# VIN Decoder: Bulk NHTSA vPIC Lookup (Make, Model, Year, Engine) (`wintersworks/vin-decoder-nhtsa`) Actor

Input: a list of VINs. Output: VIN decoder results with make, model, year, trim, body class, engine, fuel type, drive type and plant country from the official NHTSA vPIC database. $2.50 per 1,000 VINs.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/wintersworks/vin-decoder-nhtsa.md
- **Developed by:** [Winters Works](https://apify.com/wintersworks) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, E-commerce, Other
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$2.50 / 1,000 vin decodeds

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?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## VIN Decoder: Bulk NHTSA vPIC Lookup (Make, Model, Year, Engine)

Decode **hundreds of VINs in one run** with the US government's **NHTSA vPIC** vehicle database. For each VIN you get make, model, model year, trim, body class, engine size and cylinders, fuel type, drive type, manufacturer and plant location. Export JSON, CSV or Excel.

### Use cases

- **Used-car dealers and flippers:** validate and enrich inventory lists from VINs.
- **Insurance and fleet tools:** normalize vehicle details for quoting or fleet records.
- **Data cleaning:** turn raw VIN columns into structured vehicle attributes.
- **Marketplace research:** verify listing claims against the VIN.

### How it works

1. Each VIN is sent to the official NHTSA vPIC DecodeVinValues API.
2. Results are flattened into one clean record per VIN.
3. The NHTSA error code and text are included so you can spot partial decodes.
4. Coverage is vehicles sold in the US market; non-US VINs may decode only partially.

### Input

```json
{
  "vins": [
    "1HGCM82633A004352"
  ],
  "modelYear": ""
}
```

Empty input `{}` runs a small demo. Other options: `modelYear`, `maxResults`, `concurrency`.

### Output (one item per result)

```json
{
  "vin": "1HGCM82633A004352",
  "make": "HONDA",
  "model": "Accord",
  "modelYear": "2003",
  "trim": "EX",
  "bodyClass": "Coupe",
  "fuelTypePrimary": "Gasoline",
  "engineCylinders": "6",
  "displacementL": "3.0",
  "driveType": null,
  "manufacturer": "HONDA MANUFACTURING OF ALABAMA, LLC",
  "plantCountry": "UNITED STATES (USA)",
  "decoded": true,
  "error": null
}
```

### Example output

Real output from a default run (some fields omitted for width):

| vin | make | model | modelYear | bodyClass | engineHP | plantCountry | errorText |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1HGCM82633A004352 | HONDA | Accord | 2003 | Coupe | 240 | UNITED STATES (USA) | 0 - VIN decoded clean. Check Digit (9th position) is correct |

Every run also produces a ready-made table view in the Output tab, and you can export to JSON, CSV or Excel.

### Pricing

Pay per event: **$0.0025 per vin decoded** ($2.50 per 1,000). Duplicates, failed lookups and empty results are not charged.

### Limitations

- Decodes factory specifications only: no owner, accident, title, mileage or recall history.
- Accuracy depends on what the manufacturer reported to NHTSA vPIC. Fields can be null and `decoded` is false when no make is found; check `errorCode` and `errorText`. Vehicles built before 1981 or not sold in the US are often poorly covered.
- Input must be 11-17 characters of A-Z (no I, O or Q) and 0-9, or `*` wildcards. Anything else returns an error row that is not charged. Pass `modelYear` to disambiguate.
- Calls the NHTSA DecodeVinValues endpoint one VIN at a time, 3 in parallel by default (max 20) with a 100 ms pause. The vPIC API publishes no hard rate limit but asks for reasonable use, and NHTSA may throttle heavy traffic.
- Each request times out after 30 s and is retried up to 4 times on 429, 5xx or network errors. Up to 1,000 VINs per run by default.

### FAQ

**Is this legal?** Yes. It uses the free public NHTSA vPIC API run by the US government. A VIN decode returns vehicle specifications, not personal data. NHTSA's API is offered as is, so check its terms if you plan to redistribute at scale. You are responsible for how you use the results.

**Does it return owner or history data?** No. VINs decode to factory vehicle specifications only, not ownership, accidents or title history.

**Why are some fields empty?** NHTSA only has the data the manufacturer reported for that VIN.

**Are failures charged?** No. Malformed VINs and API errors are not charged.

**Is the data guaranteed correct?** No. It is whatever NHTSA holds, as reported by manufacturers, with no warranty. Verify with the manufacturer or a dealer before a purchase or insurance decision.

### Use from code and AI agents

Call it from any language with the Apify API, or let an AI agent find and run it through the [Apify MCP server](https://mcp.apify.com).

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient
run = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>").actor("wintersworks/vin-decoder-nhtsa").call(run_input={"vins": ["1HGCM82633A004352", "5YJ3E1EA7KF317000"]})
items = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>").dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).list_items().items
```

Results land in the run's dataset (JSON, CSV, Excel). Set a maximum charge per run in the run options to cap spend.

### About

Built and maintained by Winters Works. Questions or feature requests: open an issue on the Actor page or email wintersworks.shop@gmail.com.

# Actor input Schema

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

Vehicle Identification Numbers, one per line (17 characters).

## `modelYear` (type: `string`):

Optional model year hint, applied to all VINs (useful for pre-1980 or ambiguous VINs).

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Cap on inputs processed (duplicates are skipped and never charged).

## `concurrency` (type: `integer`):

Parallel requests.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "vins": [
    "1HGCM82633A004352",
    "5YJ3E1EA7KF317000"
  ],
  "modelYear": "",
  "maxResults": 1000,
  "concurrency": 3
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

All result items from the run's default dataset.

# 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": [
        "1HGCM82633A004352",
        "5YJ3E1EA7KF317000"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("wintersworks/vin-decoder-nhtsa").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": [
        "1HGCM82633A004352",
        "5YJ3E1EA7KF317000",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("wintersworks/vin-decoder-nhtsa").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": [
    "1HGCM82633A004352",
    "5YJ3E1EA7KF317000"
  ]
}' |
apify call wintersworks/vin-decoder-nhtsa --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

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

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/sQShLJKGzsyfOzgf0/builds/YtisdS6xp2V4ea1fG/openapi.json