Audi VIN Decoder: How to Read an Audi VIN (WAU, WA1, TRU)

An Audi VIN starts with WAU on Audi cars and WA1 on Audi SUVs, and NHTSA's decoder also lists TRU for Audi cars built in Hungary (the TT patterns we tested). Positions 4-8 carry the model line, body and engine details, 9 is the check digit, 10 is the model year, and 11 is the plant. The plant letter is where the useful surprises are: an A4 from Neckarsulm, a Q5 from Mexico and a Q7 from Slovakia all start with a German code. Decode it, then run recalls and a history report before you pay.

We ran 16 Audi patterns through NHTSA's free vPIC decoder on October 12, 2026, mostly because used Audi listings love to say "German-built" about cars that were not. Audi shares platforms and engines with other Volkswagen Group brands, but the codes are its own; the VW side is in our Volkswagen VIN decoder. If you are new to the 17 positions, start with how to decode a VIN and come back.

Positions 1-3: WAU, WA1, TRU and the Audi Sport codes

vPIC's manufacturer table lists five Audi world manufacturer identifiers. WAU covers Audi AG passenger cars and WA1 covers its SUVs, both registered to Germany. TRU is Audi AG passenger cars from Hungary, and WUA and WU1 belong to Audi Sport GmbH (the RS-badged cars and SUVs). What trips people up is that the WMI points at the company's registration, and the plant can be somewhere else. A 2019 Q5 pattern starting WA1BNAFY decoded to San Jose Chiapa, Mexico. A 2015 A3 sedan starting WAUAUGFF came back as built in Gyor, Hungary, even though it carries WAU. A 2016 TT starting TRUC5AFV also decoded to Gyor. So do not read "W" as a promise about where the car was screwed together.

Positions 4-8: model, trim and a thin engine field

The middle block tells you the model line, body, drive and engine, and vPIC reads it back as Model, Trim and Engine. A 2017 pattern starting WAUENAF4 returned an A4 quattro Premium Plus with a 2.0-liter four. A 2019 A6 starting WAUL2AF2 returned a 3.0-liter V6 quattro Premium Plus, and a 2017 Q7 starting WA1LAAF7 returned the same 3.0 V6 trim. A 2019 e-tron starting WA1VAAGE came back as an e-tron quattro Prestige, battery electric. Honestly, Audi's data in vPIC is thinner on engine codes than GM's: most of our patterns returned only displacement and cylinder count, and one 2022 A6 pattern returned "55 TFSI (3.0T)". Two older patterns came back with no model at all, plus a note that vPIC could not read some characters from the manufacturer's submission. A blank model field on an Audi does not prove a fake VIN by itself. It means you check the door-jamb label and the window sticker the way we describe in how to find and verify a VIN.

Positions 9-11: check digit, year and plant

Position 9 is the check digit defined in 49 CFR 565.15. A typo usually fails it, but a cloned VIN lifted off a real Audi passes, so a valid check digit is the floor. Position 10 is the model year (F was 2015, H was 2017, J was 2018 and K was 2019 in our runs). Position 11 is the plant. In our decodes, N was Neckarsulm (A4 and A6), A was Ingolstadt (a 2018 A5 Sportback), 1 was Gyor (A3, Q3 and TT), D was Bratislava, Slovakia (Q7 and a 2019 Q8), 2 was San Jose Chiapa, Mexico (Q5 and SQ5), and B was Brussels (the first e-tron). If a seller insists their Q5 came from Ingolstadt and position 11 says 2, the VIN wins that argument.

Recalls that follow Audi VINs

Run the full VIN for open recalls; campaigns are tied to build dates, not just model years. A few we confirmed in NHTSA filings this week. Recall 17V-001 covers 2011-2017 Q5s, about 234,000 of them, where the sunroof drains can soak the foam around the side head airbag inflator, corrode the canister and let the inflator fracture and throw fragments. Recall 17V-298 covers gasoline 2013-2017 Q5 and Q7 models whose fuel pump flange may crack and leak fuel. Recall 20V-149 is small (229 vehicles) but nasty: a steering shaft bolt on certain 2017-2019 Q7 and 2019 Q8 SUVs may loosen. And recall 23V-867 covers about 26,900 e-tron and e-tron Sportback models from 2019-2022 whose high-voltage battery modules may overheat; dealers add diagnostic software and replace modules as needed. Our used EV battery recalls guide covers what to ask on a used e-tron.

Look, a Q5 with a leaky sunroof drain history and an open 17V-001 is a car we would walk away from until the dealer paperwork shows the inspection was done. Ask for the repair order, not a verbal "it's handled."

After the decode: history, and what it costs

For generation context, Car and Driver's Q5 page is a decent start, and IIHS Q5 ratings change by model year, so check the year you are buying. Cross-shopping a BMW? Our BMW VIN decoder works the same way. None of this shows salvage brands, odometer gaps, auction damage or insurance claims. Those come from DMV, insurer, auction and shop records, which CARFAX describes as the basis of its reports. Pull your own; seller PDFs get edited. As of mid October 2026, a CARFAX report through us is about $5.50 as a guest or about $4.50 as a member, and a CARFAX plus AutoCheck bundle is about $6.75, against roughly $39.99 to $44.99 at retail. Prices move, so confirm at checkout. We are a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, or Experian.

Sources

• NHTSA vPIC VIN Decoder
• 49 CFR 565.15 VIN requirements
• NHTSA: Audi recall report 17V-001 (Q5 side airbag inflator)
• NHTSA: Audi recall report 17V-298 (Q5/Q7 fuel pump flange)
• NHTSA: Audi recall report 23V-867 (e-tron battery modules)
• Car and Driver: Audi Q5
• IIHS: Audi Q5 ratings
• CARFAX: Vehicle History Reports