What is the check digit?

The API checks position 9 against the other 16 characters using the VIN check-digit algorithm. A failed check answers valid: false as a 200. The check catches many transcription errors, but it is not proof that a vehicle exists.

Which VINs are supported?

17-character VINs with a matching check digit. Vehicle specifications come from US-market manufacturer filings for the matching VIN pattern.

Where does the data come from?

The manufacturer's own government filings. Year, make, model, and the rest are what the maker filed for that VIN pattern, decoded from official sources.

Why are some fields null?

Each specification comes from the matching manufacturer filing. A field returns null when that filing does not include it.

Technical vehicle specifications, manufacturer and assembly details, and model-level recall campaigns. Each recall includes campaign, date, component, and summary. Included on paid plans.

Does a recall mean this vehicle still needs a repair?

The response lists campaigns for the year, make, and model. It does not establish that this specific VIN is affected or whether its repair was completed.

Market value or accident history?

This decodes vehicle specifications and lists recall campaigns. Ownership, title, and valuation require separate vehicle-history data.

GET /vin/{vin}

VIN Decoder API

Decode a VIN. Year, make, model, trim, and vehicle type.

Example response/vin/1HGCM82633A004352

{
  "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
  "valid": true,
  "year": 2003,
  "make": "Honda",
  "model": "Accord",
  "trim": "EX-V6",
  "body": "coupe",
  "type": "passenger car",
  ?deep=true
}

1M requests · $20/mo. Get started

What comes back.

vin

Normalized VIN, uppercase, no spaces. Invalid input still echoes the fold

valid

17 characters and the ISO 3779 check digit both pass

year

Model year

make

Make (Honda, BMW)

model

Model name as the manufacturer filed it

trim

Trim level, or null

body

Body style (sedan, coupe, suv, pickup)

type

Vehicle type (passenger car, truck, motorcycle, bus, trailer)

deep.cylinders

Engine cylinders, or null

deep.fuel

Primary fuel (gasoline, diesel, electric)

deep.drive

Drive type (fwd, rwd, awd, 4wd), or null

deep.transmission

Transmission style (automatic, manual, cvt), or null

deep.plant_country

Assembly plant country, or null

deep.recalls

Open recall campaigns for the decoded year, make, and model. campaign, date, component, summary verbatim. [] when none, null when the registry did not answer. Paid plans

Pass the VIN

17 characters. Spaces and case do not matter. Junk and a failed check digit answer valid false, never a 404.

Get the build

Year, make, model, trim, body, and vehicle type. Blank filings are null, never a guess.

Deep adds specifications

Engine, drivetrain, technical specifications, assembly details, and model-level recall campaigns. Paid plans.

Coverage

US-market vehicle specifications from official filings. 17-character VINs with a matching check digit.

1981
model years back to: Paid deep
specifications and recalls

Pass a VIN. Spaces and case do not matter. Get the vehicle identity: year, make, model, trim, body, and type. The data reflects official manufacturer filings.

Paid deep adds the engine, drivetrain, technical specifications, manufacturer, assembly plant, and recall campaigns for the decoded year, make, and model. Junk and a failed check digit answer valid: false as a 200. Fields the filing leaves blank are null. Recall campaigns do not establish whether a specific VIN still needs a repair.

SPEED

How long /vin takes.

Median time to first byte over the last seven days. Warm requests, measured every 30 minutes. Live verification and other request variants can take longer.

52ms

132ms

APAC

167ms

LatAm

150ms

152ms

See live status →

Make your first request.

One key works across the APIs. Copy a request in your language and get JSON back.

curl "https://api.parseapi.com/vin/1HGCM82633A004352" \
  -H "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Parse-Version: 2.0.0"

// Example response · 200
{
  "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
  "valid": true,
  "year": 2003,
  "make": "Honda",
  "model": "Accord",
  "trim": "EX-V6",
  "body": "coupe",
  "type": "passenger car"
}

API reference SDKs Keys and authentication

Every response field

Response fields

vin: Normalized VIN, uppercase, no spaces. Invalid input still echoes the fold
valid: 17 characters and the ISO 3779 check digit both pass
year: Model year
make: Make (Honda, BMW)
model: Model name as the manufacturer filed it
trim: Trim level, or null
body: Body style (sedan, coupe, suv, pickup)
type: Vehicle type (passenger car, truck, motorcycle, bus, trailer)

Deep fields

deep.series: Series, or null
deep.doors: Door count, or null
deep.cylinders: Engine cylinders, or null
deep.displacement: Engine displacement in liters, or null
deep.fuel: Primary fuel (gasoline, diesel, electric)
deep.horsepower: Engine horsepower when published, or null
deep.drive: Drive type (fwd, rwd, awd, 4wd), or null
deep.transmission: Transmission style (automatic, manual, cvt), or null
deep.manufacturer: Manufacturer of record
deep.plant_city: Assembly plant city, or null
deep.plant_state: Assembly plant state or region, or null
deep.plant_country: Assembly plant country, or null
deep.gvwr: Gross vehicle weight rating class as filed, or null
deep.recalls: Open recall campaigns for the decoded year, make, and model. campaign, date, component, summary verbatim. [] when none, null when the registry did not answer. Paid plans

Build with VIN

Fill vehicle details from a VIN

All tutorials →

QUESTIONS

What is the check digit?: The API checks position 9 against the other 16 characters using the VIN check-digit algorithm. A failed check answers valid: false as a 200. The check catches many transcription errors, but it is not proof that a vehicle exists.
Which VINs are supported?: 17-character VINs with a matching check digit. Vehicle specifications come from US-market manufacturer filings for the matching VIN pattern.
Where does the data come from?: The manufacturer's own government filings. Year, make, model, and the rest are what the maker filed for that VIN pattern, decoded from official sources.
Why are some fields null?: Each specification comes from the matching manufacturer filing. A field returns null when that filing does not include it.
What does deep add?: Technical vehicle specifications, manufacturer and assembly details, and model-level recall campaigns. Each recall includes campaign, date, component, and summary. Included on paid plans.
Does a recall mean this vehicle still needs a repair?: The response lists campaigns for the year, make, and model. It does not establish that this specific VIN is affected or whether its repair was completed.
Market value or accident history?: This decodes vehicle specifications and lists recall campaigns. Ownership, title, and valuation require separate vehicle-history data.

17 characters. One vehicle.

Vehicle identity on every plan. Specifications and recalls on paid plans.

Start includes 1M API requests a month for $20/mo.

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