Polestar 2 (Luqiao/Taizhou); Polestar 1 (Chengdu)

Source: NHTSA vPIC WMI registry.

How to read each position of a Polestar VIN

Positions 1–3, WMI: World Manufacturer Identifier. Identifies the maker and country of origin.
Positions 4–8, VDS: Vehicle Descriptor Section. Encodes body style, engine, restraint system, and model line.
Position 9, Check digit: Math-derived validator. A failed check digit can indicate a typo or a cloned VIN.
Position 10, Model year: Single character; see the table below.
Position 11, Assembly plant: Manufacturer-specific code for the factory.
Positions 12–17, Sequence: Sequential production number unique to that car.

Model-year code table (position 10)

Code	Year	Code	Year
A	1980 / 2010	S	1995 / 2025
B	1981 / 2011	T	1996 / 2026
C	1982 / 2012	V	1997 / 2027
D	1983 / 2013	W	1998 / 2028
E	1984 / 2014	X	1999 / 2029
F	1985 / 2015	Y	2000 / 2030
G	1986 / 2016	1	2001 / 2031
H	1987 / 2017	2	2002 / 2032
J	1988 / 2018	3	2003 / 2033
K	1989 / 2019	4	2004 / 2034
L	1990 / 2020	5	2005 / 2035
M	1991 / 2021	6	2006 / 2036
N	1992 / 2022	7	2007 / 2037
P	1993 / 2023	8	2008 / 2038
R	1994 / 2024	9	2009 / 2039

The position-7 rule: year codes repeat every 30 years. If position 7 is a letter the vehicle is 2010 or newer; if a digit it's 2009 or older. Letters I, O, Q, U, Z are never year codes.

Plant codes vary by model line, the decoder above returns the registered plant for your exact VIN.

Where to find the VIN on a Polestar

On a metal plate at the base of the windshield on the driver's side (visible from outside).
On a sticker on the driver's door jamb.
Stamped on the engine block or firewall on many models.
On the title, registration, and insurance card, always confirm the paperwork matches the physical VIN. Mismatches are a serious red flag.

Polestar title & history red flags to check before you buy

Decoding a VIN tells you how a vehicle was built. To see what happened to it, you need a full vehicle history report, which surfaces title brands, odometer readings, theft records, and more.

Software-related total-loss/salvage economics

EV total-loss frequency reached 9.93% in Q1 2024, only modestly above the 9.51% rate for new ICE vehicles in the same period (Mitchell, Q1 2024), but rising used-EV depreciation makes moderately damaged Polestar 2s easier to write off than older comparables.

Lease-return and fleet titles

Polestar's early US volume leaned on leases and subscriptions; check for fleet/lease title chains and short ownership periods.

Unresolved OTA recalls

The 2025 rearview-camera recall remedy was scheduled for delivery into 2026, a used Polestar 2 may still have it open.

Flood brands

High-voltage packs make flood-branded EVs especially risky; NMVTIS flood brands follow the title across states.

Polestar recalls: check before you buy

NHTSA 25V-280: 27,816 MY2021–2025 Polestar 2, rearview camera image may fail to display; software remedy. NHTSA 21V-110: 2021–2022 Polestar 2, Battery Energy Control Module reset can cut drive power; software update/OTA (~3,457 vehicles).

Run a free Polestar recall check →

Recall counts shown by the free tool are model-level context for this model year, not a VIN-specific verdict. VIN-specific recall completion status is in the $9.99 report.

Buying an electric Polestar?

Battery state-of-health is not in any title-history report, ask for a dealer SOH printout or charge-test drive. Verify OTA recall completion at polestar.com/us/support/recall-information/ since OTA fixes leave no dealer paper trail. Confirm charging hardware (mobile charger) is included; replacements are costly.

What to check on a used Polestar

A used Polestar can be an excellent buy, but the condition you can see during a test drive is only part of the picture. Two vehicles with the same year, mileage, and asking price can have completely different histories, and the difference usually lives in the paperwork rather than under the hood.

Start with maintenance evidence. Ask for service records covering oil changes, cooling system work, brakes, tires, and any major repair, and be skeptical of a seller who offers a single recent receipt instead of a history. Inspect for mismatched paint, uneven panel gaps, replacement lights, and fresh undercoating, since all of them can mask prior collision repair. Look for rust on the frame, rocker panels, and brake lines if the vehicle spent time in a salt state.

Flood damage is the pattern buyers miss most often. Storm-damaged vehicles are frequently repaired, moved to another state, and retitled, so check for musty odors, silt under the carpet and in the spare tire well, corroded seat rails and bolts, and moisture inside light housings. A car that smells strongly of air freshener deserves a closer look.

Before money changes hands, verify the four items a visual inspection cannot answer: whether the title carries a brand such as salvage, junk, rebuilt, or flood, whether the recorded odometer readings move forward consistently over time, whether the vehicle was ever declared a total loss or reported stolen, and whether a lien is still open against it. Recall completion on the exact VIN belongs on that list too.

See the history on this exact Polestar before you pay for it.

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Looking at safety campaigns? Read Polestar recalls: how to check open safety recalls, or run a VIN through the free recall check.

Free VIN decode vs. full vehicle history report

What you learn	TitlePull Report, $9.99 one-time	Free decoder	Other providers
Year, make, model, engine specs	✓	✓	✓ (free)
Title history	✓	No	Varies by provider
Title brands (salvage, flood, lemon)	✓	No	Varies by provider
Odometer readings over time	✓	No	Varies by provider
Theft & total-loss records	✓	No	Varies by provider
Recalls	✓ VIN-specific completion status	Model-level list (free tool)	Varies
Black Book® valuation	✓	No	Often extra
AI summary	✓	No	Rare
Subscription required	Never	Never	Often

Checked the specs? Now check the history.

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Polestar VIN decoder: frequently asked questions

Yes, decoding the 17 characters (year, model, plant, drivetrain) is free using public vPIC data. What a free decode cannot show is title history: salvage or flood brands, theft records, lien activity, and odometer readings. That requires a vehicle history report; TitlePull's NMVTIS-backed report is $9.99 flat with no subscription.

Check the base of the windshield on the driver's side, the driver's door jamb sticker, and your title and insurance documents. All locations should match exactly, any mismatch is a serious red flag for cloning or theft.

LPS is Polestar's World Manufacturer Identifier for vehicles built in China, which covers the Polestar 1 and Polestar 2. The 'L' first character indicates China as the country of manufacture, it does not mean the car is a gray import; US-market Polestar 2s were built there.

Polestar 3 production for North America runs at the Ridgeville, South Carolina plant shared with Volvo. US-built cars carry a US-format VIN; run a free decode to confirm the build plant for any specific car.

No. No title-history report, ours or anyone's, contains battery state-of-health data. Reports show title brands, theft, total-loss and salvage records. For battery condition, request a state-of-health readout from a Polestar service center before buying.

EV repairs cost more (about $950 more than ICE on average, per Mitchell) and rely heavily on OEM parts, while used-EV values fell sharply, so insurers hit the total-loss threshold sooner. That makes a salvage/rebuilt-brand check essential on any used Polestar.

Use Polestar's recall tool or NHTSA.gov/recalls with your 17-character VIN. Note that many Polestar recall remedies are over-the-air software updates, so completion won't appear in dealer service records, verify the software version in the car.

Position 10 letter P = 2023, R = 2024, S = 2025 (letters I, O, Q, U, Z and 0 are never used for model year). Position 10 follows the standard NHTSA year table for all 17-character VINs.

By the TitlePull Team · Published June 7, 2026 · Last updated July 29, 2026 · Fact-checked against NHTSA vPIC

Sources: NHTSA vPIC & 49 CFR Part 565 · NHTSA recall database · NICB theft data · HLDI (Highway Loss Data Institute) · Mitchell · NMVTIS (U.S. Department of Justice).