Country Identification

Nevada 1G Inspectors are required to determine a vehicle’s country-of-origin for the purposes of emissions testing. Many vehicles produced for the non U.S. market never met EPA emissions standards, even when they were new. Before 1981, U.S.-market vehicles had VIN numbers between 11 and 17 characters in length. After 1981, all U.S.-market vehicles were issued a 17- character VIN number. Any more than 17 characters is a sign that the vehicle may have been produced out of the country, and special rules may apply.