# NHTSA VIN Decoder (`vxc1104/nhtsa-vin-decoder`) Actor

Decode vehicle VINs into make, model, year, engine and body specs via the official NHTSA vPIC API.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/vxc1104/nhtsa-vin-decoder.md
- **Developed by:** [Vincent Krüger](https://apify.com/vxc1104) (community)
- **Categories:**
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$2.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## NHTSA VIN Decoder

Decode **Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs)** into make, model, year, engine, body class and more — straight from the official US NHTSA vPIC database.

### What it does

Feed it a list of VINs and get clean, structured vehicle specs back. Built for dealers, insurers, fleet tools, marketplaces and automotive data pipelines that need reliable decoding at scale.

### Example output

```json
{
  "vin": "5UXWX7C5XBA",
  "make": "BMW",
  "model": "X3",
  "modelYear": "2011",
  "bodyClass": "Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)/Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)",
  "vehicleType": "MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE (MPV)",
  "engineCylinders": "6",
  "fuelTypePrimary": "Gasoline",
  "manufacturer": "BMW MANUFACTURER CORPORATION / BMW NORTH AMERICA",
  "errorCode": "0"
}
```

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `vins` | List of VINs to decode (one per entry). |
| `maxItems` | Hard cap on decoded vehicles (cost protection). |

### Pricing

Pay per result. **1,000 VINs ≈ $2** (see the pricing tab). VINs that don't decode at all are skipped and not charged.

### Legal

Uses the public NHTSA vPIC API (US government open data). No personal data, no login, no paywall bypass.

### Support

Issues answered within **12 hours** — include your input and run ID.

# Actor input Schema

## `vins` (type: `array`):

Vehicle Identification Numbers to decode. For an AI agent: one VIN per array element, e.g. \["5UXWX7C5\*BA", "1HGCM82633A004352"].

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Hard cap on the number of decoded vehicles (cost protection).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "vins": [
    "5UXWX7C5XBA"
  ],
  "maxItems": 1000
}
```

# Actor output Schema

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "vins": [
        "5UXWX7C5XBA"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("vxc1104/nhtsa-vin-decoder").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = { "vins": ["5UXWX7C5XBA"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("vxc1104/nhtsa-vin-decoder").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "vins": [
    "5UXWX7C5XBA"
  ]
}' |
apify call vxc1104/nhtsa-vin-decoder --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,vxc1104/nhtsa-vin-decoder"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/oaNm8O31hKgb9WrUt/builds/XEHin0DkP1T4rNtai/openapi.json