Car Listings API

Car Listings API is a car listings api that searches 49 country-aware vehicle sources and returns 37 normalized listing fields with traceable source URLs.

• 49 marketplace, classified, dealer-inventory, and auction routes are available through one input.
• 28 country and region values drive source compatibility and proxy geography.
• Optional platform and location inputs narrow only sources that can honor them.
• Every Dataset item follows the same 37-field vehicle schema.

Run a one-result test · View API

Set max_results to 1 for the smallest useful test. Billing includes Actor Start and only the result rows actually written to the default Dataset.

What does Car Listings API do?

Car Listings API turns a public vehicle search into structured Dataset rows for multiple vehicle markets across 28 countries and regions. It accepts the current schema inputs, follows the edition's routing rules, and writes source-linked records that can move directly into JSON, CSV, Excel, a database, or another Apify workflow.

One supported marketplace, Autotrader US, exposes make, model, price, distance, and ZIP controls on its official vehicle-search page; other sources keep their own native coverage and vocabulary. See the official Autotrader vehicle search.

The Actor is a collection and normalization tool, not a vehicle-history report, appraisal, inspection, financing decision, or guarantee of current stock. Important commercial facts should be checked on source_url, because listings and catalog pages can change after collection.

How do I run Car Listings API?

Run Car Listings API by starting with its prefilled scenario, reviewing one source-linked row, and increasing scope only after the data matches the intended workflow.

1. Open the Car Listings API input page and review every required value.
2. Set country to Australia, keyword to Mazda CX-5, and max_results to 8; for the smallest risk test, temporarily use max_results: 1.
3. Start the Actor and wait for the default Dataset.
4. Open source_url from a returned row before expanding the result ceiling or scheduling repeats.

{
  "max_results": 8,
  "country": "Australia",
  "keyword": "Mazda CX-5"
}

The result limit is a ceiling rather than a promise. Live inventory, source access, unique listing URLs, and the fields available on each page determine how many records can be published.

What data does Car Listings API return?

Car Listings API returns one object per source record using exactly 37 public fields. Values unavailable from the source remain empty; the Actor does not derive a VIN, seller, mileage, location, or vehicle specification from the keyword.

Field group	Public fields	Meaning
Identity and price	main_image, title, price, currency, year, make, model, trim	Primary media, listing title, asking price, and vehicle identity.
Mileage and geography	mileage, mileage_unit, location, latitude, longitude, country	Odometer values and source-published place data.
Source and seller	platform, source_url, seller, seller_type	Marketplace attribution, original listing link, and public seller context.
Vehicle attributes	condition, body_type, seats, fuel, transmission, engine, drive_type, exterior_color, interior_color, vin	Source-published condition, dimensions, powertrain, colors, and identifiers.
Lifecycle and content	listing_id, posted_at, updated_at, description, images, price_text, official_url, processor, processed_at	Source identity, dates, descriptive content, additional links, and processing attribution.

This abbreviated illustrative item uses the same scenario; a real row follows the full 37-field schema.

{
  "main_image": "https://example.com/mazda-cx5.jpg",
  "title": "2022 Mazda CX-5 Touring",
  "price": 32990,
  "currency": "AUD",
  "year": 2022,
  "make": "Mazda",
  "model": "CX-5",
  "mileage": 42000,
  "mileage_unit": "km",
  "country": "Australia",
  "platform": "carsales",
  "source_url": "https://www.carsales.com.au/cars/details/example",
  "processed_at": "2026-08-10T08:02:55Z"
}

Apify Datasets support JSON, JSONL, CSV, Excel, XML, HTML, and RSS retrieval through the Dataset items API. Keep source_url and processed_at when exporting so later reviews retain both source provenance and collection time.

What inputs can I configure?

Car Listings API exposes only inputs supported by its current runtime route, with required fields marked explicitly and no invented non-empty fallback for optional filters.

Input	Type	Required	Behavior	Example
max_results	integer	Yes	Per-platform result ceiling from 1 upward.	8
country	string	Yes	One of 28 supported markets; it selects compatible routes.	"Australia"
keyword	string	Yes	Required make, model, or vehicle phrase, preserved as submitted.	"Mazda CX-5"
platforms	array of strings	No	Optional allowlist of 49 schema labels; omit it to use every compatible source.	Omitted
location	string	No	Optional city, region, postcode, ZIP, or local area; incompatible sources are skipped.	Omitted

The complete effective test input is formed from schema defaults overridden by prefills. API callers can replace those values, but must still send each required field with a schema-valid value.

What platforms and markets does Car Listings API cover?

Car Listings API covers multiple vehicle markets across 28 countries and regions; coverage follows the source relationships registered for this edition rather than assumptions based on the Actor's title.

Country selection is a routing rule rather than a promise that every marketplace serves every country. The Actor keeps only sources registered for the chosen market.

The optional location has source-specific meaning. Some routes accept a city, some need a postal code, and routes with no native geographic request are excluded when location is supplied.

Source inventory, language, seller-entered fields, and page availability change independently. The Dataset describes what was available when the run processed each record.

Why use Car Listings API?

Car Listings API is useful when a repeatable API and Dataset contract matters more than manually copying vehicle cards or maintaining a source-specific export parser.

Capability	Practical benefit
Country-aware source routing	Start with one market and avoid calling routes that cannot serve it.
Optional source allowlist	Compare one marketplace or deliberately fan out across several compatible sources.
Normalized 37-field rows	Load mixed-source results into one table without maintaining 49 output mappings.
Direct source URLs	Review price, availability, and seller context on the originating listing.
Per-result billing	Connect most cost to rows actually written to the Dataset.

The central trade-off is normalization versus source depth: broad compatibility simplifies downstream tables, while source-only attributes may remain empty. This is why null handling and source-link retention are part of a reliable downstream design rather than cleanup tasks.

Who is Car Listings API for?

Car Listings API is designed for developers, automotive data teams, market researchers, dealer analysts, and operations teams comparing public inventory across countries. It works for teams that need a reproducible input, structured output, and a review path back to each public source record.

Cross-market asking-price samples, inventory discovery, auction monitoring, dealer-landscape research, and source-linked review queues all benefit from the shared schema. A team can begin with an eight-result Australian Mazda sample, then keep the input stable for scheduled snapshots.

Choose a different path when you need private owner records, guaranteed VIN history, an independent appraisal, contractual completeness, or every native field from one marketplace. Vehicle purchases, lending, insurance, safety, and regulatory decisions require independent checks beyond a scraped public listing.

How can I use Car Listings API through the API or MCP?

Car Listings API has the public Actor ID eBadkdG6DSi1od8KW; the stable name form truefetch/car-listings-api is also available for human-readable integrations.

eBadkdG6DSi1od8KW

This synchronous HTTP request uses the same scenario and returns Dataset items directly:

curl -L "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/eBadkdG6DSi1od8KW/run-sync-get-dataset-items?maxItems=1" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Accept: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_TOKEN>" \
  -d '{"max_results":8,"country":"Australia","keyword":"Mazda CX-5"}'

Apify also provides a hosted Streamable HTTP MCP server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "apify": {
      "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=actors,docs"
    }
  }
}

After authentication, ask the MCP client to inspect Actor ID eBadkdG6DSi1od8KW, run the same input, and return the default Dataset rows. The Car Listings API API page provides generated SDK and OpenAPI examples, while the Apify MCP guide documents current client setup.

How much does Car Listings API cost?

Car Listings API costs $0.00730 per result on the FREE tier plus $0.01000 per Actor Start event; memory determines the number of Start events at one per GB, minimum one.

Event or tier	Price	Billing unit
Actor Start	$0.01000	Per GB of Actor memory, minimum one event.
Result — FREE	$0.00730	One item written to the default Dataset.
Result — BRONZE	$0.00657	One Dataset item.
Result — SILVER	$0.00584	One Dataset item.
Result — GOLD	$0.00548	One Dataset item.
Result — PLATINUM	$0.00548	One Dataset item.
Result — DIAMOND	$0.00548	One Dataset item.

Smallest-test calculation, assuming the minimum one Start event: $0.01000 Actor Start + 1 result × $0.00730 = $0.01730. A run that writes no row can still incur Actor Start. Check the live pricing page before budgeting a larger workflow because prices can change.

How does Car Listings API compare with alternatives?

Car Listings API is the best fit when its documented source and normalized contract match the job; broader, manual, or contractual approaches solve different problems.

Option	Best fit	Trade-off
Car Listings API	Multi-market work that needs one input and one normalized Dataset.	Optional values vary by source, and compatibility is country-aware.
A focused TrueFetch vehicle API	Research confined to one named marketplace and market.	No cross-source comparison inside the same Actor.
Manual marketplace review	A handful of purchase decisions where full page context matters.	Hard to schedule, export, or compare repeatedly.
Separate source integrations	Teams requiring every platform-native field and workflow.	More credentials, mappings, monitoring, and maintenance.

No option eliminates the need to verify a mutable vehicle advertisement before a purchase or other high-impact decision.

What are the limits and troubleshooting steps?

Car Listings API depends on public source responses, so troubleshooting begins with the exact input, the current source page, and whether the default Dataset contains a row.

Symptom or limit	Explanation and next step
No compatible route remains	The selected source list does not support the country. Remove platforms or choose labels registered for that market.
A location removes every route	No selected source can apply that location. Omit location or use a market-valid postal area.
Fewer rows than requested	max_results applies per selected platform but remains a ceiling. Live inventory and unique source links control output.
Fields are empty	The originating listing did not expose that value. Preserve nulls and inspect source_url.
The same vehicle appears twice	Cross-platform duplicates can be legitimate separate advertisements. Deduplicate downstream only with business rules you control.

For a reproducible report, use max_results: 1, include the run ID and exact input, and add one public source URL when available. Never include an Apify token, private seller data, or credentials in an Issue.

Frequently asked questions

Which inputs are required?

max_results, country, and keyword are required. platforms and location are optional and have no hidden non-empty fallback.

Is there a car listings api without api key?

Yes for the source sites: the Actor does not require a separate marketplace API key. An Apify token is still required for authenticated API or MCP execution.

When should I choose a multi site vehicle listings api?

Choose it when source diversity and a common 37-field contract matter more than capturing every marketplace-specific attribute.

Is there a free car listings API?

You can test within the allowances of your Apify plan, but the Actor uses pay-per-event pricing and is not an unlimited free data feed.

Can I schedule runs to monitor vehicle inventory over time?

Yes. Save the exact country, keyword, optional platforms, and optional location in an Apify Schedule, then compare source URLs and listing IDs between Datasets.

Does max_results limit the entire run?

No. It is a ceiling for each selected platform, so a multi-platform run can return more rows overall.

Why should I keep source_url?

It is the review path for current price, availability, seller statements, and details that may change after collection.

Related TrueFetch Actors

Three TrueFetch Actors cover the closest adjacent vehicle markets without duplicating this Actor's exact source scope.

• 28car API — Use it for a Hong Kong-only source contract.
• CarDekho API — Use it for CarDekho inventory in India.
• Webmotors API — Use it for Webmotors inventory in Brazil.

Support

Use the Store page for the input, the API page for generated integration examples, and Issues for a reproducible bug. Discuss vehicle-data workflows in the TrueFetch community on Telegram.

Run a focused Car Listings API test · Open the Car Listings API API

Last Updated: August 10, 2026