Factory build sheet
2018 Buick Encore Preferred
Build KL4CJESB-J · 1.4L 4cyl · All-wheel drive · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
VIN positions 1 through 8 read KL4CJESB and position 10 reads J. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every Encore whose VIN starts KL4CJESB and carries J in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 3,966 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 3,966 known VINs
- 69 listed for sale now
Factory specification
As filed by Buick with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Displacement
- 1.4 L
- Cylinders
- 4
- Engine model
- LUV: MFI, Variable Valve Timing, ALUM, E85 MAX
- Engine manufacturer
- GME
- Valve train
- Dual Overhead Cam (DOHC)
- Turbocharged
- Yes
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Drivetrain
- Drive type
- All-wheel drive
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Forward speeds
- 6
- Brake system
- Hydraulic
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)/Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)
- NHTSA body type
- MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE (MPV)
- Doors
- 4
- Seats
- 5
- Seat rows
- 2
- Manufacturer
- GENERAL MOTORS LLC
Weight rating
- GVWR class
- Class 1C
- GVWR
- 4,001–5,000 lb
Gross vehicle weight rating is the loaded ceiling set by the manufacturer, not the car's own weight.
What this build asks today
Asking prices of live dealer listings decoded to this exact configuration — narrower than the trim-level figure, because every car counted here shares the same engine, transmission and drivetrain.
$11,980 median asking price · 104 listings · as of Aug 30, 2026
Low 2% of listings $7,998 Top 2% of listings $15,975
The same build, other model years
Buick used the VIN pattern KL4CJESB for 7 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
- 2014 AWD 1.4L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 774 vehicles code E $9,400
- 2015 1.4L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 1,660 vehicles code F $9,995
- 2016 AWD 1.4L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 2,601 vehicles code G $9,100
- 2017 Preferred 1.4L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 3,532 vehicles code H $10,900
-
2018 You are here code J $11,980
- 2019 Preferred 1.4L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 9,274 vehicles code K $13,296
- 2020 Preferred 1.4L 4cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 4,299 vehicles code L $14,074
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | KL4 | GENERAL MOTORS LLC · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | CJESB | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | J | Model year — 2018 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
NHTSA safety ratings
Crash-test results are published per model year and body style, so they cover the 2018 Buick Encore as a whole rather than this build alone.
Overall
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Frontal crash
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Side crash
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Rollover
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
3,966 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to KL4CJESB-J shares the specification above.
- 3,966 Known VINs
- 69 Listed for sale now
- 104 Priced listings
- $11,980 Median asking
Vehicles of this build
A fixed sample of 5 vehicles carrying this configuration — each with its own history page. The sample refreshes quarterly, not nightly, so it stays put between visits.
Cars are filed by a fixed rule based on the VIN, so a car never moves between groups.
Neighboring configurations
Other factory configurations of the Encore, each with its own build sheet. The set is fixed by the VIN patterns themselves, so it does not shuffle as prices or inventory move.
- 2018 Preferred II 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · AWD 1,051 vehicles · $12,995 median
- 2018 Preferred II 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · AWD 61 vehicles
- 2018 Essence 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · AWD 1,924 vehicles · $10,998 median
- 2018 Premium 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · AWD 661 vehicles · $14,500 median
- 2019 Sport Touring 1.4L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · FWD 394 vehicles · $13,224 median
Keep going
Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Prices are asking prices from 104 live dealer listings decoded to this build , last updated August 30, 2026 . They are what sellers ask, not what buyers paid.
Vehicle counts come from the 3,966 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.