Both are solid automotive data APIs — the difference is what you get for your money. CarAPI.dev gives you the core US stack — VIN decode, plate-to-VIN for all 50 states, recalls, listings — at a fraction of the price, plus history checks Auto.dev doesn't offer at all: stolen-vehicle status, odometer history, and inspection records. Auto.dev goes deeper on US market data: dealer inventory, payments, and total cost of ownership.
Comparison reflects publicly available information as of mid-2026. Spotted something outdated? Tell us and we'll fix it.
| Feature | CarAPI.dev | Auto.dev |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | 100 requests/month across all 16 endpoints, no credit card | 1,000 requests/month, but only for 3 endpoints (VIN decode, listings, photos) |
| Entry paid plan | €29/month (5,000 requests) | ~$299/month or per-call |
| Pay-as-you-go | Not offered | $0.001–0.004 per call (data fees) |
| Bill predictability | Flat monthly tiers, no per-call data fees | Subscription + metered data fees |
| Coverage | US + Europe: global VIN decode, all-50-state plate-to-VIN, US recalls, plus exclusive history endpoints | US/North-America centric |
| Endpoints without an Auto.dev equivalent | 7 (stolen, inspection, mileage, valuation, VIN OCR, plate OCR, EV charging) | — |
| Vehicle listings | Yes | Deep US/NA dealer inventory |
| Payments / TCO data | Loan payment estimates | Payments, taxes & fees, TCO |
| MCP server for AI agents | Yes — 14 tools incl. composite buyer report | AI-agent positioning |
| OpenAPI spec | OpenAPI 3.1, public | Public docs |
Sticker prices hide the real difference: Auto.dev bills a subscription plus per-call data fees, and most of its endpoints require the paid plan. CarAPI.dev bills one flat tier covering every endpoint. Here's the same workload priced on both:
| Monthly workload | CarAPI.dev | Auto.dev |
|---|---|---|
| 5,000 plain VIN decodes / month | €29 (Starter) | ≈ $16 in data fees (4,000 billable × $0.004)Auto.dev is cheaper here — if plain decode is all you need, their metered pricing wins. |
| 5,000 mixed calls incl. plate-to-VIN | €29 (Starter) | $299/month plan required (plate-to-VIN is not in the free tier) + data fees |
| 5,000 calls incl. stolen check, mileage or inspection | €29 (Starter) | Not available at any price — endpoints not offered |
| 25,000 VIN decodes / month | €89 (Professional) | ≈ $96 in data fees (24,000 billable × $0.004) |
| 100,000 mixed calls / month | €249 (Business), flat | $299/month plan + per-call data fees on top |
Auto.dev figures from auto.dev/pricing (mid-2026): first 1,000 calls/month free on VIN decode, listings and photos, then $0.004 / $0.002 / $0.001 per call; other endpoints require the ~$299/month plan. EUR and USD shown as listed by each provider.
Seven of CarAPI.dev's data endpoints have no Auto.dev equivalent at any price — and they're exactly the ones a used-car checking product needs. Where Auto.dev does offer an endpoint, we say so.
| Endpoint | CarAPI.dev | Auto.dev |
|---|---|---|
| VIN decode | Global | Yes (free tier) |
| Vehicle listings | Yes | Yes (free tier) — deep US/NA inventory |
| Vehicle photos | Yes | Yes (free tier) |
| Plate-to-VIN | 6 countries: PL, NO, SK, SE, CZ + all 50 US states | US only, paid plan required |
| Safety recalls | US (NHTSA) | US, paid plan required |
| Loan payments | Yes | Yes, paid plan — richer US data (taxes, fees, TCO) |
| Stolen-vehicle check | 5 national registers: SK, CZ, SI, HU, RO | Not offered |
| Vehicle inspection history | Slovakia (more countries coming) | Not offered |
| Mileage / odometer history | Yes, where official records exist | Not offered |
| Market valuation | 24 European countries + US, 40 makes | Not offered |
| VIN OCR (image → VIN) | Yes | Not offered |
| License-plate OCR (image → plate) | Yes, 27-region validation | Not offered |
| EV charging stations | Europe-wide roaming network | Not offered |
CarAPI.dev also includes free account and endpoint-introspection utility endpoints that don't count against your quota. Deep dives: Vehicle History API for Europe · Mileage History API · Stolen Vehicle Check API
For monthly subscriptions, yes: CarAPI.dev paid plans start at €29/month for 5,000 requests, while Auto.dev subscriptions start around $299/month. Auto.dev’s free tier is larger on paper (1,000 requests/month vs 100), but it only covers 3 endpoints — VIN decode, listings, and photos — while CarAPI.dev’s free tier includes all 16 endpoints. Auto.dev’s per-call pricing can be cheaper for very low or bursty decode/listings usage.
European-focused endpoints: stolen-vehicle checks against 5 national registers (Slovakia, Czechia, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania), vehicle inspection history, odometer/mileage history, market valuations for 24 European countries, EV charging stations across Europe, plate-to-VIN for European plates, and VIN/license-plate OCR from images. Seven of CarAPI.dev’s endpoints have no Auto.dev equivalent at any price.
If your product is centered on US/North-American vehicle listings, dealer inventory, or total-cost-of-ownership data, Auto.dev has deeper US data. Its per-call pricing and larger (though endpoint-limited) free tier also suit evaluation projects and bursty decode or listings workloads.
Yes — fully. VIN decoding works globally, plate-to-VIN covers all 50 US states, US safety recalls are included, and valuations cover the US market alongside 24 European countries. The history endpoints (stolen check, inspection, mileage) are the extra edge no US-centric rival offers, on top of a complete US-market stack.
No — CarAPI.dev uses transparent fixed tiers (€29, €89, €249 per month) with no per-call data fees, so your bill is predictable. If you want to evaluate first, the free tier gives 100 requests per month across all 16 endpoints with no credit card. For bursty one-off workloads where you would rather pay per call, Auto.dev’s metered pricing may fit better.
Both companies invest in the AI-agent channel. CarAPI.dev ships a remote MCP server (mcp.carapi.dev) with 14 tools, including a composite buyer-report tool that runs VIN decode, stolen check, mileage history, and inspection in a single call — useful for car-buying assistants. If your agent needs European vehicle history, CarAPI.dev is the only option of the two; for US listings data in agents, Auto.dev is strong.
16 endpoints, free tier with 100 requests/month, no credit card required.