Vehicle data

Vehicle data describes the vehicles on the road: what they are, how they are configured and how many are registered where. Insurers, dealers, online marketplaces, parts retailers, fleet managers, automakers and lenders use it to price policies, value cars, match parts and plan inventory.

Typical fields

• VIN and decoded make, model, model year and trim
• Body type, engine, powertrain and transmission
• Factory options and equipment where available
• Specifications such as weight, dimensions and battery capacity
• Registration counts by area, age and fuel type (vehicle parc)
• Recalls and safety ratings where published
• Valuation or residual value estimates

Sources and collection

VIN decoding relies on manufacturer coding schemes, regulator databases and type-approval records, enriched with build data. Registration statistics come from licensing agencies and statistical offices. Access to owner information in registration records is restricted in many countries, for example by the US Driver's Privacy Protection Act, so marketplace datasets focus on vehicle attributes and aggregated counts.

Delivery and pricing

Typically a decoding API priced per lookup, or reference files licensed annually. Parc and registration statistics are often sold per country or region, and valuation data is priced by volume and refresh rate.

Before you buy

• Test decoding accuracy on VINs from your own book, including older and imported vehicles.
• Check trim-level coverage, which is where many decoders fall short.
• Ask how quickly new models and model years are added.
• Confirm that no owner personal data is included unless lawfully permitted for your use.
• Review whether results may be shown to your own customers.