smart VIN Decoder: WME fortwo Codes, Gas vs Electric, Recalls

A U.S. smart fortwo VIN starts with WME, the code vPIC files under Mercedes-Benz Cars, and every sample we decoded came back from the Hambach plant in France with a K in position 11. Position 10 is the model year. In our patterns, a 4th-position E lined up with the 2008-2015 cars and an F with 2016-2018, and positions 6 and 7 separated the gas cars from the electric ones. The fortwo was the only smart sold here, and the brand left the U.S. after the 2019 model year, so parts, battery health and open recalls matter more than the decode.

We ran smart patterns through NHTSA's free vPIC decoder on October 14, 2026. Car and Driver reported that smart arrived in the U.S. in 2008 and sold nearly 25,000 fortwos in its first year, dropped the gas car in 2017 to sell only the electric one, sold just 1,276 cars here in 2018, and pulled out after the 2019 model year over homologation costs and slow sales. The Verge said owners would keep getting service and parts through smart and Mercedes-Benz dealers. If the 17 positions are new to you, start with how to decode a VIN, and keep our Mercedes VIN decoder open, since smart sat under the same parent.

What our decodes showed by year

The gas cars are easy to spot. Our 2008, 2011 and 2014 coupe patterns starting WMEEJ3 all decoded to a 1.0-liter three-cylinder, and our 2016 coupe pattern starting WMEFJ5 came back with a 0.9-liter three from the newer generation. The electric cars start differently. A 2015 coupe starting WMEEJ9 decoded as the Electric Drive, a 2014 starting WMEEK9 as an Electric Drive cabriolet, a 2017 starting WMEFJ9 as an electric coupe with the M780 motor, and a 2018 starting WMEFK9 came back as an "EQ Fortwo" cabriolet. In our samples a J in position 5 was a coupe and a K was a cabriolet.

Treat those letters as a pattern from our samples, not a factory chart. And read the extra fields with some suspicion. Our 2017 electric pattern came back with a "Manual/Standard" transmission, which makes no sense for a battery-electric car. If the decode says electric and the seller says gas, or the other way around, believe the car in front of you and the charge port, then ask why the paperwork disagrees.

Positions 9-11: check digit, year and plant

Position 9 is the check digit defined in 49 CFR 565.15, and a cloned VIN copied from a real car still passes it. Year codes in our samples ran 8 for 2008, B for 2011, E for 2014, F for 2015, G for 2016, H for 2017 and J for 2018. The plant was K for Hambach on every U.S. pattern we tried. Car and Driver says only the electric car was sold here starting in 2017, so a fortwo with a J or K in position 10 (2018 or 2019) that a seller calls gas-powered deserves a hard second look.

Recalls on a smart VIN

The smart recall file is short, and some of it covers very few cars. 18V-273 covers 2008-2009 fortwo coupes and cabrios whose rear engine bay insulation mat can deform and touch hot exhaust parts, and it is the big one at 42,781 cars by NHTSA's count. 17V-448 covers 2016 fortwos whose parking brake cable lock nut can loosen, and 17V-447 covers 110 2017 cars with a left front steering knuckle from a bad casting batch. 08V-390 covered 43 early 2008 cars with frame paint that could peel. And 20V-107 covered exactly one 2019 electric car with a weld in the high-voltage battery that could detach and arc. Run the VIN through our Mercedes-Benz recall check by VIN post, since Mercedes-Benz USA filed these.

Battery, history and price

On an electric fortwo, the battery is most of the value. The Verge listed the 2019 car's range at 58 miles when it was new, so an older battery that has lost some of that is a real problem for a commuter. Our post on used EV battery health on CARFAX covers what a report can and cannot tell you. Look, a decode will not show a salvage brand, a flood title or a rollback, and a tiny car with a low price is exactly where a rebuilt title hides. CARFAX says its reports draw on title, odometer, ownership and accident records. As of mid October 2026, a CARFAX report through us runs about $5.50 as a guest or about $4.50 as a member, and a CARFAX plus AutoCheck bundle is about $6.75, versus roughly $39.99 to $44.99 at retail. Confirm at checkout. We are a licensed CARFAX and AutoCheck reseller, not affiliated with CARFAX, AutoCheck, or Experian. If a city car is what you want and the smart file worries you, our MINI VIN decoder is the next stop.

Sources

• NHTSA vPIC VIN Decoder
• Car and Driver: smart discontinued in the U.S.
• The Verge: Daimler ends smart sales in the U.S. and Canada
• 49 CFR 565.15 VIN requirements
• NHTSA: recall 18V-273 (insulation mat)
• NHTSA: recall 17V-448 (parking brake)
• NHTSA: recall 20V-107 (battery weld)
• CARFAX: Vehicle History Reports