Toyota Camry VIN Decoder: Trim, Engine and AWD Codes

To decode a Toyota Camry VIN, start with 4T1, which on every Camry filing we read means Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, and a U in position 11 for the Georgetown plant. Positions 4 through 8 carry the useful stuff. On the previous-generation Camry covered by Toyota's 2019 and 2023 filings, position 4 is a trim letter, position 5 tells you which engine (1 or 6 for the four-cylinder, 3 for the hybrid, Z for the V6) and position 7 tells you two-wheel or all-wheel drive. On a 2026 or 2027 Camry, the VIN only tells you hybrid with front drive or hybrid with AWD, and the trim is gone.

Everything below comes from Toyota's own Camry VIN filings in NHTSA's vPIC library, which we read through on November 8, 2026. The thing that surprised us most: an XSE four-cylinder and an XSE V6 carry the same trim letter, so if you only look at position 4 you can pay V6 money for the smaller engine. We did not pull filings for the 2024 or 2025 model years in that session, so treat those two years as check-it-yourself, and the model-year labels below follow what each filing says.

The 2019 filing: one letter, several cars

Toyota's October 2019 Camry filing, the revision that added the all-wheel-drive versions, shows how much work position 4 is doing. A is L, C is LE, E is LE with the Audio Package and Blind Spot Monitor, G is SE, J is SE with Audio and Blind Spot, K is XSE and F is XLE. Those same letters also get reused. K also shows up as XSE V6, F as XLE V6, and C, E, G, J and F all appear again for the hybrid and AWD versions of the same trims. Letters L, M, N and P are listed with no trim name at all.

So the trim letter alone cannot tell an XSE four-cylinder from an XSE V6. That is the whole job of the next two characters, and honestly it is the first place we would look when a listing feels off.

Position 5 is the engine, position 7 is the drive

In the October 2019 and 2023 filings, position 5 reads like this:

• 1 is the 2.5-liter A25A-FKS four-cylinder, listed at 203 hp in front-drive form and 202 hp with AWD.
• 6 is the same engine in its higher-output tune on the XSE, 206 hp front-drive and 205 hp AWD.
• 3 is the hybrid A25A-FXS with a lithium battery pack, listed at 176 hp for the gas engine alone.
• Z is the 3.5-liter 2GR-FKS V6, listed at 301 hp.

Position 7 then splits the drivetrain: A covers the front-drive cars (the 70-series gas, V6 and hybrid), and B is the 75-series four-wheel drive model. Position 8 is K for Camry in both filings, and position 6 is 1, the restraint code. So a VIN from that 2019 table starting 4T1K61AK would be an XSE with the 206 hp four-cylinder and front drive, while 4T1KZ1AK would be the V6 XSE. Same trim on the sticker, very different car to own.

2023 changed the trim letters again

By the 2023 filing (Toyota's document 23-004-01), the position 4 table looks different. C is still LE, F is still XLE, G is still SE and K is still XSE. What changed is the package letters: R is LE with the Convenience Package, H is LE with Convenience and Audio, T is SE with Convenience and S is SE with Convenience and Audio. B is a newer addition covering an XLE or XSE without the Audio Package but with Convenience Package 3. The engine codes stay 1, 6, 3 and Z, and position 10 is P for 2023.

That reshuffle is the reason we do not trust any one-size Camry decoder table. A letter that means one package in 2020 can mean something else three years later, and nobody updates the forum screenshot.

2026 and 2027: two strings and no trim

The current Camry is hybrid-only, and Toyota's 26MY and 27MY filings are short. Positions 4 to 8 come in exactly two versions. DAACK is the 80-series hybrid with front drive and one motor (1VM). DBADK is the 85-series hybrid with four-wheel drive and a second motor (1VM+1WM). Both list the A25A-FXS 2.5-liter at 184 hp for the engine. There is no gas engine row and no trim column, so the VIN cannot tell you LE from XSE on these. You need the window sticker or the build sheet for that.

The year letter is T for 2026 and V for 2027, both straight out of the federal table in 49 CFR 565.15. One small trivia point from that rule that actually helps: when position 7 is a letter, as it is on every Camry above, the year code is read in the 2010 to 2039 cycle, so an L means 2020 and not 1990.

Cross-check before you trust it

Position 9 is a check digit calculated from the other 16 characters, and a typo usually breaks it. Our check digit explainer shows the math, and the 10th digit guide has the full year table. Then run the VIN through NHTSA's free vPIC decoder, which reads the same Toyota filings, and compare. If the decoder and the listing disagree on engine, believe the decoder and go look at the car.

For other Toyota models with different layouts, our Toyota VIN decoder guide covers the rest of the lineup.

What a clean decode still does not tell you

The VIN describes how the Camry left Kentucky. It does not mention the flood, the Uber years or the rear-end hit. Check open recalls first with Toyota's recall lookup by VIN, then read the generation notes in our used Camry buying guide. A history report fills in title brands, odometer readings and reported damage.

If you buy it straight from CARFAX, one report runs roughly $39.99 to $44.99. We are a licensed reseller of both CARFAX and AutoCheck reports, not part of either company or of Experian, and lately a guest report here has been around $5.50, about $4.50 for members and around $6.75 for the pair. Prices move, so confirm at checkout. And please do not accept a "clean report" PDF the seller emailed you. We have seen edited ones. Pull your own off the VIN you just decoded.

Sources

• Toyota Camry / Camry Hybrid VIN coding system, October 2019 (NHTSA vPIC)
• Toyota 23MY Camry VIN coding system, No. 23-004-01 (NHTSA vPIC)
• Toyota 26MY Camry VIN coding system (NHTSA vPIC)
• Toyota 27MY Camry VIN coding system (NHTSA vPIC)
• 49 CFR 565.15: VIN content, check digit and year codes
• NHTSA vPIC VIN decoder