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PistonHeads.com Car Details Scraper: Extract UK Automotive Listings Data

Introduction

PistonHeads.com is the UK's leading online automotive marketplace and enthusiast community, specializing in performance cars, classic vehicles, and premium automotive listings. With a dedicated audience of car enthusiasts and collectors, PistonHeads maintains a curated database of high-quality vehicle listings spanning supercars, sports cars, classics, and specialist vehicles that often don't appear on mainstream automotive platforms.

For automotive dealers, market analysts, collectors, and businesses operating in the UK automotive sector, accessing this specialized listing data is valuable for understanding premium vehicle market dynamics. However, manually collecting detailed information from individual vehicle listings is time-intensive, particularly when analyzing market trends across multiple manufacturers, models, or price segments.

The PistonHeads.com Car Details Scraper automates this extraction process, enabling systematic collection of vehicle data for pricing analysis, inventory tracking, market research, and competitive intelligence in the UK's premium automotive market.

Scraper Overview

The PistonHeads.com Car Details Scraper is a specialized tool designed to extract comprehensive vehicle information from individual car listings on the UK's premier automotive enthusiast platform. It captures detailed specifications, pricing data, seller information, and geographic details through advanced web automation.

Key advantages include residential proxy support for reliable access, configurable retry mechanisms for handling connection issues, and the ability to process multiple vehicle listings simultaneously. The scraper is valuable for automotive dealers tracking competitor inventory, market researchers analyzing UK premium vehicle trends, collectors monitoring specific models, and data analysts building automotive market intelligence databases.

The tool extracts rich vehicle metadata including manufacturer details, model specifications, condition information, mileage, pricing, dealer/private seller identification, and precise location data across UK regions.

Input and Output Details

Example url 1: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19402288

Example url 2: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19683452

Example url 3: https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19314784

Example Screenshot of cars information page:

Example output

[
  {
  "age": 6,
  "brand_type": "Standard",
  "category": "Used cars",
  "city": "Worksop, United Kingdom",
  "colour": "Grey",
  "condition": "Used",
  "country": "GB",
  "country_name": "United Kingdom",
  "county": "Worksop, United Kingdom",
  "dealer": "Perrys Worksop Ford",
  "dealer_id": "865881",
  "id": "19402288",
  "location": "Worksop, United Kingdom",
  "manufacturer": "Abarth",
  "model": "595",
  "postcode": "S81",
  "price": 11349,
  "price_band": 11349,
  "price_currency": "GBP",
  "private_seller": false,
  "formatted_price": "£11,349",
  "region": "Worksop, United Kingdom",
  "mileage": 38199,
  "sub_category1": "Abarth",
  "sub_category2": "595",
  "version": 2020
}
]

Input Format

The scraper accepts JSON configuration for extracting data from specific vehicle listing pages.

{
  "proxy": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "GB"
  },
  "max_retries_per_url": 2,
  "urls": [
    "https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/19402288"
  ]
}

The urls parameter: Add direct URLs to specific vehicle detail pages on PistonHeads.com. You can paste URLs individually or use bulk edit to add a prepared list. These should be complete listing URLs, not search results pages.

The max_retries_per_url parameter: Sets retry attempts for failed requests due to bot detection or loading issues. Default value of 2 balances thoroughness with efficiency.

The proxy parameter: Essential for avoiding detection. Use UK residential proxies (apifyProxyCountry: "GB") for optimal access to PistonHeads.com and reduced blocking risk.

Output Format

The scraper returns structured vehicle data with each field serving specific analytical purposes:

• ID: Unique listing identifier on PistonHeads. Critical for tracking listings over time, preventing duplicates, and building historical databases.

• Manufacturer: Vehicle manufacturer or brand name. Essential for brand-level analysis, manufacturer comparison, and market segmentation.

• Model: Specific vehicle model name. Core identifier for model-specific research, price comparisons, and inventory tracking.

• Version: Trim level or variant specification. Provides granular model differentiation for accurate valuation and feature analysis.

• Brand Type: Classification of brand positioning (premium, luxury, performance). Enables market segment analysis and brand tier research.

• Category: Primary vehicle category classification. Allows category-level market analysis and inventory organization.

• Sub Category 1: First-level category refinement. Provides detailed vehicle type classification for specialized analysis.

• Sub Category 2: Second-level category refinement. Enables precise categorization for niche market segments.

• Age: Vehicle age or year of manufacture. Critical for depreciation analysis, vintage classification, and age-based market segmentation.

• Mileage: Recorded vehicle mileage. Essential for valuation models, condition assessment, and usage pattern analysis.

• Colour: Exterior paint color. Important for inventory diversity analysis and color preference trends.

• Condition: Vehicle condition status (new, used, classic). Fundamental for market segmentation and pricing analysis.

• Price: Listed selling price. Core data point for pricing analysis, market trends, and valuation models.

• Price Currency: Currency denomination (typically GBP). Ensures accurate international comparison and data standardization.

• Formatted Price: Display-formatted price string. User-friendly price representation for reports and interfaces.

• Price Band: Price range classification. Enables price segment analysis and market stratification research.

• Dealer: Selling dealer name or identifier. Identifies seller for dealer analysis, inventory tracking, and business intelligence.

• Dealer ID: Unique dealer identifier. Enables dealer-level analytics, inventory aggregation, and seller behavior tracking.

• Private Seller: Boolean indicating private vs. dealer sale. Distinguishes market segments and enables seller-type analysis.

• Location: Detailed location information. Enables geographic analysis and regional market research.

• City: Specific city location. Provides city-level market analysis and urban inventory tracking.

• County: UK county location. Enables county-based geographic segmentation.

• Region: Broader regional classification. Supports regional market analysis and geographic trend identification.

• Country: Country code (UK). Ensures proper geographic classification for international datasets.

• Country Name: Full country name. Human-readable country identification.

• Postcode: UK postal code. Enables precise geographic analysis, proximity calculations, and local market research.

Each field supports specific use cases in pricing intelligence, inventory analysis, dealer monitoring, and market research within the UK premium automotive sector.

Usage Guide

Setting Up Vehicle Data Extraction

Step 1: Collect Target Vehicle URLs

Navigate to PistonHeads.com and identify specific vehicle listings for extraction. This could include:

• Specific models for price tracking
• Competitor dealer inventory
• Particular price ranges or categories
• Classic or specialist vehicles
• Regional inventory analysis

Copy the complete URL from each vehicle detail page.

Step 2: Build URL List

Create your extraction list by:

• Adding URLs individually for targeted analysis
• Using bulk edit for large-scale extraction
• Organizing by category, dealer, or region
• Focusing on specific manufacturers or price bands

Step 3: Configure Proxy Settings

For optimal PistonHeads.com access:

• Enable residential proxy groups
• Set apifyProxyCountry to "GB" for UK proxies
• This minimizes detection and ensures reliable access

Step 4: Set Retry Parameters

Configure retries based on your needs:

• Default of 2 works for most scenarios
• Increase for larger volumes or unstable connections
• Balance completeness against processing time

Best Practices

URL Management:

• Systematically collect URLs before detailed extraction
• Verify listing availability before scraping
• Organize by research objective (dealer, model, region)
• Keep backup lists as listings may expire

Proxy Configuration:

• Always use UK residential proxies
• Monitor for access issues and adjust if needed
• Test configuration with small batches first

Data Quality:

• Validate extracted data against source listings
• Check for missing fields indicating extraction issues
• Handle expired listings appropriately
• Verify numeric data (price, mileage) for accuracy

Analysis Applications:

Dealer Intelligence:

• Track competitor inventory using dealer_id
• Monitor pricing strategies across dealers
• Analyze inventory turnover rates
• Identify dealer specializations

Pricing Analysis:

• Compare prices across regions using location fields
• Track price trends by manufacturer and model
• Analyze price bands and market segmentation
• Monitor depreciation patterns using age and mileage

Market Research:

• Identify popular models and specifications
• Track regional inventory distribution
• Analyze private vs. dealer market composition
• Monitor classic and specialist vehicle trends

Common Troubleshooting

URL Access Issues:

• Verify URLs are complete and correctly formatted
• Check if listings have been removed
• Confirm proxy configuration
• Test manual access to validate availability

Data Extraction Problems:

• Check for PistonHeads page structure changes
• Ensure all fields are being captured
• Review error logs for specific issues
• Verify JavaScript content is being handled

Performance Optimization:

• Process URLs in manageable batches
• Implement appropriate delays for large volumes
• Monitor system resources
• Split large jobs if needed

Benefits and Applications

The PistonHeads.com Car Details Scraper delivers significant value for automotive market intelligence and competitive analysis in the UK premium vehicle sector.

Primary Applications:

Automotive Dealer Intelligence: Track competitor inventory and pricing strategies, monitor dealer stock levels and turnover, analyze pricing positioning across dealerships, identify market gaps for inventory planning, and benchmark against regional competitors.

Market Pricing Analysis: Build comprehensive pricing databases by manufacturer and model, track price trends across vehicle ages and mileage, analyze regional price variations for arbitrage opportunities, monitor depreciation curves for investment decisions, and develop valuation models for specific segments.

Collector and Classic Vehicle Research: Track availability of specific classic models, monitor pricing trends in specialist segments, identify rare vehicles and specifications, analyze geographic distribution of classic inventory, and build historical pricing databases for collectible vehicles.

Market Trend Identification: Monitor shifts in popular manufacturers and models, track emerging vehicle categories, analyze seasonal pricing patterns, identify growing dealer networks, and understand premium market dynamics.

Inventory Planning: Identify underserved markets and price points, analyze successful dealer positioning strategies, monitor stock levels by category and region, optimize inventory mix based on market data, and forecast demand for specific vehicle types.

Competitive Advantages:

• Access to UK's premier premium automotive marketplace data
• Detailed dealer identification for competitive tracking
• Comprehensive location data enabling regional analysis
• Granular categorization supporting specialist vehicle research
• Private vs. dealer distinction for market composition analysis
• Price band classification for segment-specific research

The structured output integrates with automotive CRM systems, pricing analytics platforms, inventory management tools, and business intelligence systems, enabling immediate application for dealer operations, market research, and investment analysis in the UK premium automotive market.

Conclusion

The PistonHeads.com Car Details Scraper transforms manual vehicle research into efficient automated data collection. By providing structured access to the UK's leading automotive enthusiast marketplace, it enables data-driven decisions about pricing strategies, inventory management, and market positioning in the premium vehicle sector.

Whether tracking competitor inventory, analyzing classic vehicle markets, monitoring pricing trends, or building comprehensive automotive databases, this scraper delivers the detailed extraction capabilities needed to accelerate your automotive market intelligence.

Ready to unlock insights from PistonHeads.com? Start extracting comprehensive vehicle data today and enhance your UK automotive market analysis capabilities.

Related Actors

• pistonheads.com Cars Search Scraper: A specialized data extraction tool engineered to harvest detailed cars information from pistonheads's cars marketplace.

Your feedback

We are always working to improve Actors' performance. So, if you have any technical feedback about pistonheads.com Automotive Details Scraper or simply found a bug, please create an issue on the Actor's Issues tab in Apify Console.