Autotrader Canada Scraper — Extract Every Car Listing from Autotrader.ca at Scale

Scrape Autotrader Canada listings in bulk with this actor that automatically paginates through autotrader.ca search results and extracts 20+ structured fields per vehicle. Built for used car dealerships, automotive data teams, and market research firms that need reliable, complete data without manual effort. Unlike basic scrapers, it parses the embedded JSON payload directly from each detail page for maximum data accuracy.

What you get

Listing info

• url — direct link to the listing
• ad_id — unique Autotrader ad identifier
• status — Used, New, or Certified Pre-Owned
• posted_age — how long the listing has been live
• description — full vehicle description text

Vehicle specs

• make, model, year
• body_type, transmission, drivetrain, fuel_type
• exterior_colour, doors

Pricing

• price_str — formatted string (e.g., "$79,990")
• price_cad — numeric CAD value for sorting/filtering

Mileage

• mileage_str — formatted (e.g., "37,397 km")
• mileage_km — numeric km value

Seller

• seller_name
• is_private_seller — boolean flag (private vs. dealer)

Location

• city, province

Media

• image_urls — array of full-resolution photo URLs

Sample output

{
  "url": "https://www.autotrader.ca/a/hummer/h1/st-eustache/quebec/5_54240768/",
  "ad_id": "54240768",
  "make": "Hummer",
  "model": "H1",
  "year": 1996,
  "status": "Used",
  "price_str": "$79,990",
  "price_cad": 79990,
  "mileage_str": "37,397 km",
  "mileage_km": 37397,
  "body_type": "SUV",
  "transmission": "Automatic",
  "drivetrain": "4x4",
  "fuel_type": "Diesel",
  "exterior_colour": "Green",
  "doors": "4",
  "city": "St-Eustache",
  "province": "QC",
  "is_private_seller": false,
  "seller_name": "Empire Auto",
  "image_urls": [
    "https://mkt-vehicleimages-prd.autotradercdn.ca/photos/import/202204/0102/0316/0017abd5.jpg"
  ],
  "description": "1996 HUMMER H1 6.5L V8 DIESEL 4-PASSENGER OPEN TOP..."
}

Use cases

• Used car dealerships tracking competitor pricing and inventory daily across Ontario, BC, or Quebec
• Automotive market research firms building national pricing indices for used vehicles
• Proptech and fintech startups needing clean vehicle valuation datasets
• Insurance companies monitoring regional market values for specific makes and models
• Data aggregators powering car-search apps or price-comparison tools
• Individual buyers monitoring specific makes/models across multiple provinces

Pricing

Event	Price
Per 1,000 results	$1

Real example: Scrape 10,000 autotrader.ca listings ≈ $10.00

First results are free — try the actor before committing to a paid run.

How it works

• Input one or more Autotrader.ca search result URLs (any filter combination works)
• Actor automatically sets pagination to 100 results per page and follows all pages
• Each listing URL is queued and scraped for full detail-page data (parses window['ngVdpModel'])
• Duplicate and stagnation detection prevents infinite loops on thin searches
• Results land in Apify dataset — export as JSON, CSV, or Excel instantly

Why this scraper

• Parses the embedded JSON payload on each detail page rather than scraping HTML, giving cleaner, more complete data
• Automatic pagination handles the rcs parameter internally — no manual URL editing needed
• Includes both formatted strings and numeric values for price and mileage, so data is immediately usable in spreadsheets and databases without parsing
• Up to 5 retry attempts with backoff per page — runs complete even on slow or intermittent responses
• No proxy setup required; uses Apify's residential proxy pool by default

Input example

{
  "start_urls": [
    { "url": "https://www.autotrader.ca/cars/on/toronto/?rcp=15&rcs=0&srt=35" }
  ],
  "max_depth": 0,
  "max_concurrency": 20
}

FAQ

Does the scraper handle proxy and anti-bot protection? Yes. It uses Apify's proxy service with automatic rotation by default. You can also supply your own proxy URL.

What output formats are available? JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, and JSONL — all available directly from the Apify dataset UI or API.

Can I limit how many pages it scrapes? Yes. Set max_depth to any integer (e.g., 3 for the first 3 pages). Leave it at 0 to scrape all available pages.

Does it support scheduling? Yes. Use Apify's built-in scheduler to run the actor on any cron schedule — daily, hourly, or weekly.

Can I use this via API? Yes. Every Apify actor is callable via the Apify REST API. Pass your input as JSON in the request body.

Can I connect this to an AI agent via MCP? Yes. The actor is available as an MCP server, callable from Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and other MCP-compatible agents.

Can you extract fields not currently in the output? Autotrader embeds a rich JSON payload per listing. Most fields can be surfaced on request — reach out via the Issues tab.

Use via API or MCP

Call this actor programmatically via the Apify REST API or integrate it as an MCP server for AI agents (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor):

https://mcp.apify.com/actors/fayoussef/autotrader-canada

Full API docs: https://docs.apify.com/api/v2

Need a custom scraper?

Need a different site, additional fields, CRM integration, or a scheduled data feed? Visit automationbyexperts.com for custom builds, retainers, and data-as-a-service.