Hyundai Tucson VIN Decoder: Plant, Trim and Hybrid Codes

A 2022-or-newer Hyundai Tucson VIN tells you where it was built in the first three characters: 5NM for a Tucson from the Alabama plant, KM8 for one from Ulsan, Korea. Position 4 is J for Tucson, position 5 is the trim, position 6 is the body and drive (C for 4x4, 3 for 4x2 on the gas models), and position 8 is the powertrain: E for the 2.5-liter gas engine, 1 for the hybrid and 2 for the plug-in hybrid. Position 10 is the year and position 11 is the plant, H for Alabama or U for Ulsan.

That sounds tidy. It is not, mostly because of position 5. We went through Hyundai's VIN filings for the 2023, 2025 and 2026 Tucson in NHTSA's vPIC library on November 8, 2026, and the same trim letter means different things depending on the year, the plant and whether the car is a hybrid. If you have ever paid for an XRT and found out later it was an SEL, this is the part that would have caught it.

First three characters: Alabama or Korea

Hyundai's 2023 filing lists 5NM as Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, multipurpose vehicle, and KM8 as Hyundai Motor Company in Korea. In that 2023 sheet both plants built the gas Tucson, while the hybrid and plug-in hybrid only appear with KM8 and the Ulsan plant code. The 2026 filing follows the same split: the gas Tucson is listed for Alabama, and the Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid are listed for Ulsan.

Position 11 should agree with the prefix. A 5NM VIN with a U at position 11, or a KM8 with an H, does not match anything in these filings. That is not proof of fraud, since typos happen in listings, but it is a reason to go read the VIN plate on the car yourself. Our plant code guide has more on position 11.

Position 5: the trim letter that keeps moving

This is where buyers get burned. Here is what the filings actually say:

• 2023 gas, Alabama: A SE, B SEL, E Limited, F SEL with Convenience Package.
• 2023 gas, Korea: A SE, B SEL, E Limited, F N Line or XRT.
• 2025 gas, both plants: A SE, B SEL, C SEL Convenience, E Limited, F XRT.
• 2025 Hybrid: B Blue, C SEL Convenience, E Limited, F N Line.
• 2026 Hybrid: A Blue SE, B SEL, C SEL Convenience, E Limited.
• Plug-in Hybrid, 2025 and 2026: B SEL, F Limited.

So an F on a 2023 Alabama Tucson meant SEL with Convenience, the same F on a Korean 2023 meant N Line or XRT, and on a plug-in hybrid F means Limited. If a seller says "it's an XRT" and the VIN is a 2023 5NM with an F, the VIN says SEL Convenience. That is a real price difference, not a rounding error.

One more wrinkle. Hyundai filed a revised 2026 guide in April 2026, and its cover letter says an SEL Plus trim was added to the U.S.-built Tucson and a Night trim to the 2026 Tucson Hybrid. The trim tables in that revision did not come through as readable text for us, so we cannot tell you which letters those trims got. On a late 2026 car, confirm the trim with the window sticker.

Positions 6 to 8: body, restraints, powertrain

Position 6 on the gas models is C for a 4x4 wagon and 3 for a 4x2 wagon. The hybrid tables list C (2023) or D (2025 and 2026) for a 4x4 wagon, and the plug-in hybrid is D, which the filing pairs with a heavier Class D weight rating. Position 7 is the restraint code, explained in a separate restraint table at the back of each filing.

Position 8 is the useful one for value:

• E is the 2.5-liter GDI four. The 2023 Korea table lists 187.6 hp, and the 2026 Alabama table lists 187 hp.
• 1 is the hybrid with the 1.6-liter turbo. The 2026 filing lists 178 hp plus a 47.7 kW motor.
• 2 is the plug-in hybrid, also the 1.6 turbo. The 2026 filing lists 178 hp plus a 72 kW motor.

If a listing says plug-in and position 8 is a 1, you are looking at a regular hybrid. Big difference if you were counting on electric range for a commute.

A worked example

Say a 2023 listing shows a VIN that starts 5NMJBC, then a restraint letter, then E, then the check digit, then PH. Reading it with the 2023 Alabama table: Alabama-built Hyundai MPV, Tucson, SEL, 4x4 wagon, 2.5-liter gas engine, 2023, Alabama plant. Every piece agrees. Change the fifth character to F and it becomes an SEL with the Convenience Package, not an XRT, because XRT only sat under F on the Korean-built 2023 cars.

Year, check digit and a quick cross-check

Position 10 is P for 2023, S for 2025 and T for 2026 in these filings, matching the federal year table in 49 CFR 565.15. Position 9 is the check digit calculated from the other characters, and a single wrong character usually breaks it, which our check digit explainer shows step by step. Run the VIN through NHTSA's free vPIC decoder too. If vPIC and the listing disagree on trim, our wrong-trim guide covers what to trust. For other Hyundai models, start with our Hyundai VIN decoder.

What the VIN will not tell you

The VIN is a build description. It will not show the deer hit, the flood auction or the odometer that went backwards. Run open recalls through Hyundai's recall check by VIN and read our used Tucson buying guide for the generation notes.

A CARFAX straight from CARFAX costs around $39.99 to $44.99 for one report. We are a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, independent of CARFAX, AutoCheck and Experian, and recent pricing here has been about $5.50 for guests, close to $4.50 for members, and roughly $6.75 for both reports. Prices change, so please confirm at checkout. And skip the seller's "clean report" screenshot. Those are easy to fake.

Sources

• Hyundai 2023MY Tucson and Santa Cruz VIN decoding guide (NHTSA vPIC)
• Hyundai 2025MY Tucson VIN decoding guide (NHTSA vPIC)
• Hyundai 2025MY Tucson Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid VIN decoding guide (NHTSA vPIC)
• Hyundai 2026MY Tucson, Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid VIN decoding guide (NHTSA vPIC)
• Hyundai revised 2026MY Tucson VIN guide, April 2026 (NHTSA vPIC)
• eCFR: 49 CFR 565.15, the federal VIN layout
• NHTSA vPIC VIN decoder