CarsXECarsXE

The carsxe-api package is the official CarsXE client for Node.js and TypeScript.

Installation

npm install carsxe-api
# yarn add carsxe-api
# pnpm add carsxe-api
# bun add carsxe-api

Quick start

Decode a VIN

Code
import { CarsXE } from "carsxe-api";

const carsxe = new CarsXE("YOUR_API_KEY");

const vehicle = await carsxe.specs({ vin: "WBAFR7C57CC811956" });
console.log(vehicle);

The client is constructed with your API key as a positional argument. Every method takes a params object and returns a Promise.

Methods

MethodParamsDescription
specs(params){ vin, deepdata?, disableIntVINDecoding? }Decode a VIN into full vehicle specifications
internationalVinDecoder(params){ vin }Decode a non-US international VIN
marketvalue(params){ vin, state?, mileage?, condition? }Retail, trade-in, and auction value estimates
history(params){ vin }Title events, salvage, and insurance records
recalls(params){ vin }Open safety recalls by VIN
lienAndTheft(params){ vin }Lien records and theft/salvage status
platedecoder(params){ plate, country, state?, district? }Resolve a license plate to vehicle data
images(params){ make, model, year?, trim?, color?, angle?, photoType?, size?, transparent?, license? }Vehicle photos by make, model, and year
plateImageRecognition(params){ imageUrl }Extract plate info from an image URL
vinOcr(params){ imageUrl }Extract VIN text from an image via OCR
yearMakeModel(params){ year, make, model, trim? }Look up vehicles by year, make, and model
obdcodesdecoder(params){ code }Decode an OBD-II diagnostic trouble code

Error handling

Methods reject on failure. Wrap calls in try/catch:

import { CarsXE } from "carsxe-api";

const carsxe = new CarsXE("YOUR_API_KEY");

try {
  const vehicle = await carsxe.specs({ vin: "WBAFR7C57CC811956" });
  console.log(vehicle);
} catch (error) {
  console.error("CarsXE error:", error);
}

Best practices

Create one instance and reuse it. Construct the client once with your key and share it across your app instead of instantiating per request.

// lib/carsxe.ts
import { CarsXE } from "carsxe-api";

export const carsxe = new CarsXE(process.env.CARSXE_API_KEY as string);

Store your key in an environment variable. Never hardcode it or commit it to source control.

# .env
CARSXE_API_KEY=your_key_here

TypeScript types are included. The package ships type declarations for every method's input (SpecsInput, MarketValueInput, PlateDecoderParams, and so on) — no @types package needed.