Vehicle identity
POST /v1/vin/decodeMake, model, year, engine and assembly plant. Decode 17-character VINs worldwide, for cars and motorcycles.
↗Vehicle data, connected
Every vehicle.
A clearer
picture.
Turn a VIN into the details that matter. Vehicle specs, official US safety data and Dutch plate lookups, through one simple API.
No signup for the demo. Just bring a VIN.
VEHICLE SNAPSHOTEXAMPLE / 001
2003 / HONDA
Accord EX-V6
VIN
1HGCM82633A004352✓ Valid- Engine
- 3.0 L V6
- Power
- 240 hp
- Built in
- Ohio, USA
Source: NHTSA vPICSee the API response
Official sources. One integration.
NHTSA United StatesRDW NetherlandsREST + MCP Built for developers & agents
TAKE IT FOR A TEST DRIVE
Your VIN. Real data.
See exactly what you get before writing a line of code. 5 free calls, no account required.
Response
Pick an example or type a VIN, then send the request.
Tip: try a typo — the check digit catches it without an upstream call.
01 / The data behind the vehicle
One connection.
View all 10 endpoints
One connection.
Every essential detail.
Build the vehicle record you need, from a quick identity check to a complete safety report.
The full safety picture
POST /v1/vin/reportVehicle specs, US recall campaigns, owner complaint counts and NCAP crash ratings. One report, one request.
↗A better first check
POST /v1/vin/validateCheck VIN format and the ISO 3779 check digit before a typo becomes a bad record in your database.
↗Start with a plate
POST /v1/plate/nlLook up Dutch license plates using official RDW data: make, model, fuel, color and APK inspection expiry.
↗
Coverage, without the guesswork
What each identifier returns
Know what you can build before you integrate. Coverage is explicit in every response.
| You send | Specs | Recalls · complaints · NCAP | Not included |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIN — sold in the US | Full | Yes (NHTSA) | Accident / title history |
| VIN — never sold in the US | Yes (fewer fields) | 422 coverage_us_only (not billed) | Local-market recalls |
| Make + model + year | — | US-market recall campaigns | Complaints · NCAP · a specific vehicle's history |
| Dutch plate | Make, model, fuel, APK, color | Open RDW recall flag only | VIN (RDW doesn't publish it) |
02 / From idea to integration
Less setup. More building.
One header, JSON in, JSON out. Or plug the MCP server into your AI agent and ask in plain English.
curl -X POST https://vehicles-api.com/api/v1/vin/report \
-H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"vin": "1HGCM82633A004352"}'const res = await fetch("https://vehicles-api.com/api/v1/vin/report", {
method: "POST",
headers: {
"X-API-Key": process.env.VIN_API_KEY,
"Content-Type": "application/json",
},
body: JSON.stringify({ vin: "1HGCM82633A004352" }),
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data.make, data.model, data.recalls_count);import os, requests
res = requests.post(
"https://vehicles-api.com/api/v1/vin/report",
headers={"X-API-Key": os.environ["VIN_API_KEY"]},
json={"vin": "1HGCM82633A004352"},
timeout=15,
)
data = res.json()["data"]
print(data["make"], data["model"], data["recalls_count"])$response = Http::withHeaders(['X-API-Key' => env('VIN_API_KEY')])
->post('https://vehicles-api.com/api/v1/vin/report', ['vin' => '1HGCM82633A004352']);
$data = $response->json('data');
echo $data['make'].' '.$data['model'];
1
Create an account
Email or Google. Start the 7-day trial from the dashboard.
2
Copy your API key
Send it as X-API-Key or a Bearer token. Rotate it anytime.
3
Call the API — or let your agent do it
Add the MCP server to Claude, Cursor or any MCP client:
{
"mcpServers": {
"vehicle-api": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://vehicles-api.com/mcp",
"headers": {
"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
}
}
}
}MCP setup for Claude, Cursor and ChatGPT.
Building an autonomous agent? It can self-register a sandbox key — see auth.md. Prefer Postman? Download the collection.
Built into your workflow
Good data. Better decisions.
vin/report
Insurtech & quoting
Pull specs, recalls and NCAP stars from a VIN before you price a policy.
vin/decode
Dealers & marketplaces
Validate a listing's VIN, auto-fill the spec sheet and surface its crash rating.
vin/recalls
Fleet management
Decode a whole fleet and flag vehicles with open recall campaigns.
vin/validate
Compliance & auto KYC
Reject malformed VINs instantly with the check digit, no upstream call.
plate/nl
Parking & ANPR
Turn a Dutch plate read by a camera into a vehicle record.
mcp · vehicle_report
AI assistants
Let an agent answer "is this used car safe?" through the MCP server.
03 / Room to grow
Start small. Scale with confidence.
Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial. Cancel anytime from the dashboard.
Starter
$49
$39.17
/mo
Billed $470 yearly
50,000 requests / month · 100/min
- 50,000 requests/month
- 100 requests/minute
- All 3 API endpoints
- Auto top-up available
- Email support
- 99.9% uptime SLA
Pro
$199
$159.17
/mo
Billed $1,910 yearly
250,000 requests / month · 500/min
- 250,000 requests/month
- 500 requests/minute
- All 3 API endpoints
- Auto top-up included
- Priority support
- 99.99% uptime SLA
- Custom integrations
- Dedicated account manager
Need more volume or a custom SLA?
Higher quotas, dedicated rate limits and invoicing for teams decoding millions of VINs.
A few things worth knowing
Frequently asked questions
What does a VIN decode return?
Year, make, model, trim, body, doors, engine (cylinders, displacement, fuel, horsepower), transmission, drive type, manufacturer and assembly plant — from the official NHTSA vPIC database, for any 17-character VIN worldwide.
Do you cover recalls outside the United States?
Recalls, complaints and crash ratings come from NHTSA, so they cover vehicles sold in the US — matched by make, model and year, so an imported Toyota or BMW gets its full US recall history. A US-market vehicle with no recalls returns HTTP 200 and an empty list. A VIN NHTSA can't match returns HTTP 422
coverage_us_only (not billed), so "no US data" never looks like "no recalls"; the full report still returns the decoded specs. You can also list US-market campaigns without a VIN, by make, model and year.Can I look up a car with only a license plate?
Today: the Netherlands, via official RDW open data. US and French plate lookups are in progress and will use the same response shape.
Why does the Dutch plate response have no VIN?
RDW open data doesn't publish the VIN — only the vehicle record tied to the kenteken: make, model, color, fuel, mass, first registration and APK (inspection) expiry.
Is this a vehicle history report like Carfax?
No. You get official specs, recalls, crash ratings and owner complaints — not accident, title or ownership history.
How does the free trial work?
Every plan starts with a 7-day free trial that includes 50 API calls. Create an account, pick a plan in the dashboard and add a card at checkout — cancel from the dashboard before the 7 days end and you won't be charged.
Which calls count toward my quota?
Successful responses and client errors caused by the request (400, 404, 422) count. Authentication failures, rate-limit responses (429) and server errors don't.
Can AI agents use the API?
Yes. Connect any MCP client (Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT…) to
https://vehicles-api.com/mcp with your API key as a Bearer token. The MCP setup guide has the config for each client. Agents without a key can self-register a sandbox credential — see auth.md.
Ready when you are
Your next build starts
Your next build starts
with a VIN.
7-day free trial on every plan. No credit card needed to explore the dashboard.
Try it with: 1HGCM82633A004352