Vehicle Plate Decoder (Deprecated)

The Vehicle Plate Decoder API provides access to a library of vehicle's data based on the vehicle's registration/license plate number and state.

This API is deprecated and will be removed in the future. Please use the Plate Decoder V2 API instead.

The Vehicle Plate Decoder API looks up the vehicle through the database for matches and returns the VIN, make, model and year among other attributes. It can be coupled with other APIs to become even more powerful. The state is a two letter abbreviation of one of the 50 states, or DC (District of Columbia), GU (Guam), PR (Puerto Rico) or VI (Virgin Islands).

International support includes the following countries: Australia, Brazil, United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, Spain, India, Mexico and New Zealand.

This endpoint allows you to retrieve vehicle information based on license plates and registration numbers.

Required attributes

Name
key
Type
string
Description
Your CarsXE API key.
Name
plate
Type
string
Description
The vehicle registration number or license plate number.
Name
state
Type
string
Description
The two letter state code (US) such as CA or NY, Australian state (see FAQ) or Brazil BR, United Kingdom UK, Ireland IR, Italy IT, Spain ES, India IND, Mexico MX and New Zealand NZ.
Name
country
Type
string
Description
Australia AU
Optional for US.

Optional attributes

Name
format
Type
string
Description
The format of the response. One of json or xml. Defaults to json.

Response attributes

Name
vin
Type
string
Description
The vehicle identification number.
Name
success
Type
boolean
Description
Whether the plate decoder data has been retrieved.
Name
imageUrl
Type
string
Description
A stock photo of that general vehicle. (Use Images API for more control)
Name
assembly
Type
string
Description
Where the vehicle was assembled.
Name
Description
Type
string
Description
Vehicle description of make, model and trim.
Name
RegistrationYear
Type
string
Description
Year of the vehicle's registration.
Name
CarMake
Type
string
Description
The vehicle make.
Name
CarModel
Type
string
Description
The model of the vehicle.
Name
BodyStyle
Type
string
Description
The specific vehicle body style.
Name
EngineSize
Type
string
Description
The vehicle's engine size.

Frequently asked questions

Request

GET

/platedecoder

curl -G https://api.carsxe.com/platedecoder \
  -d key=CARSXE_API_KEY \
  -d plate=7XER187 \
  -d state=CA

Response

{
    "success": true,
    "input": {
        "plate": "7XER187",
        "country": "",
        "state": "CA",
    },
    "Description": "Kia Forte LX",
    "imageUrl": "https://api.carsxe.com/pic?image=@S2lhIEZvcnRlIExY",
    "vin": "3KPFK4A78HE103497",
    "BodyStyle": "Sedan 4D",
    "RegistrationYear": "2017",
    "EngineSize": "2.0L I4 MPI",
    "CarMake": "Kia",
    "CarModel": "Forte LX",
    "assembly": "Mexico",
}

Specifications Images