To decode a Honda CR-V VIN, read the first three characters for the factory, then treat positions 4 through 8 as one five-character model code: RW1 or RW2 is a gas CR-V from the 2019-2022 filings in 2WD or 4WD, RT6 is the hybrid in the 2021 and 2022 filings, and RS3 through RS6 are the current generation. The last two characters of that code are the trim, and Honda has reused the same digits for different trims across generations. Position 10 is the year and position 11 is the plant.
That reuse is why so many CR-V listings get the trim wrong. "H5" was an EX on a 2019, and it is a Sport Hybrid on a 2025. If you read the code against the wrong year's chart, you will pay EX-L money for an EX. Everything below comes from Honda's own VIN filings with NHTSA, which we went through on November 8, 2026: the 2019, 2021 hybrid, 2022, 2025 and 2027 CR-V submissions in NHTSA's vPIC library.
How Honda lays out the 17 characters
Honda's filings print the pattern as AAA BBBBB C D E FFFFFF. AAA is the World Manufacturer Identifier, BBBBB is the model code, C is the check digit calculated under 49 CFR 565.15, D is the model year, E is the plant and the last six are the production serial. Most brands spread body, trim and engine across separate positions. Honda packs them into one model code and publishes a lookup table per model year, so you cannot decode a CR-V by memorizing letters the way you can with some Detroit brands.
For the CR-V, the 2027 filing lists three WMIs: 5J6 and 7FA, both Honda Development and Manufacturing of America, and 2HK, Honda of Canada Mfg. The plant letters on that filing are L for East Liberty, Ohio, E for Greensburg, Indiana, and H for Alliston, Ontario. The 2019 filing shows the same three prefixes under the company names Honda used then, Honda of America Mfg. and Honda Mfg., Indiana.
2019: the LX is the odd one out
On the 2019 filing, the gas CR-V EX, EX-L and Touring are RW1H5, RW1H8 and RW1H9 in 2WD and RW2H5, RW2H8 and RW2H9 in 4WD. Those use the 1.5-liter turbo, listed at 190 hp. The LX is different: RW5H3 for 2WD and RW6H3 for 4WD, with a 2.4-liter non-turbo engine listed at 184 hp. So if a 2019 "LX" has an RW1 code, either the trim or the VIN in the ad is wrong. It also matters for the oil dilution complaints on the 1.5T, covered in our Honda 1.5T oil dilution check, which a 2.4-liter LX is not part of.
2021-2022: LX on the turbo, hybrid in the mix
By the 2021 and 2022 filings, the LX had moved onto the turbo engine and the RW1/RW2 family, coded RW1H2 and RW2H2. The 2022 filing adds a Special Edition as RW1H7 and RW2H7. The hybrid showed up as RT6: RT6H5 for EX, RT6H8 for EX-L and RT6H9 for Touring, all 4WD, with the LFB2 engine listed at 143 hp plus a 181 hp motor. A "2WD hybrid" from these years does not match any code in those filings, so ask questions.
2025 onward: new letters, same trap
The current CR-V uses RS codes. On the 2025 and 2027 filings, RS3 is gas 2WD and RS4 is gas 4WD, with H2 for LX, H4 for EX and H7 for EX-L, all on the 1.5-liter turbo. The hybrid is RS5 in 2WD and RS6 in 4WD, with H5 for Sport Hybrid, H8 for Sport-L and H9 for Sport Touring, using the 2.0-liter LFC3 listed at 145 hp with a 135 kW motor. The 2027 filing adds RS6H6, a TrailSport Hybrid, which only appears in 4WD. GVWR class shifts too: the gas models are class C, 4,001 to 5,000 pounds, and the hybrids class D, 5,001 to 6,000.
Look at what happened to H7. On a 2022 it is a Special Edition. On a 2025 it is an EX-L. Same two characters, different trucks. So always pair the model code with the year character before you trust any trim.
One quick sanity test before any of that: the ninth character. It is a check digit computed from the other 16 characters with the weights and table in 49 CFR 565.15, so a single mistyped character in a listing will usually make the VIN fail the math. When a free decoder throws an error instead of a trim, a typo in the ad is the first thing to rule out. Edmunds runs a free VIN lookup for basic specs, and NHTSA's own decoder works too, but neither replaces reading Honda's chart for the right year.
Year and plant
The tenth character follows the federal table that Honda reprints in every filing: K is 2019, L 2020, M 2021, N 2022, P 2023, R 2024, S 2025, T 2026 and V 2027. The eleventh is the plant from the list above. A CR-V with a plant letter that Honda never listed for that model year is a reason to stop and check the VIN on the dash, door jamb and title against each other.
After the decode
A clean decode proves the factory build, not the life since. So, run the VIN through NHTSA's free recall search (our Honda recall check guide shows how), then pull a history report for title brands, odometer readings and accident records. The used CR-V buying guide covers the test drive, the broader Honda VIN decoder covers other models, and if a free decoder site shows the wrong trim, here is why that happens.
A word on price, because coupon pages love $1 trial reports that roll into a monthly charge; Edmunds tested one that bills $27.99 a month after the trial. CARFAX's own price for one report has run about $39.99 to $44.99 lately; Edmunds saw $44.99 in June 2026. We are a licensed reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck or Experian. Our guest price has been about $5.50, roughly $4.50 for members and around $6.75 for the two-report bundle. Confirm at checkout, since it changes.
Sources
- Honda 2027 CR-V and CR-V Hybrid VIN filing, June 4, 2026 (via NHTSA vPIC)
- Honda 2025 CR-V and CR-V Hybrid VIN filing, February 14, 2024 (via NHTSA vPIC)
- Honda 2022 CR-V and CR-V Hybrid VIN filing (via NHTSA vPIC)
- Honda 2021 CR-V Hybrid VIN filing update, November 11, 2020 (via NHTSA vPIC)
- Honda 2019 CR-V model code filing (via NHTSA vPIC)
- 49 CFR 565.15: VIN requirements and check digit
- Edmunds: CARFAX and AutoCheck pricing, June 2026
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