PistonHeads Scraper

Scrape used-car listings from pistonheads.com — the UK's long-running enthusiast car marketplace (owned by CarGurus). Search by make, model, postcode and seller type, and get structured JSON with prices, mileage, year, engine spec (size, power, fuel, transmission), seller type and photos.

No login, no cookies, no browser automation. The actor talks directly to PistonHeads' own GraphQL search API, so runs are fast and results are clean.

Why use this actor

• Enthusiast/performance market research — PistonHeads skews toward performance and classic cars (M cars, 911s, classic Porsches) compared to mass-market sites, useful for tracking a different slice of the used-car market.
• Price research — track asking prices for a specific make/model across the UK.
• Market monitoring — schedule runs to catch new listings for a saved search.
• Lead generation — filter by private sellers or trade sellers within a radius of any UK postcode.
• Data science — build depreciation curves and spec-vs-price datasets from year, mileage, engine power and price.

Input

Field	Type	Default	Description
make	string	BMW	Car make, matched against PistonHeads' own make list (e.g. Porsche, Ford, Tesla).
model	string	—	Optional model filter (e.g. 911, M3, Fiesta). Requires make.
postcode	string	—	UK postcode to centre the search on. Leave empty to search nationwide.
distanceMiles	integer	50	Search radius in miles from postcode. Only used when a postcode is set.
sellerType	string	all	One of all, Private, Trade.
maxResults	integer	40	Maximum number of listings to return. Each API page carries 20 listings.
proxyConfiguration	object	automatic	PistonHeads has no anti-bot protection on its search API — the default automatic Apify proxy is enough, no residential proxy needed.

Example input

{
    "make": "Porsche",
    "model": "911",
    "postcode": "SW1A 1AA",
    "distanceMiles": 100,
    "sellerType": "Trade",
    "maxResults": 50,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true
    }
}

Output

Each dataset item is one car listing:

Field	Example	Description
listingTitle	2001 BMW 5 SERIES (E39) M5	Listing headline
make / model	BMW / M5	Structured make and model
year	2001	Registration year
price	38000	Numeric price in GBP (null when price is on application)
priceText	£38,000	Price as displayed (or POA)
isPriceOnApplication	false	Whether the seller hides the price
mileage	70814	Numeric mileage in miles
bodyType	Saloon	Body style
colour	Black	Exterior colour
fuelType	Petrol	Fuel type
transmissionType	Manual	Transmission type
engineSizeCc	4900	Engine displacement in cc
enginePowerBhp	394	Engine power in bhp
location	Linlithgow, United Kingdom	Seller location
distanceMiles	28	Distance from search postcode, when set
sellerType / sellerName	Private / Private Seller	Seller type and name
imageUrl / imageUrls	https://img.pistonheads.com/Fullsize/...	Listing photos
url	https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20895444	Direct listing URL
scrapedAt	2026-08-13T14:15:14.970Z	Collection timestamp

Example output

{
    "listingTitle": "2001 BMW 5 SERIES (E39) M5",
    "make": "BMW",
    "model": "M5",
    "year": 2001,
    "price": 38000,
    "priceText": "£38,000",
    "isPriceOnApplication": false,
    "currency": "GBP",
    "mileage": 70814,
    "mileageText": "70,814 miles",
    "bodyType": "Saloon",
    "colour": "Black",
    "fuelType": "Petrol",
    "transmissionType": "Manual",
    "engineSizeCc": 4900,
    "enginePowerBhp": 394,
    "location": "Linlithgow, United Kingdom",
    "distanceMiles": null,
    "sellerType": "Private",
    "sellerName": "Private Seller",
    "isOnlineRetailer": false,
    "isFeatured": false,
    "isVatOmitted": false,
    "imageUrl": "https://img.pistonheads.com/Fullsize/bmw/m5/m5/bmw-m5-m5-S4972961-1.jpg",
    "numberOfImages": 4,
    "advertId": "20895444",
    "url": "https://www.pistonheads.com/buy/listing/20895444",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-08-13T14:15:14.970Z"
}

How to scrape Pistonheads data

1. Open the actor and press Try for free (or run it via the Apify API).
2. Set make (and optionally model) to the car you want to research.
3. Optionally set postcode and distanceMiles to search a specific area, or leave both empty to search nationwide.
4. Optionally set sellerType to Private or Trade.
5. Set maxResults and run it. Results land in the dataset as clean JSON, downloadable as JSON, CSV or Excel.

To scrape PistonHeads data on a schedule, create an Apify Schedule that runs this actor daily — useful for tracking new stock on a saved search.

Cost estimate

One API request returns 20 listings plus one small facet lookup per run, so runs stay cheap: roughly 2-3 requests per 40 cars. A 500-listing run typically completes in under a minute, with no residential proxy overhead.

Usage cost only settles after the run reports SUCCEEDED — reading the dataset mid-run will undercount what you'll actually be charged.

Limitations

• PistonHeads lists UK vehicles only.
• The search API exposes listing-grid data. Full description text and the complete detail-page photo gallery are not included in this version.
• Price/mileage range filters are not exposed by PistonHeads' search API in a way this actor can pass through — filter the dataset after scraping if you need a price band.

Related Scrapers

• AutoTrader UK Scraper — the UK's largest general car marketplace.
• Cinch UK Scraper — UK online used-car retailer.
• AutoScout24 Scraper — pan-European car marketplace.
• Willhaben Cars Scraper — Austrian car classifieds.
• European Car Search — cross-market car search.

Legal

This actor scrapes publicly visible listing data only. It collects no personal data and requires no login. Users are responsible for complying with PistonHeads' terms of service and applicable law when using scraped data.