NHTSA vPIC API

vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov · Government

Government No Auth Free & Open Automotive VIN Vehicle

NHTSA Vehicle Product Information Catalog (vPIC) — decode VINs, look up vehicle makes/models, manufacturers, and specifications. Official US government source. Free, no API key required.

Authentication

No authentication requiredFree to use with no key needed.

Sample Requests

GET Decode VIN

Decode a VIN to get year, make, model, trim, engine, and 100+ other fields.

https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/DecodeVinValues/1HGCM82633A004352?format=json

Hover any highlighted part to learn what it does

curl -X GET "https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/DecodeVinValues/1HGCM82633A004352?format=json"

import requests
params = {
    "format": "json"
}
response = requests.get(
    "https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/DecodeVinValues/1HGCM82633A004352",
    params=params,
)
print(response.json())

const url = new URL('https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/DecodeVinValues/1HGCM82633A004352');
url.searchParams.set('format', 'json');

const response = await fetch(url); 
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"net/url"
)

func main() {
	baseURL, _ := url.Parse("https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/DecodeVinValues/1HGCM82633A004352")
	q := baseURL.Query()
	q.Set("format", "json")
	baseURL.RawQuery = q.Encode()
	targetURL := baseURL.String()
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", targetURL, nil)

	client := &http.Client{}
	resp, _ := client.Do(req)
	defer resp.Body.Close()
	body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(body))
}

require "net/http"
require "json"

uri = URI("https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/DecodeVinValues/1HGCM82633A004352")
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form({
  "format" => "json"
})

http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = uri.scheme == "https"

req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)

res = http.request(req)
puts JSON.parse(res.body)

<?php
$url = "https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/DecodeVinValues/1HGCM82633A004352?" . http_build_query([
    "format" => "json"
]);
$opts = ["http" => [
    "method" => "GET",
]];
$ctx = stream_context_create($opts);
$res = file_get_contents($url, false, $ctx);
print_r(json_decode($res, true));

GET Get models for make

Get all models for a vehicle make.

https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetModelsForMake/toyota?format=json

Hover any highlighted part to learn what it does

curl -X GET "https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetModelsForMake/toyota?format=json"

import requests
params = {
    "format": "json"
}
response = requests.get(
    "https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetModelsForMake/toyota",
    params=params,
)
print(response.json())

const url = new URL('https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetModelsForMake/toyota');
url.searchParams.set('format', 'json');

const response = await fetch(url); 
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"net/url"
)

func main() {
	baseURL, _ := url.Parse("https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetModelsForMake/toyota")
	q := baseURL.Query()
	q.Set("format", "json")
	baseURL.RawQuery = q.Encode()
	targetURL := baseURL.String()
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", targetURL, nil)

	client := &http.Client{}
	resp, _ := client.Do(req)
	defer resp.Body.Close()
	body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(body))
}

require "net/http"
require "json"

uri = URI("https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetModelsForMake/toyota")
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form({
  "format" => "json"
})

http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = uri.scheme == "https"

req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)

res = http.request(req)
puts JSON.parse(res.body)

<?php
$url = "https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetModelsForMake/toyota?" . http_build_query([
    "format" => "json"
]);
$opts = ["http" => [
    "method" => "GET",
]];
$ctx = stream_context_create($opts);
$res = file_get_contents($url, false, $ctx);
print_r(json_decode($res, true));

GET Get all makes

Get a list of all vehicle makes registered with NHTSA.

https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetAllMakes?format=json

Hover any highlighted part to learn what it does

curl -X GET "https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetAllMakes?format=json"

import requests
params = {
    "format": "json"
}
response = requests.get(
    "https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetAllMakes",
    params=params,
)
print(response.json())

const url = new URL('https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetAllMakes');
url.searchParams.set('format', 'json');

const response = await fetch(url); 
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);

package main

import (
	"fmt"
	"io"
	"net/http"
	"net/url"
)

func main() {
	baseURL, _ := url.Parse("https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetAllMakes")
	q := baseURL.Query()
	q.Set("format", "json")
	baseURL.RawQuery = q.Encode()
	targetURL := baseURL.String()
	req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", targetURL, nil)

	client := &http.Client{}
	resp, _ := client.Do(req)
	defer resp.Body.Close()
	body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
	fmt.Println(string(body))
}

require "net/http"
require "json"

uri = URI("https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetAllMakes")
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form({
  "format" => "json"
})

http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = uri.scheme == "https"

req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)

res = http.request(req)
puts JSON.parse(res.body)

<?php
$url = "https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/GetAllMakes?" . http_build_query([
    "format" => "json"
]);
$opts = ["http" => [
    "method" => "GET",
]];
$ctx = stream_context_create($opts);
$res = file_get_contents($url, false, $ctx);
print_r(json_decode($res, true));

Postman Setup Guide

Get Postman ↗

No API key needed
Always add ?format=json for JSON output (default is XML)
Try GET https://vpic.nhtsa.dot.gov/api/vehicles/DecodeVinValues/YOUR_VIN?format=json
Replace YOUR_VIN with any 17-character VIN number
GetModelsForMakeYear: /vehicles/GetModelsForMakeYear/make/honda/modelyear/2022?format=json

What can you build with NHTSA vPIC API?

NHTSA vPIC API is a Government API. Developers commonly use government APIs for:

surfacing public datasets in citizen-facing apps
building transparency and civic engagement tools
accessing legislation, court records, and official data
powering research and journalism tools
creating compliance and regulatory monitoring dashboards

No authentication required. This API is open — no signup or key needed. Ideal for quick prototypes and public-facing features. NHTSA vPIC API is free to use, making it a low-risk choice to experiment with.

New to APIs? Read our beginner's guide

Open documentation ↗