Determine a Car's Make and Model

Determining the make and model of a car can be confusing since there are over 60 car companies around the globe. Some of these brands even have sub-brands. This guide will take you step by step in determining the make and model of any car with 4 different methods: examining the exterior, the interior, the manufacturer sticker, and the VIN number.

Steps

Examining the Exterior of the Car

  1. Examine the front of the car. Most cars have a logo in the front that some times will simply spell out the make of the vehicle.
  2. Examine the rear of the vehicle. Most cars have the model of the car spelled out on one side with the make on the other or in the center.
  3. Examine the center caps of the wheels. If you still were unable to find the car companie's logo, it sometimes can be found in the center cap of the wheels.

Examining the Interior of the Car

  1. Examine the steering wheel. Most cars have the companie's logo here.
  2. Examine the door sill. This part is hidden when the door is closed, which makes it easy to overlook.
  3. Examine the floormats.
  4. Examine the headrests.
  5. Examine the owner's manual. If there are no logos found, or the logos do not simply spell out the make or model, the owner's manual should state the make and model either on the cover, inside the cover, or in the introduction.
  6. Examine the vehicle's registration. The registration will have all information about the vehicle printed on it.

Finding the Manufacturer Sticker

  1. Examine the door jam. Here you should find a sticker with more information about the vehicle and the manufactuer. You can even find recommended tire pressures and other information here. This may also reveal that the vehicle was manufactured by a different company, or it is part of a sub-brand.

Find the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)

  1. Examine the driver side corner of the windshield from the exterior of the car to find the 17-digit VIN.
  2. If the VIN could not be found, examine the sticker in the door jam. You should find the VIN here as well, along with a scannable bar code.
  3. Examine the driver door. The VIN should be stamped on the end of the driver door.
  4. Search online for a "VIN decoder" and type in your VIN. You should be presented with the car's make and model, along with much more information such as the original color, model year, and options that the car was originally equiped with.

Tips

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