# CarAPI.dev

> Automotive Data API Platform providing comprehensive vehicle information through easy-to-use REST APIs.

## Complete API Reference

For full API documentation with all parameters, code examples, and response schemas, see:
**[llms-full.txt](https://carapi.dev/llms-full.txt)**

CarAPI.dev bridges the gap between automotive data and modern applications. We offer VIN decoding, vehicle history, stolen vehicle checks, valuations, and more through reliable, fast APIs with 99.9% uptime.

## Developer Resources

Machine-readable integration assets for tooling, code generation, and import into API clients:

- **OpenAPI 3.1 Specification**: [https://api.carapi.dev/openapi.json](https://api.carapi.dev/openapi.json) — complete schema for all endpoints with request/response shapes, parameters, and error formats. Import into Postman, Insomnia, OpenAPI Generator, or any spec-compatible tool.
- **Postman Workspace**: [https://www.postman.com/andurit/carapi-dev](https://www.postman.com/andurit/carapi-dev) — public Postman workspace with pre-built collection and environments (Production + Local). Fork the workspace, paste your API key into the `apiKey` environment variable, and send your first request.

## Main Site

- [Home](https://carapi.dev/): Main landing page with features, pricing, and getting started information
- [About](https://carapi.dev/about): Company mission, values, and why choose CarAPI.dev
- [Terms of Service](https://carapi.dev/terms): Legal terms and conditions

## Authentication

- [Sign In](https://carapi.dev/signin): User login
- [Sign Up](https://carapi.dev/signup): Create a new account
- [Dashboard](https://carapi.dev/dashboard): User dashboard for API key management, usage analytics, and subscription management (requires authentication)

## API Documentation

Full API documentation is available at [docs.carapi.dev](https://docs.carapi.dev/).

### Available API Endpoints

- [VIN Decode](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/vin-decode): Decode a VIN to get detailed vehicle specifications including make, model, engine power, transmission, fuel type, body style, drivetrain, color, and manufacturer details (name, region, country)
- [Plate to VIN](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/plate-to-vin): Convert a license plate number to its corresponding VIN
- [Stolen Vehicle Check](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/stolen-vehicle-check): Check if a vehicle has been reported stolen
- [Vehicle Inspection](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/vehicle-inspection): Get vehicle inspection history and results
- [Vehicle Listing](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/vehicle-listing): Search current vehicle listings on the market
- [Vehicle Photos](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/vehicle-photos): Retrieve photos for a specific vehicle
- [Vehicle Payments](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/vehicle-payments): Get estimated monthly payment calculations
- [Vehicle Valuation](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/vehicle-valuation): Get current market valuation for a vehicle by make/model/year/country (all required). Prices are returned in the market's local currency (USD for US, EUR elsewhere). Optional `fuel`, `kw`, and `mileage` filters narrow to a specific drivetrain variant
- [Mileage History](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/mileage-history): Track historical mileage records for a vehicle
- [VIN OCR](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/extract-vin): Extract a 17-character VIN from a photo (windshield etching, dashboard plate, door jamb sticker, registration document) via POST /v1/extract-vin
- [License Plate OCR](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/extract-plate): Extract a license plate string from a vehicle photo with optional region-specific format validation (27 supported countries) via POST /v1/extract-plate
- [Recalls](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/recalls): Look up U.S. recall records for a given make, model, and model year via GET /v1/recalls
- [EV Charging Stations](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints/charging-stations): Find the nearest EV charging stations by coordinates with connector type (type2/ccs/chademo), power, and operator filters via GET /v1/charging-stations (European coverage, straight-line distances, max 10 results within max 50 km)

### Account & Usage Endpoints (Free — Not Billed)

These introspection endpoints never debit a credit. They require an API token (`?token=`) but are rate-limited rather than quota-billed.

- [Account](https://docs.carapi.dev/account): `GET /v1/account` — read your account's plan, status and live usage (used, limit, remaining, resetDate) plus your per-minute rate limit, all in one response. Free; keeps working even when your monthly quota is exhausted so you can see when it resets. Rate-limited to 1 request/second per account (burst 5).
- [Endpoints Catalog](https://docs.carapi.dev/endpoints): `GET /v1/endpoints` — list every available endpoint with its per-call credit cost. Free and cacheable.

### MCP Server (for AI Agents)

- [MCP Server Setup](https://docs.carapi.dev/mcp): Connect CarAPI to Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Claude.ai, Cursor, ChatGPT, or any MCP client. Endpoint: `https://mcp.carapi.dev/mcp` (Streamable HTTP, Bearer auth with your existing CarAPI key). 14 tools — VIN decode, Plate-to-VIN, Stolen check, Inspection, Listing search, Photos, Payments, Valuation, Mileage history, VIN OCR (image), License Plate OCR (image), Recalls, the `carapi_buyer_report` composite (4 quota units — runs vin-decode + stolen-check + mileage-history + inspection in parallel), and an open `carapi_docs` search tool (no key required).

## API Base URL

```
https://api.carapi.dev/v1/
```

## Authentication

All API requests require an API token passed as a query parameter:

```
?token=your_api_token_here
```

## Pricing Plans

- **Free**: 100 requests/month - Perfect for testing and small projects
- **Starter**: 29 EUR/month - 5,000 requests/month for growing applications
- **Professional**: 89 EUR/month - 25,000 requests/month for established businesses
- **Business**: 249 EUR/month - 100,000 requests/month with SLA guarantee

## Referral Credit (Lower Your Bill)

Existing customers can lower their monthly bill by referring other developers via [carapi.dev/refer](https://carapi.dev/refer).

- **You earn**: €10 in **account credit** per qualified referral, applied automatically to your next CarAPI.dev invoice
- **Not a cash payout**: credit cannot be withdrawn, transferred, or paid out to a bank/card — it is only redeemable against CarAPI.dev invoices
- **Friend gets**: 20% off their first invoice
- **When**: credit is granted when the referred user pays their first invoice (30-day clawback window for refunds)
- **Limit**: up to 10 successful referrals per rolling 12-month window
- **Free-plan users**: can earn credit; it is held on the account and applied automatically when they upgrade to a paid plan

## Quick Start Example

```bash
curl -X GET "https://api.carapi.dev/v1/vin-decode/WBAKU210X00R62021?token=your_api_token"
```

## Market Coverage

CarAPI.dev provides automotive data with endpoint-specific country availability. Coverage is strongest in Central and Eastern Europe.

### Global Endpoints (No Country Restrictions)

These endpoints work worldwide for any valid vehicle:
- **VIN Decode**: Decodes any valid 17-character VIN (post-1981 vehicles globally)
- **Mileage History**: Available for vehicles with recorded history
- **Vehicle Listing**: Search listings globally
- **Vehicle Photos**: Available where photos exist
- **Vehicle Payments**: Payment calculations work globally

### Vehicle Valuation (24 Countries)

Supported countries: Czech Republic (CZ), Slovakia (SK), Germany (DE), Austria (AT), Switzerland (CH), France (FR), Poland (PL), Romania (RO), Hungary (HU), Croatia (HR), Portugal (PT), Bulgaria (BG), Slovenia (SI), Serbia (RS), Netherlands (NL), Lithuania (LT), Belgium (BE), Spain (ES), Ireland (IE), Italy (IT), United Kingdom (UK), Norway (NO), Sweden (SE), United States (US)

### Vehicle Listing & Valuation - Supported Makes (40 total)

Both endpoints support 40 vehicle makes: Acura, Alfa Romeo, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Citroën, Cupra, Dacia, Dodge, Ferrari, Fiat, Ford, GMC, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, MG, MINI, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Opel, Peugeot, Porsche, Ram, Renault, SEAT, Škoda, Subaru, Suzuki, Tesla, Toyota, Volvo, VW

Each make includes multiple models. See [llms-full.txt](https://carapi.dev/llms-full.txt) for complete model lists.

### Stolen Vehicle Check (5 Countries)

Checks against national stolen vehicle databases:
- Slovakia (SK)
- Czech Republic (CZ)
- Slovenia (SI)
- Hungary (HU)
- Romania (RO)

### Plate to VIN Lookup (6 Countries)

License plate to VIN conversion supported for:
- Poland (PL)
- Norway (NO)
- Slovakia (SK)
- Sweden (SE)
- Czech Republic (CZ)
- United States (US) — requires a 2-letter `state` query parameter (e.g. CA, NY, TX)

### Vehicle Inspection Records (Limited)

**Currently Available:**
- Slovakia (SK) - TK/EK (Technická kontrola / Emisná kontrola) records

**Coming Soon:**
- Czech Republic (CZ) - STK records
- Germany (DE) - TÜV/HU records
- United Kingdom (UK) - MOT records

### Coverage Summary

| Endpoint | Countries |
|----------|-----------|
| VIN Decode | Global |
| Mileage History | Global |
| Vehicle Listing | Global |
| Vehicle Photos | Global |
| Vehicle Payments | Global |
| Vehicle Valuation | 24 (EU + US) |
| Stolen Check | 5 (SK, CZ, SI, HU, RO) |
| Plate to VIN | 6 (PL, NO, SK, SE, CZ, US — US requires state) |
| Inspection | 1 (SK only, more coming) |
| VIN OCR | Global (image-based) |
| License Plate OCR | 27 (EU + UK + US/CA) |
| Recalls | US |
| EV Charging Stations | Europe (strongest: IT, DE, NL, AT, BE, FR, CZ, PL, HU, RO, SK) |

## Contact

For support or inquiries, use the contact form on the website or reach out through the dashboard.

## SEO Landing Pages

- [VIN Decoder API](https://carapi.dev/landing/vin-decoder-api): Detailed information about VIN decoding capabilities
- [Automotive API](https://carapi.dev/landing/automotive-api): Overview of automotive data APIs
- [Vehicle Data API](https://carapi.dev/landing/vehicle-data-api): Comprehensive vehicle data solutions
- [License Plate Lookup API](https://carapi.dev/landing/license-plate-lookup-api): Convert license plates to VINs in 6 countries (PL, NO, SK, SE, CZ, US)
- [Stolen Vehicle Check API](https://carapi.dev/landing/stolen-vehicle-check-api): Check VINs against 5 European national stolen vehicle databases (SK, CZ, SI, HU, RO)
- [Vehicle Valuation API](https://carapi.dev/landing/vehicle-valuation-api): Market values for vehicles in 24 countries, 40 makes supported
- [EV Charging Stations API](https://carapi.dev/landing/ev-charging-stations-api): Nearest-station search across the European EV roaming network with connector, power, and operator filters