Golf Cart Serial Number Lookup
Decode your Club Car, E-Z-GO, or Yamaha serial number to instantly find the model year, model line, and likely voltage. Free, no sign-up.
Club Car: 2 letters + year digits (front dash / under seat).
Always confirm against the VIN/ID plate on your cart before buying parts.
Three steps to your model year
The decoder does the reading for you, but knowing where the plate is and which code to type in is half the job.
Find the plate
Locate the serial plate for your brand (see the location table below). E-Z-GO owners: note there are two codes on that plate.
Pick your brand & type the code
Select Club Car, E-Z-GO, or Yamaha above. The label and placeholder update to show exactly what to enter for that brand.
Read the result
Hit Decode Serial to get the model, model year (or production range), and likely voltage instantly.
Where to find your golf cart serial number
Before you can decode anything, you have to find the plate. Each brand hides it in a few predictable places:
| Brand | Primary location | Other locations |
|---|---|---|
| Club Car | Passenger-side dash / glovebox (Precedent, Onward, Tempo) | Under the driver seat on DS models; on the frame below the dash |
| E-Z-GO | Plate under the glovebox (passenger side) | Driver-side frame rail on RXV; both serial and manufacturer’s code are on this plate |
| Yamaha | Under the seat where the floorboard meets the engine bay | Under the driver-side glovebox; under the rear bumper on older G-series |
How the decoder reads a Club Car serial
Modern Club Cars (Precedent, Onward, Tempo) use a 12-character serial in the format two model letters + two-digit year + two-digit production week + six digits. So PH0908123456 is a 2009 Precedent built in the 8th week of the year. Older DS models use a single prefix letter followed by the two-digit year (A00… = 2000).
| Prefix | Model | Typical voltage |
|---|---|---|
| PD | Precedent i2L / Excel | 48V |
| PH | Precedent i2 / Excel | 48V |
| PG / PR / PQ | Precedent (various trims) | 36V or 48V |
| RG / RH | Onward / Tempo | 48V |
| A–Z (single letter) + digits | DS | 36V or 48V |
The voltage is not encoded in the serial. The fastest way to confirm it is to count the batteries: six 6-volt batteries is 36V, six 8-volt or four 12-volt is 48V. The 36V vs 48V guide explains the difference in detail.
How the decoder reads an E-Z-GO serial and manufacturer’s code
E-Z-GO is the brand that trips people up. The long serial number does not contain the year. Instead, look on the same plate for the shorter manufacturer’s code, one letter followed by a few digits, like F398. The letter is the build month and the last two digits are the model year, so F398 = June 1998. That is the code the decoder above wants when you select E-Z-GO.
E-Z-GO month-letter codes
| Letter | Month | Letter | Month |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | January | G | July |
| B | February | H | August |
| C | March | I | September |
| D | April | J | October |
| E | May | K | November |
| F | June | L | December |
E-Z-GO model lines by era
| Model | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marathon | 1981–1994 | 36V or gas; earliest modern E-Z-GO |
| Medalist | 1994–1995 | Transitional model before TXT |
| TXT | 1996–present | 36V then 48V (2008+); DCS/PDS drive systems |
| RXV | 2008–present | 48V AC drive; regenerative braking |
How the decoder reads a Yamaha serial
Yamaha serials begin with J, followed by two characters, a dash, and six digits. The first three characters are the model code that identifies both the model and its production years:
| Prefix | Model | Years | Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| J10–J31 | G1 | 1979–1986 | Gas / Electric |
| J38, J41, JA2, J55, J56 | G2 | 1985–1991 | Gas / Electric |
| JF2, JF3 | G8 | 1990–1994 | Gas / Electric |
| JG5, JG6, JH7 | G9 | 1991–1995 | Gas / Electric |
| JN3 / JN4 | G14 | 1995–1996 | Gas / Electric |
| JN6 / JN8 | G16 | 1996–2002 | Gas / Electric |
| JR1 | G19 | 1996–2002 | Electric (48V) |
| JU0 / JU2 | G22 G-Max | 2003–2004 | Gas / Electric |
| JW1, JW8 / JW9 | G29 “The Drive” | 2007–2016 | Gas / Electric |
| J0B / J0C | Drive2 | 2017–present | Gas / Electric |
Because Yamaha encodes the model rather than an exact build year, you get a tight production range rather than a single year. If your prefix is not in this list it may be a utility (G11, G20, G21, U-MAX) or a specialty model such as the Adventurer or Concierge series, the decoder tool above covers those too.
Golf cart model-year milestones at a glance
When a plate is faded or missing, the big body-style changes are reliable reference points for narrowing the year:
- Club Car: DS body 1981–2003, Precedent from 2004, Onward 2017, Tempo 2018.
- E-Z-GO: Marathon to Medalist in 1994, TXT from 1996, RXV from 2008.
- Yamaha: G-series through the G29 “The Drive” (2007–2016), then Drive2 from 2017.
Why your golf cart’s year matters
Carts look nearly identical across many model years, but the parts underneath change constantly. A controller, charger receptacle, or front cowl that fits a 2010 cart may not fit a 2014 of the same model. Decoding the year is the single best way to order the right part the first time, and when buying used, it is the only reliable way to verify a seller’s claim about the cart’s age. For a full walk-through, read our guide on what year your golf cart is, compare brands in the big three golf cart brands breakdown, or browse every how-to in our repair guides library. For carts with a missing plate, manufacturers like Club Car can look up a vehicle by VIN.