Like adult ATVs, you can find an ATV VIN number or Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on Kids ATV.
This is a 17 digit code that is unique to that vehicle – this is particularly useful to know in case your kids ATV is stolen. You can register this number to your address for insurance purposes and if the stolen ATV turns up at a dealer, the authorities can be notified and you can get it back.
This works in reverse also – if you are buying a used ATV for sale, you can check the ATV VIN number and see if it is registered. Sometimes if you see it is filed off or missing, something fishy is going on.
Also it’s good to know your VIN for buying spare parts for the ATV if needed.
So How Do You Locate The ATV VIN Number?
The ATV VIN is usually located on the frame. You’ll need to look under the kids ATV and search for the VIN plate – if you can’t find it one side, obviously search the other!
If you still can’t find it, check on the engine. Some manufacturers put the plate on it’s left side, but be careful you don’t make the mistake of copying the engine serial number down too (yes the engine also has it’s own unique number!).
What Does The 17-Digit VIN Mean?
There is a surprising amount of information on the ATV VIN. Here is a breakdown on what the digit’s refer to:
1st Digit: The Country it was made – 1 or 4 is the United States, 2 is Canada, J is Japan and K is Korea.
2nd Digit: The Manufacturer – P is Polaris, H is for Honda (basically Sesame Street for ATVs!)
3rd Digit: The Vehicle type or division of manufacturer (this can vary)
Digits 4-8: These are for vehicle attributes, such as engine type and body stylings.
9th Digit: This is an interesting one if you’re bit of a nerd like me. For security reasons, the 9th digit is derived mathematically based on the previous 8 numbers in the VIN. It is there to show that the Vehicle Identification number isn’t fake.
10th Digit: Is the Vehicle Year. Kids ATV’s use the same coding structure as adult ATVs, so obviously you wont be buying one from the 70’s but I’ve put it in the full list anyway:
- 1 = 1971
- 2 = 1972
- 3 = 1973
- 4 = 1974
- 5 = 1975
- 6 = 1976
- 7 = 1977
- 8 = 1978
- 9 = 1979
- A = 1980
- B = 1981
- C = 1982
- D = 1983
- E = 1984
- F = 1985
- G = 1986
- H = 1987
- J = 1988
- K = 1989
- L =1990
- M = 1991
- N = 1992
- P = 1993
- R = 1994
- S = 1995
- T = 1996
- V = 1997
- W = 1998
- X = 1999
- Y = 2000
- 1 = 2001
- 2 = 2002
- 3 = 2003
- 4 = 2004
- 5 = 2005
- 6 = 2006
- 7 = 2007
- 8 = 2008
- 9 = 2009
- A = 2010
- B = 2011
- C = 2012
- D = 2013
- E = 2014
- F = 2015
- G = 2016
- H = 2017
- J = 2018
- K = 2019
- L = 2020
- M = 2021
- N = 2022 (etc…)
11th Digit: Plant whereby it was assembled.
Digits 12-17: These define which number the particular ATV is production wise – as in when it came of the assembly line.
And that’s it – not the most interesting topic on Kids ATVs but a useful one to know about!