A TecDoc ID is an identifier TecDoc assigns to something in its vehicle hierarchy — a make, model, or specific variant. In practice, when people say "TecDoc ID" they almost always mean the Type ID: the identifier for one exact vehicle variant, such as a specific engine and production-year combination of a model.

What is a TecDoc Type ID?

The Type ID is the fourth and most specific level of TecDoc's vehicle hierarchy (Make → Model → Type → Engine). It identifies one distinct vehicle variant — for example, a particular engine size and power output of a model built within a specific production date range. Fitment records in TecDoc are linked to Type IDs, not just to a model name and year, which is why the Type ID is the identifier that actually determines which parts fit.

Is TecDoc ID the same as K-Type?

Yes, for practical purposes. "K-Type" (or KType) is TecDoc's own internal name for the Type-level vehicle identifier. When a tool, API, or parts lookup form asks for a "TecDoc ID" or a "K-Type," it is asking for the same thing: the ID for one specific vehicle variant.

How do I find my vehicle's TecDoc ID?

The most common way is a TecDoc-based vehicle search tool: enter make, model, and engine/year details, and it resolves to the matching Type ID (K-Type). Some tools accept a VIN or a license plate number directly and resolve the TecDoc ID automatically, since the VIN already encodes the exact build specification needed to identify it.

What is linkageTargetType in TecDoc?

linkageTargetType is a separate classification that categorizes which general vehicle class a K-Type belongs to — for example, passenger cars versus commercial vehicles. It's used alongside the K-Type ID in TecDoc API calls to correctly scope a parts search, but it identifies a vehicle category, not a specific vehicle the way K-Type does.

What Is a TecDoc ID? TecDoc Type ID (K-Type) Explained

"TecDoc ID" gets used loosely, but when someone asks for one — in a parts lookup form, an API call, or a spec sheet — there's almost always one specific thing they actually need: the identifier for one exact vehicle variant. TecDoc's own name for it is K-Type.

A TecDoc ID — in practice, the Type ID, also called K-Type — identifies one specific vehicle variant in TecDoc's catalog: a particular engine, power output, and production-date range of a model. It is the identifier fitment records are actually linked to, which is why it's the ID that determines whether a part fits.

Where the TecDoc ID sits in the vehicle hierarchy

TecDoc organizes vehicles in a four-level hierarchy: Make → Model → Type → Engine. Each level has its own ID, but the one that matters for fitment is the Type level — this is the K-Type. It's the level specific enough to distinguish a 2018 Corolla 1.8 Hybrid from a 2018 Corolla 1.6 Petrol: same make, same model, same year, different K-Type, different parts.

Make and Model IDs are useful for browsing and navigation. They are not specific enough to determine fitment on their own — that's what the K-Type is for. For the full breakdown of how the vehicle and parts catalogs link together, see our TecDoc Explained guide.

K-Type, explained plainly

K-Type is TecDoc's internal term for the Type-level vehicle identifier — the ID assigned to one specific engine/production-date variant of a model. If a tool, form, or API asks for a "TecDoc ID," a "Type ID," or a "K-Type," it's asking for the same number.

Alongside K-Type, TecDoc's API also uses a separate value called linkageTargetType, which classifies the general category the K-Type belongs to — passenger cars and commercial vehicles are the two categories in active use. This is a coarser classification than K-Type itself: linkageTargetType tells you what kind of vehicle you're dealing with, K-Type tells you exactly which one.

Why the specific K-Type matters, not just the model name

Two vehicles that look identical on a listing — same make, model, and model year — can require completely different parts if they shipped with different engines. A brake caliper, an engine mount, or a filter housing sized for one engine variant often will not fit another, even in the same chassis. Fitment data keyed to make/model/year alone silently glosses over this; fitment data keyed to K-Type does not.

This is also why "does this part fit my car" search tools that only ask for make, model, and year are less reliable than ones that resolve down to a specific K-Type before returning results — the extra step is what prevents a technically-close-but-wrong match.

How to find a vehicle's TecDoc ID

Through a vehicle search tool

The standard route: enter make, model, and engine/year details into a TecDoc-based vehicle search, and it resolves to the matching K-Type. This is how most parts-fitment tools and catalog systems work behind the scenes, even when the K-Type itself is never shown to the end user.

Through a VIN or plate lookup

A VIN already encodes the exact build specification of a vehicle — including the engine variant — so a VIN-based lookup can resolve directly to the correct K-Type without needing the make/model/engine entered manually. See our guide on vehicle lookup by VIN, plate, or year/make/model for how that resolution works.

→TecDoc Explained: What It Is and How Automotive Parts Data Works →TecDoc Data Quality: What to Verify Before You Trust It →Vehicle Lookup by VIN, Plate, or Year/Make/Model

Get verified fitment data for your catalog

Tell us your use case and we will give you exactly what your catalog needs.

Share your use case →

Start free with your first 5 parts — no commitment. Scale after you see the impact.

Start free →