57 countries supported

License Plate Decoder API

Turn a license plate into a VIN and a full record.

  • Identity (VIN, year, make, model, trim, body)
  • Powertrain (engine, fuel, drive, transmission)
  • Registered color and country of assembly
  • State codes for US, Canada, Australia, Pakistan
Test APIDocumentation
License Plate Decoder API

Our benefits

Built for intake screens, cameras and quote forms.

More than make and model

One plate returns VIN, trim, engine, transmission, drive type, registered color and assembly country. Most plate tools stop at year, make and model.

Integrate in minutes

Three parameters and a JSON response. Copy the request from the panel below, swap in a plate and a state, and the first decode runs in minutes.

Support that knows markets

A free sandbox, a documented response, and support that can tell you which fields your countries return before you build the intake screen.

Control the cost per lookup

Pass country to reach 57 markets, district for Pakistan, or require_vin=1 in Spain when a VIN is mandatory. That one costs 2x a standard lookup.

For developers

One plate in, a full record out.

The panel on the right is a real request for plate 7XER187 in California and the response it returns. Scroll it to see every field the provider gave back, then copy the request into your terminal and swap in a plate and state you have.

Flat JSON, no nesting
Every field sits at the top level beside success and input, so there is no tree to walk.
Failures say whether to retry
A 502 or 504 returns retryable: true and a Retry-After header. A 400 or 404 will not change on retry.
Every field is optional
A missing field means that country's provider did not return it, not that we substituted a default.
Request
curl -G https://api.carsxe.com/v2/platedecoder \
  -d key=YOUR_API_KEY \
  -d plate=7XER187 \
  -d state=CA \
  -d country=US
Response
{
  "success": true,
  "input": { "plate": "7XER187", "state": "CA", "country": "US" },
  "description": "2021 Toyota Camry SE",
  "make": "Toyota",
  "model": "Camry",
  "trim": "SE",
  "vin": "4T1G11AK9MU451234",
  "year": "2021",
  "style": "Sedan",
  "body_style": "SEDAN 4-DR",
  "color": "Silver",
  "engine": "2.5L L4 DOHC 16V",
  "fuel_type": "Gasoline",
  "drive_type": "FWD",
  "transmission": "8-Speed Automatic",
  "assembly": "United States"
}

For AI agents

Built into the AI tools you already use

Point your coding agent at the CarsXE MCP server and it can call the API on its own, no client library, no glue code. The same tools are available to chat agents over plain HTTP.

  • Claude Code
  • Cursor
  • GitHub Copilot
  • Grok Bot
  • Codex
  • Gemini
  • Hermes Agent
  • OpenClaw
  • opencode
  • & more
Explore integrations

One command. Register the CarsXE MCP server with your editor.

Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http carsxe https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp \
  --header "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"
View the docs

Then just ask. The agent picks the right CarsXE tool and returns structured vehicle data.

Prompt
Decode California plate 7XER187 and show the VIN

Agent onboarding. Are you an AI agent? Fetch this skill to get an API key and start pulling vehicle data.

SKILL.md
curl -s https://carsxe.com/agent-onboarding/SKILL.md
View the skill

Fair billing

No data, no charge

A lookup we cannot resolve comes back as a 404 and costs you nothing. You are billed only when the API returns data.

Data found200 OK
Data found
{ "success": true, "input": { "plate": "7XER187", "state": "CA" }, "vin": "4T1G11AK9MU451234", "description": "2021 Toyota Camry SE" }

Billed. One lookup.

No match404 Not Found
No match
{
  "success": false,
  "message": "Plate searches for this country have been disabled, or No data found for this plate"
}

No charge.

Priced per answer, not per request.

57 countries supported

Robust international support

Plate decoding reaches 57 countries. A two-letter state code is required in the United States, Canada, Australia and Pakistan.

The Plate Decoder API is constantly growing and we are constantly adding countries to the list.

Use the arrow keys to preview countries. Press Enter or Space to select one. Press Escape to dismiss the preview.

AlbaniaAL
ArgentinaAR
AustraliaAU
BoliviaBO
BrazilBR
CanadaCA
ChileCL
ChinaCN
ColombiaCO
Costa RicaCR
CroatiaHR
CyprusCY
Czech RepublicCZ
DenmarkDK
EcuadorEC
EstoniaEE
FinlandFI
FranceFR
GermanyDE
GreeceGR
HungaryHU
IcelandIS
IndiaIN
IrelandIE
Isle of ManIM
ItalyIT
KazakhstanKZ
LatviaLV
LithuaniaLT
MalaysiaMY
MaltaMT
MexicoMX
New ZealandNZ
NigeriaNG
NorwayNO
OmanOM
PakistanPK
PeruPE
PolandPL
PortugalPT
RomaniaRO
RussiaRU
SingaporeSG
SlovakiaSK
SloveniaSI
South AfricaZA
SpainES
Sri LankaLK
SwedenSE
SwitzerlandCH
TaiwanTW
The NetherlandsNL
TunisiaTN
UkraineUA
United Arab EmiratesAE
United KingdomGB
United StatesUS

Customer stories

Companies love building with CarsXE

How teams build on CarsXE vehicle data.

“

CarsXE offers MotorTango's customers accurate and reliable vehicle data across many makes and models. Their VIN decoder and specs API are second to none.

Andy Liakos

CTO, MotorTango

“

The API is super easy to work with...it's a damn good API. And trust me, I deal with a lot of third parties and you're the creme de la creme. It's great. Documentation is sound, the result sets are sound. I have nothing to say but, man, it's too easy to work with.

Alan Deitch

Senior Engineering Leader, SpotHero

“

When a customer calls a dealership, we know they have an open recall instantly. That changes what the call is worth. Our agents book the recall alongside whatever the customer originally called about, and the dealer captures service work that used to walk out the door unnoticed. CarsXE's recall data is what makes that possible on every call, at every rooftop we run.

Samee Khan

Founder & CEO, PAM

“

With their VIN decoder and images, we can accurately document what's needed to perform repairs and ADAS calibrations, and we do it much more efficiently — saving dozens of minutes on every single repair. The result is consistent, reliable service at scale for all of our customers, backed by data we trust. CarsXE has become a critical part of our workflow and our ability to grow.

Philip Brossy

Founder & CEO, ADAS Safe

Same key, more endpoints

Keep building from the vehicle record

Plate Image Recognition

Read a plate from a camera image

Vehicle Specifications

Full factory specs from a 17-character VIN

Market Value

Wholesale and retail values by VIN

Vehicle History

Title, salvage and odometer records

Images

Stock images matched to the decoded vehicle

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our customer support team.

One GET with a plate and a state returns the VIN, year, make, model, trim, body style, registered color, engine, fuel type, drive type, transmission and country of assembly as flat JSON.

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License Plate Decoder API