Was my car assembled in the US? How PlantCountry works

People ask “was my car assembled in the US?” because the OBBBA car-loan interest deduction requires final assembly in the United States.

The IRS Working Families Tax Cuts pages say a qualified vehicle must have undergone final assembly in the United States. The IRS also says the location of final assembly is listed on the vehicle information label, and that taxpayers may rely on the vehicle’s plant of manufacture as reported with the VIN, including NHTSA’s VIN Decoder.

AssemblyAlert is a private checker. It is not NHTSA and not the IRS.

How this site scores PlantCountry

Paste a 17-character VIN on the [homepage decoder](/). The server calls NHTSA vPIC and reads `PlantCountry`.

• Pass only if `PlantCountry === UNITED STATES (USA)` exactly
• Canada, Mexico, Germany, and other countries fail
• Puerto Rico is not a pass
• An empty plant country is unknown, not a pass

Verdict copy stays exact: Passes the US-assembly test / Fails the US-assembly test / Could not determine.

The first-character myth

VIN position 1 is a WMI screen only. Characters 1, 4, and 5 are often assigned to the United States, but they are never the verdict. A BMW VIN that starts with 5 (for example 5UX) can still be assembled in Germany.

Do not treat a leading 1 as “US built.” Check plant country.

What a pass does not mean

A pass is one data check. It does not mean the loan is deductible. Used vehicles, leases, business use, loans originated on or before December 31, 2024, MAGI phaseout, and the $10,000 cap are separate IRS gates. See the checklist and calculators.

The optional $4 card is a dated decode record for a folder, not a government certificate.

Not tax advice. Not affiliated with the IRS or NHTSA. Owned by Record of Sale, LLC.