The Used Car Index

The Used Car Index is a feed of public vehicle records for apps and agents. It brings together NHTSA records and observed listing changes through a JSON API and an MCP server.

NHTSA complaints. The API and bulk complaints file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number.
Recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications, including component fields.
Complaints per 100k sold where a verified sales source exists. Missing rates stay unavailable.
Model-generated tags on complaints for model years 2012 and newer, with 2012 only partly tagged. They include confidence figures and are separate from NHTSA's flags.
Daily listing-change events: VIN, price, mileage, status, dates and a link back. No photos or dealer-written text enter the feed. Delisted never means sold.

Coverage now

The current data build contains NHTSA records and model-generated complaint tags for model years 2012 and newer. Verified sales rates cover only some vehicle groups. Listing collection starts with a set of Chicago area dealer sites. Some scans cover only part of a site's inventory. Dealer prices can include different fees.

Listing-change history starts at launch, so early history is short. The lookup below requests the API when you submit it.

As of the current data build, 2026-10-07: 68,747 vehicle groups, 119,333 recalls and 14,198 investigations. A recall or investigation that covers several vehicle groups is counted once for each group; these are not counts of individual cars.

Pricing

Pay with Stripe. Your API key appears on screen once, as soon as the payment completes. Copy it right away. Prices are in US dollars. Tax may be added at checkout where it applies.

Builder

$99 per month

60 requests per minute, 5,000 per day, 100,000 per month

Renews every month until you cancel.

Buy Builder

Scale

$499 per month

300 requests per minute, 50,000 per day, 1,000,000 per month

Renews every month until you cancel.

Buy Scale

Two-week pilot

$500 one time

Scale limits for 14 days
300 requests per minute, 50,000 per day, 1,000,000 per month

The key stops working 14 days after it is created, right after payment. It does not renew.

Buy the pilot

Every plan includes the JSON API and the MCP server; a comparison uses one unit per vehicle, with at most 5 vehicles per comparison.

Read the terms for renewal, cancellation and failed payments.

For other needs, email jorge@theusedcarindex.com.

Free vehicle lookup

Enter a make, model and year from 2000 to 2027. No key is needed. Visitors share a limited demo quota. These records are not a rating or an individual vehicle history.

Ready when you are.

Vehicle facts will appear here.

Use the feed

Choose a plan to get an API key. See examples and plan limits or read the full API docs.