4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY MARQUES · DEFENDER · CHASSIS NUMBERS

Marque · Defender · chassis numbers

Land Rover Defender chassis numbers

The One Ten, Ninety and Defender were only ever numbered by VIN. The code tables are on the right; the serial runs on rather than resetting per model, and the documented numbers below fix the run. [1][2][3][4][5]

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2NUMBERING SCHEMES4SEQUENCES LISTED209VEHICLES IN THE REGISTRY5SOURCES

Where to find it

Behind the left-hand front corner of the windscreen; stamped on the plate riveted to the brake pedal box in the engine bay; stamped on the right-hand chassis rail forward of the front spring turret.

How to read it

1983–201617-character VIN
  • 1–3 SAL (Europe, United Kingdom, Land Rover)
  • 4–5 LD = Ninety, One Ten, 127 and Defender
  • 6 class: A = 88/100-inch, C = 109-inch and 1-ton, H = 110-inch (and 147), K = 127-inch (130), V = 92.9-inch (Ninety/Defender 90), M = special, S = military 110 (the Land Rover FAQ's list; LR Workshop reads A/B/C as 90/110/130 heavy-duty and W as 90 heavy-duty — the two decoders disagree on the later letters, so treat the class letter with the body and serial)
  • 7 body: A = truck cab, soft top or hard top, B = 3-door station wagon, D = commercial, E = 2-door crew cab (export), F = 4-door crew cab, H = high-capacity pick-up (some carry A), M = 5-door station wagon, R = single-cab pick-up, S = double-cab pick-up, Y = 4-door utility station wagon
  • 8 engine: B = 2.5 turbo diesel (19J), C = 2.5 diesel (12J), D = 2.5 petrol (17H), F = 200Tdi/300Tdi, G = 2.25 diesel, H = 2.25 petrol, L = 3.5 V8 EFi, M = 3.9/4.0 V8, P = 2.6 six-cylinder, V = 3.5 V8 carburettor, Y = 2.0 T16, 1/5/7/8 = Td5 (EU1, EU3, non-EU, EGR), 6 = Tdi with EGR/cat, N/S/T/W = 2.4 TDCi (military, EU4, ROW, military ROW), P/R = 2.2 TDCi (EU5, ROW), 9 = 2.8 BMW six (South Africa), Z = 3.9 Isuzu (Australia)
  • 9 transmission: 1 = RHD 4-speed LT95, 2 = LHD 4-speed, 3 = RHD automatic, 4 = LHD automatic, 5/6 = RHD/LHD 4-speed with overdrive, 7 = RHD 5-speed LT77/LT85/R380 (6-speed MT82 from 2007), 8 = LHD 5/6-speed
  • 10 model year: A = 1983–84, B = 1985–87, C = 1986, D = 1987, E = 1988, F = 1989, G = 1990, H = 1991, J = 1992, K = 1993, L = 1994, M = 1995, T = 1996, V = 1997, W = 1998, X = 1999, Y = 2000, 1–9 = 2001–2009, A = 2010, B = 2011, C = 2012, D = 2013, E = 2014, F = 2015, G = 2016 (the code cycles)
  • 11 plant: A = Solihull, B = Solihull military, F = CKD, V = South Africa, Y = Australia, with C Zimbabwe, D Thailand, J Malaysia, K Kenya, N Morocco, P Pakistan, T Brazil, W Turkey for CKD assembly
  • 12–17 serial
1987–2016, North America17-character VIN, SAE form
For the US the descriptor is coded to SAE rules: 4 D = 90 and 110, 5 = emissions and wheelbase (H = NAS 110, V = 49-state NAS 90, X = 50-state NAS 90), 6 body (1 = 5-door hard top, 2 = 2-door soft top, 3 = 3-door hard top), 7 engine (1 = 3.5 V8, 2 = 3.9/4.0 V8), 8 transmission and weight class, 9 = check digit, 10 = year (P = 1993, R = 1994, S = 1995, T = 1996, V = 1997), 11 plant, 12–17 serial.

Prefixes at a glance

Prefix or codeMeans
SALEurope · United Kingdom · Land Rover
LDNinety, One Ten, 127 and Defender
Class V / H / K90 / 110 / 127–130
Body A / B / M / H / Futility · 3-door SW · 5-door SW · high-capacity pick-up · double cab
Engine V · L/M · B/C/D · F · 1–8 · N/S · P/R3.5 V8 carb · V8 EFi · 2.5 TD/D/petrol · Tdi · Td5 · 2.4 TDCi · 2.2 TDCi
Year letterA 1983–84 … G 1990 … Y 2000, 1–9 = 2001–09, A–G = 2010–16
Plant A / B / F / V / YSolihull · Solihull military · CKD · South Africa · Australia
Serial173075 (Oct 1982) → 244630 (1985) → 473395 (2,000,000th, 2015) → 490328 (last, Jan 2016)

Reading a number

SALLDHAV1AA173075
LD One Ten, H 110-inch, A utility body (a high-capacity pick-up carrying A), V 3.5 V8 carburettor, 1 RHD four-speed, A model year 1983–84, A Solihull, serial 173075 — the Dunsfold Collection's pre-production Hi-Cap.
SALLDHMV7BA244630
110-inch (H), five-door station wagon (M), V8 carburettor (V), RHD five-speed (7), model year B (1985), Solihull — sold by Bonhams.
SALLD · V · B · F · 7 · G · A · ······
The form of a 1990 Defender 90: V for the 90, B three-door station wagon, F 200Tdi, 7 RHD five-speed, G model year 1990, A Solihull.

Documented numbers along the sequence

There is no published factory table of Ninety/One Ten/Defender serials by year; these fix the run.

SpecificationHome RHDExport LHDExport RHDCKD LHDCKD RHD
Pre-production One-Ten Hi-Cap, built October 1982 (Dunsfold Collection)SALLDHAV1AA173075————
One Ten V8 station wagon, 1985 (Bonhams)SALLDHMV7BA244630————
Two-millionth Defender, 2015serial 473395————
Last Solihull Defender, 29 January 2016 (no. 2,016,933)serial 490328————

Sources

  1. 1Chassis numbering — synopsis of the chassis/serial numbering scheme and the VINLand Rover FAQ (Dixon Kenner, Ottawa Valley Land Rovers) · accessed 2026-09-21
  2. 2Land Rover VIN decoder — Ninety, One Ten, Defender and Series III codesLR Workshop · accessed 2026-09-21
  3. 3Are Defender chassis (VIN) numbers incremental?LR Workshop · accessed 2026-09-21
  4. 41982 pre-production Land Rover One-Ten HCPU (chassis SALLDHAV1AA173075)The Dunsfold Collection · accessed 2026-09-21
  5. 51985 Land Rover One-Ten, VIN SALLDHMV7BA244630Bonhams · accessed 2026-09-21

The sequences are the factory manuals' first numbers as the clubs and the Land Rover FAQ transcribe them; a blank cell means no numbers are recorded for that specification. Registry research, not a factory record — check a vehicle's plate and its build record (British Motor Museum Heritage Certificate) before relying on a range. Corrections through the suggestion form.