Vehicle API vPIC

Vehicle API vPIC

by drerew

Automate NHTSA vehicle data lookups. This actor queries the official vPIC API for specs, recalls, and VIN decoding, delivering clean JSON.

356 runs
13 users
Try This Actor

Opens on Apify.com

About Vehicle API vPIC

Need to pull vehicle specs, decode a VIN, or check for recalls? The official NHTSA vPIC API is your source, but working with it directly can be a chore. That's where this actor comes in. It handles the connection to the Vehicle Product Information Catalog for you, turning those government endpoints into structured, usable data without the hassle. I use it to quickly pull details like make, model, year, engine type, and even safety recall information by just feeding it a VIN or vehicle details. It's perfect for developers building car comparison sites, logistics platforms that need to verify vehicle attributes, or any service where automating vehicle data lookups saves a ton of manual work. You get clean, reliable data straight from the NHTSA's database, which means you can stop scraping sketchy third-party sites or manually searching PDFs. Just set up the input with your search criteria, run it, and get JSON you can actually work with. It simplifies what should be a simple task: getting facts about a car.

What does this actor do?

Vehicle API vPIC is a web scraping and automation tool available on the Apify platform. It's designed to help you extract data and automate tasks efficiently in the cloud.

Key Features

  • Cloud-based execution - no local setup required
  • Scalable infrastructure for large-scale operations
  • API access for integration with your applications
  • Built-in proxy rotation and anti-blocking measures
  • Scheduled runs and webhooks for automation

How to Use

  1. Click "Try This Actor" to open it on Apify
  2. Create a free Apify account if you don't have one
  3. Configure the input parameters as needed
  4. Run the actor and download your results

Documentation

Vehicle API vPIC Actor

This Apify actor provides programmatic access to the NHTSA's Vehicle Product Information Catalog (vPIC) API. It fetches and structures vehicle specification data, such as make, model, year, and trim, primarily by decoding a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). The underlying data is supplied directly by vehicle manufacturers.

Key Features

  • VIN Decoding: The core function. Submit a VIN to retrieve detailed vehicle specifications.
  • Manufacturer Data: Accesses the official NHTSA vPIC dataset, which is populated from manufacturer submissions.
  • Structured Output: Returns clean, parsed JSON data, handling the raw API response for you.
  • Easy Integration: Designed to be run as an Apify actor, making it simple to embed in automated workflows, scrapers, or data pipelines.

How to Use

Run the actor on the Apify platform, either via the web console, API, or SDK. The primary input is a VIN number.

Basic usage via Apify API:

curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/YOUR_USERNAME~vehicle-api-vpic/run-sync?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"vin": "1HGCM82633A123456"}'

Replace YOUR_USERNAME and YOUR_API_TOKEN with your actual Apify credentials. The actor can also be configured within Apify console workflows.

Input & Output

Input (example):

{
  "vin": "1HGCM82633A123456"
}

Output (example, simplified):

{
  "vin": "1HGCM82633A123456",
  "make": "HONDA",
  "model": "Accord",
  "modelYear": "2003",
  "trim": "EX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5M)",
  "vehicleType": "Passenger Car",
  "bodyClass": "Sedan/Saloon",
  "engineConfiguration": "In-Line",
  // ... additional standardized fields
}

The output is a structured JSON object containing decoded vehicle details sourced directly from the NHTSA vPIC database.

Common Use Cases

Market Research

Gather competitive intelligence and market data

Lead Generation

Extract contact information for sales outreach

Price Monitoring

Track competitor pricing and product changes

Content Aggregation

Collect and organize content from multiple sources

Ready to Get Started?

Try Vehicle API vPIC now on Apify. Free tier available with no credit card required.

Start Free Trial

Actor Information

Developer
drerew
Pricing
Paid
Total Runs
356
Active Users
13
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