PROVIDENCE, R.I. ( WPRI — The new tariffs introduced by the Trump administration might increase the cost of cars made outside the U.S., causing many people to question: Does this affect my imported vehicle?
President Donald Trump recently made an announcement A 25% tax on every imported car And including components utilized in American assembly facilities. He asserted that this step would enhance local production and yield an annual economic impact of $100 billion.
However, according to the Associated Press These tariffs create complexities for U.S. automakers, dealerships, mechanics, and even insurance companies.
How can I determine if my vehicle is an import?
According to the 2025 American Automotive Labeling Act (AALA), numerous vehicles will be impacted by the new tariffs. list which details:
- The portion of a vehicle manufactured in the U.S. or Canada
- Where the last assembly happened
- The beginnings of the engine and transmission
- The portion of components originating from other continents
[See the complete list at the end of this article.]
Locating your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
To find out whether your vehicle was imported from another country or contains components manufactured abroad, inspect its Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). Despite appearing as an arbitrary sequence of alphabets and digits, this set of 17 characters encodes detailed information about the automobile, as explained by the system. U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
Where can you locate your VIN?
Several locations usually contain the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) in a vehicle:
- Dashboard: Bottom-left corner of the windscreen (driver's side)
- Engine block: Lift up the hood and inspect the front.
- Driver’s side door: Near the latch
- Vehicle documents: Registration or insurance paperwork
Decoding your VIN
The first character The VIN indicates where your vehicle was assembled:
- 1, 4, 5: USA
- 2: Canada
- 3: Mexico
- 6: Australia
- 7: New Zealand
- 8, 9: South America
- A-H: Africa
- J-R: Asia
- S-Z: Europe
The second character pinpoints the maker (such as Ford, Toyota, etc.), whilst the third shows the kind of vehicle (car, truck, bus, etc.) remaining characters offer specifics regarding the model, displacement volume of the engine, security identification number, manufacturing year, and production facility.
Here is the complete 2025 AALA list below:
To get detailed information, input your VIN into the NHTSA’s website. Free online vehicle identification number (VIN) decoding tool to view the precise assembly site and production information.
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