VIN Decoder API GET

VIN Decoder turns a 17-character Vehicle Identification Number into the vehicle it identifies. Returns make, model, year, trim, body class and manufacturer, plus engine specifications, plant of manufacture, and the safety equipment fitted to that specific build.

Try it — live request, no key required

Request

GETapi.apiverve.com/v1/vindecoder

Verification

Format

No key required to try it. Get a key to use it in your app.

200 OK

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    // VIN Decoder response payload
  }
}

About the VIN Decoder API

Data is sourced from the NHTSA vPIC database, the official US vehicle identification record, and is refreshed with each monthly release. Covers vehicles manufactured for sale in the United States.

Ways to call it

One endpoint, many ways in — REST with JSON, XML, YAML and CSV, plus GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents.

JSON: Default REST response
XML: Markup format
YAML: Human-readable
CSV: Tabular export
GraphQL: Query language
MCP: For AI agents

View all integrations →

Other ways to use VIN Decoder

Same data, same APIVerve account, same credit balance — one key works on all of them.

Give it to an AI agentConnect over MCP and your agent calls it as a native tool — Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT.on VerveKit Google Sheets or ExcelA =VERVE() formula fills a column — no script, no export, recalculates in place.on VerveSheets Ground an agent on itA cited, machine-checkable fact your model can't produce on its own.on VerveContext

Questions.

Common questions about the VIN Decoder API.

Read the docs →

What does the VIN Decoder API do?

How do I authenticate VIN Decoder API requests?

Pass your API key in the x-api-key header over HTTPS. One key works across all 300+ APIVerve APIs — there are no per-endpoint credentials.

How much does the VIN Decoder API cost?

Each call spends 10 credits from your shared pool. The free tier includes 200 credits every month, and paid plans add more headroom.

How fast is the VIN Decoder API?

Response time depends on the endpoint — the p50 through p99 latency for this API is published on this page. Requests are served over HTTPS through a global edge network.

What response formats does the VIN Decoder API support?

JSON by default, plus XML and YAML via the format parameter. GraphQL and an MCP interface for AI agents are available across the catalog.

What HTTP method does the VIN Decoder API use?

GET over HTTPS, following standard REST conventions with a consistent { status, error, data } response envelope.

Request parameters — GET /v1/vindecoder

Sent in the query string. Premium parameters are accepted on every plan but only take effect on plans that include them. Anything not listed here is dropped rather than passed through.

Required

Parameter	Type	Example	Description
`vin`Required	string	`1HGCM82633A004352`	The Vehicle Identification Number to decode. Partial VINs are accepted and decode as far as the available characters allow. length 1-17

Example request

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curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/vindecoder?vin=1HGCM82633A004352" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Authentication

Send your key in the x-api-key header. That is the only auth step — no token exchange, and no per-endpoint scope to configure.

Header	When	Value
`x-api-key`Required	Every request	Your API key. Header names are case-insensitive, so `X-API-Key` is the same header.
`Authorization`Alternate	Instead of the above	`Bearer <key>` — for clients that only expose bearer auth. Resolves to the same account and the same billing.

401 is the only auth verdict

A 401 means the key is missing, invalid or expired. A 403 means the key is valid but not permitted here — blocked by a key restriction or an IP allow-list. Running out of credits is a 429.

Response — GET /v1/vindecoder

Every APIVerve endpoint returns the same three top-level keys, so one response handler covers your whole integration: status, error and data. Only data changes shape.

Sample response

{
  "status": "ok",
  "error": null,
  "data": {
    "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
    "valid": true,
    "decoded": true,
    "vehicleDescriptor": "1HGCM826*3A",
    "make": "HONDA",
    "model": "Accord",
    "year": 2003,
    "trim": "EX-V6",
    "trim2": null,
    "series": null,
    "series2": null,
    "manufacturer": "AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC.",
    "vehicleType": "PASSENGER CAR",
    "bodyClass": "Coupe",
    "plant": {
      "country": "UNITED STATES (USA)",
      "city": "MARYSVILLE",
      "state": "OHIO"
    },
    "engine": {
      "displacementL": "2.998832712",
      "displacementCc": "2998.832712",
      "displacementCi": "183",
      "engineNumberOfCylinders": "6",
      "engineBrakeHpFrom": "240",
      "engineConfiguration": "V-Shaped",
      "engineModel": "J30A4",
      "valveTrainDesign": "Single Overhead Cam (SOHC)",
      "fuelTypePrimary": "Gasoline"
    },
    "features": {
      "exterior": {
        "doors": "2",
        "grossVehicleWeightRatingFrom": "Class 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg)",
        "grossVehicleWeightRatingTo": "Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)"
      },
      "mechanical": {
        "transmissionStyle": "Automatic",
        "transmissionSpeeds": "5"
      },
      "passiveSafetySystem": {
        "seatBeltType": "Manual",
        "otherRestraintSystemInfo": "Seat Belt (Rr center position)",
        "frontAirBagLocations": "1st Row (Driver and Passenger)",
        "sideAirBagLocations": "1st Row (Driver and Passenger)",
        "curtainAirBagLocations": "1st and 2nd Rows"
      }
    },
    "validation": {
      "errorCode": "0",
      "errorCodes": [
        "0"
      ],
      "errorText": "0 - VIN decoded clean. Check Digit (9th position) is correct"
    }
  }
}

Response fields

Paths are relative to data. Premium fields are absent rather than zeroed on plans that do not include them, so check for presence instead of comparing to 0.

Field	Type	Example	Description
`vin`	string	`"1HGCM82633A004352"`	The VIN that was decoded, normalized to uppercase
`valid`	boolean	`true`	Whether the VIN passes all NHTSA checks, including the check digit
`decoded`	boolean	`true`	Whether the VIN resolved to an identifiable vehicle
`vehicleDescriptor`	string	`"1HGCM826*3A"`	The portion of the VIN that identifies the vehicle build, with variable positions masked
`make`	string	`"HONDA"`	Vehicle manufacturer or brand name
`model`	string	`"Accord"`	Vehicle model name
`year`	number	`2003`	Model year of the vehicle
`trim`Premium	string	`"EX-V6"`	Trim level or variant of the model
`trim2`Premium	object	`null`	Secondary trim designation where the manufacturer provides one
`series`Premium	object	`null`	Series designation of the vehicle
`series2`Premium	object	`null`	Secondary series designation where the manufacturer provides one
`manufacturer`	string	`"AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO., INC."`	Full legal name of the manufacturing company
`vehicleType`	string	`"PASSENGER CAR"`	Broad vehicle classification, such as passenger car or truck
`bodyClass`	string	`"Coupe"`	Body style of the vehicle, such as coupe or sedan
`plant`Premium	object	`{...}`	Manufacturing plant that built the vehicle, including city, state, country and company
`country`Premium	string	`"UNITED STATES (USA)"`
`city`Premium	string	`"MARYSVILLE"`
`state`Premium	string	`"OHIO"`
`engine`Premium	object	`{...}`	Engine specifications, including displacement, cylinder count, configuration, horsepower, fuel type and electrification level
`displacementL`Premium	string	`"2.998832712"`
`displacementCc`Premium	string	`"2998.832712"`
`displacementCi`Premium	string	`"183"`
`engineNumberOfCylinders`Premium	string	`"6"`
`engineBrakeHpFrom`Premium	string	`"240"`
`engineConfiguration`Premium	string	`"V-Shaped"`
`engineModel`Premium	string	`"J30A4"`
`valveTrainDesign`Premium	string	`"Single Overhead Cam (SOHC)"`
`fuelTypePrimary`Premium	string	`"Gasoline"`
`features`	object	`{...}`	Equipment fitted to this build, grouped by area
`exterior`Premium	object	`{...}`	Exterior attributes including body, doors, dimensions, weight rating, wheels, and truck, bus, trailer or motorcycle specifics
`doors`Premium	string	`"2"`
`grossVehicleWeightRatingFrom`Premium	string	`"Class 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg)"`
`grossVehicleWeightRatingTo`Premium	string	`"Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)"`
`mechanical`Premium	object	`{...}`	Mechanical attributes including transmission, drivetrain, brakes and battery
`transmissionStyle`Premium	string	`"Automatic"`
`transmissionSpeeds`Premium	string	`"5"`
`passiveSafetySystem`Premium	object	`{...}`	Passive safety equipment including air bag locations and seat belt type
`seatBeltType`Premium	string	`"Manual"`
`otherRestraintSystemInfo`Premium	string	`"Seat Belt (Rr center position)"`
`frontAirBagLocations`Premium	string	`"1st Row (Driver and Passenger)"`
`sideAirBagLocations`Premium	string	`"1st Row (Driver and Passenger)"`
`curtainAirBagLocations`Premium	string	`"1st and 2nd Rows"`
`validation`	object	`{...}`	Decode diagnostics reported by NHTSA
`errorCode`	string	`"0"`	NHTSA error code or codes for the decode, as a comma-separated string
`errorCodes`	array	`[0]`	The same NHTSA error codes split into an array for programmatic handling
`errorText`	string	`"0 - VIN decoded clean. Check Digit (9th position) is correct"`	Human-readable explanation of each error code returned

Response headers

Every response carries your balance, so your own code always knows where it stands without polling anything. All four are exposed to browsers through CORS.

Header	What it carries
`x-api-remaining-credits`	Credits left in the current cycle
`x-api-credits-used`	Credits spent in the current cycle
`x-api-max-credits`	The allowance for the cycle
`x-api-version`	Version of the endpoint that answered

Errors

Read the HTTP status first, then error for the specific reason. The body names the parameter that has to change.

Status	Meaning	What to do
`400`	Input was rejected	Read `error`; it names the parameter that has to change.
`401`	Key missing or invalid	Check the header name and the key value.
`403`	Key valid, but not permitted here	A key restriction or an IP allow-list — never a bad key.
`429`	Rate limited, or out of credits	Read `error` to tell them apart, then back off or top up.

What a call costs — 10 credits per call

Credits are shared across every APIVerve API — one balance, one key, one bill. Failed requests never count against it, so a rejected input costs nothing.

Plan	Per month	Credits	VIN Decoder calls	Per 1,000 calls
Free	Free	200	20	Free
Starter	$29.99	200,000	20,000	$1.50
Pro	$99.99	1,000,000	100,000	$1.00
Mega	$299.99	4,000,000	400,000	$0.75

Calls are what the credits buy at this API's rate — spend them here, on any of the other APIs, or across both. Nothing is reserved per endpoint.

Compare all pricing tiers →

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/vindecoder

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/vindecoder with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

cURL

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curl "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/vindecoder" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"

Resources

ReferenceVIN Decoder API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/vindecodernpm apiverve-vindecoderPyPI APIVerve.API.VINDecoderNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/vindecoder

Install the Node.js SDK, then call the VIN Decoder API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — npm

npm install @apiverve/vindecoder

Node.js

const res = await fetch("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/vindecoder", {
  headers: { "x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY" },
});
const { data } = await res.json();
console.log(data);

Resources

npm@apiverve/vindecoderThe published Node.js client, versioned and signed.ReferenceVIN Decoder API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

apiverve-vindecoderPyPI APIVerve.API.VINDecoderNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Python — GET /v1/vindecoder

Install the Python SDK, then call the VIN Decoder API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — PyPI

pip install apiverve-vindecoder

Python

import requests

res = requests.get(
    "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/vindecoder",
    headers={"x-api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY"},
)
print(res.json()["data"])

Resources

PyPIapiverve-vindecoderThe published Python client, versioned and signed.ReferenceVIN Decoder API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/vindecodernpm APIVerve.API.VINDecoderNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/vindecoder

Install the C# / .NET SDK, then call the VIN Decoder API with your key. The client wraps the same HTTPS request, so anything it returns is what the endpoint returns.

Install — NuGet

dotnet add package APIVerve.API.VINDecoder

C# / .NET

using var client = new HttpClient();
client.DefaultRequestHeaders.Add("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY");

var json = await client.GetStringAsync("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/vindecoder");
Console.WriteLine(json);

Resources

NuGetAPIVerve.API.VINDecoderThe published C# / .NET client, versioned and signed.ReferenceVIN Decoder API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/vindecodernpm apiverve-vindecoderPyPI

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Go — GET /v1/vindecoder

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/vindecoder with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", "https://api.apiverve.com/v1/vindecoder", nil)
req.Header.Set("x-api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")

res, _ := http.DefaultClient.Do(req)
defer res.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(res.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))

Resources

ReferenceVIN Decoder API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/vindecodernpm apiverve-vindecoderPyPI APIVerve.API.VINDecoderNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/vindecoder

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/vindecoder with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

PHP

$ch = curl_init("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/vindecoder");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, ["x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"]);

$response = curl_exec($ch);
echo $response;

Resources

ReferenceVIN Decoder API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/vindecodernpm apiverve-vindecoderPyPI APIVerve.API.VINDecoderNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/vindecoder

No SDK to install — this is a plain HTTPS call to /v1/vindecoder with your key in the x-api-key header. Swap in a real key and it runs as-is.

Ruby

require "net/http"

uri = URI("https://api.apiverve.com/v1/vindecoder")
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
req["x-api-key"] = "YOUR_API_KEY"

res = Net::HTTP.start(uri.hostname, uri.port, use_ssl: true) { |h| h.request(req) }
puts res.body

Resources

ReferenceVIN Decoder API docsEvery parameter, every response field, and the errors.ParametersWhat this call acceptsRequired and optional inputs, with example values.

Also published for

@apiverve/vindecodernpm apiverve-vindecoderPyPI APIVerve.API.VINDecoderNuGet

Only the languages APIVerve ships a client for are listed — the rest call the endpoint directly over HTTPS.

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VIN Decoder API GET

Try it — live request, no key required

About the VIN Decoder API

Ways to call it

Other ways to use VIN Decoder

Questions.

Request parameters — GET /v1/vindecoder

Required

Authentication

Response — GET /v1/vindecoder

Response fields

Response headers

Errors

What a call costs — 10 credits per call

Call it from cURL — GET /v1/vindecoder

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Node.js — GET /v1/vindecoder

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Python — GET /v1/vindecoder

Resources

Also published for

Call it from C# / .NET — GET /v1/vindecoder

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Go — GET /v1/vindecoder

Resources

Also published for

Call it from PHP — GET /v1/vindecoder

Resources

Also published for

Call it from Ruby — GET /v1/vindecoder

Resources

Also published for

Zero-code embed — one snippet, no backend

Changelog — VIN Decoder API

Transportation

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