--- title: "Cars.com API: Used Car Listings and Price Evaluations" description: "Search Cars.com listings with its six required parameters (zip, radius_miles, stock_type, sort, page, page_size), then listing, dealer and price-eval calls." url: https://perceptlayer.com/blog/cars-com-api-listings-price-evaluation --- [Blog](https://perceptlayer.com/blog) / [API guides](https://perceptlayer.com/blog/category/api-guides) # Cars.com API: Used Car Listings and Price Evaluations 23 Oct 2026 Perceptlayer 7 min read Cars.com runs its APIs for partners such as dealers and resellers, not as a public developer product. To read Cars.com listings as JSON, call `GET /v1/cars-com/search` with six required parameters: `zip`, `radius_miles`, `stock_type`, `sort`, `page` and `page_size`. Each successful call costs 1 credit. From there, `listing`, `dealer` and `media` open one car by `listing_id` and `zip`, and `price-eval` returns price evaluations for an area. ## Key takeaways - Search needs all six of `zip`, `radius_miles`, `stock_type` ( `all`, `used`, `new` or `cpo`), `sort`, `page` and `page_size`. Leave one out and the call fails with `invalid_parameters` (422), at no cost. - `makes[]`, `models[]`, `year_min`, `year_max`, `fuel_slugs[]`, `transmission_slugs[]` and `seller_type[]` narrow a search; `taxonomy` and `facets` give you valid values first. - Every per-car endpoint ( `listing`, `dealer`, `media`, `model-reviews`) takes the `listing_id` and the same `zip` you searched with. - `price-eval` takes the area parameters, not a listing: `zip`, `radius_miles`, `sort`, `page`, `page_size`, plus an optional `no_accidents` flag. - All 8 Cars.com endpoints cost 1 credit per successful call. Paging a metro area costs one credit per page, so the page count is the bill. ## Does Cars.com have a public API? Not one you can sign up for. Cars.com uses APIs to share listing, inventory, pricing and lead data with its own partners: a Google Cloud case study says it exposes more than 100 APIs and first used its API platform to make listing and performance data available to reseller partners ( [Google Cloud](https://cloud.google.com/customers/cars-dot-com), 2026). There's no self-serve key for outside developers. Its [terms of service](https://www.cars.com/about/terms/) also say you may not use automated means such as robots, crawlers or spiders to collect data from the site (2026). If you need Cars.com data for a commercial product, a partnership with Cars.com is the route that gives you rights to it. The [Cars.com API](https://perceptlayer.com/apis/cars-com) returns what the site shows as JSON for analysis, with the same key as the rest of the catalogue; whether your use is allowed depends on those terms and the law that applies to you, and Perceptlayer can't advise on it. ## Which Cars.com endpoints are there? Eight GET endpoints, each 1 credit per successful call. Two give you valid inputs ( `taxonomy` and `facets`), two work on an area ( `search` and `price-eval`), and four open one car. The per-car endpoints all take the `listing_id` from a search plus a `zip`, so keep the zip you searched with alongside each listing ID. | Endpoint | Returns | Required | | --- | --- | --- | | [`/v1/cars-com/taxonomy`](https://perceptlayer.com/apis/cars-com/taxonomy) | The vehicle taxonomy | none | | [`/v1/cars-com/facets`](https://perceptlayer.com/apis/cars-com/facets) | Search facets for an area | `zip` | | [`/v1/cars-com/search`](https://perceptlayer.com/apis/cars-com/search) | A page of listings | `zip`, `radius_miles`, `stock_type`, `sort`, `page`, `page_size` | | [`/v1/cars-com/price-eval`](https://perceptlayer.com/apis/cars-com/price-eval) | Price evaluations | `zip`, `radius_miles`, `sort`, `page`, `page_size` | | [`/v1/cars-com/listing`](https://perceptlayer.com/apis/cars-com/listing) | One listing | `listing_id`, `zip` | | `/v1/cars-com/dealer` | The listing's dealer | `listing_id`, `zip` | | `/v1/cars-com/media` | The listing's media | `listing_id`, `zip` | | `/v1/cars-com/model-reviews` | Reviews of the car's model | `listing_id`, `zip` | Start with `taxonomy`. It takes no parameters and returns the site's vehicle taxonomy, which is where the make and model slugs come from, so you send `makes[]` and `models[]` that match rather than guessing at spellings. We haven't recorded a `taxonomy` response, so run it in the playground on the [Cars.com API page](https://perceptlayer.com/apis/cars-com) to see the exact slugs. ## How do you search Cars.com listings? Send all six required parameters to `GET /v1/cars-com/search`. This request asks for used cars within 50 miles of ZIP 60601 in Chicago, best matches first, 20 to a page. It's the request behind the recorded response below: ```bash curl "https://api.perceptlayer.com/v1/cars-com/search?zip=60601&radius_miles=50&stock_type=used&sort=BEST_MATCH_DESC&page=1&page_size=20" \ -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" ``` Keys start with `sk_live_` and go in the `X-API-Key` header. [Get a free API key](https://perceptlayer.com/signup); the [authentication docs](https://docs.perceptlayer.com/authentication) cover the rest. ### Which search parameters can you use? Six are required and seven optional. Types and allowed values come from the endpoint definition; nothing else is documented, so don't rely on a maximum `page_size` until you've tested one. | Parameter | Type | Required | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | `zip` | string | yes | US ZIP code at the centre of the search | | `radius_miles` | integer | yes | Search radius in miles | | `stock_type` | string | yes | `all`, `used`, `new` or `cpo` | | `sort` | string | yes | `BEST_MATCH_DESC`, `DISTANCE`, `MILEAGE`, `MILEAGE_DESC`, `YEAR`, `YEAR_DESC`, `LISTED_AT_DESC`, `LIST_PRICE_DESC` | | `page` | integer | yes | Start at `1` | | `page_size` | integer | yes | Listings per page | | `makes[]`, `models[]` | list of strings | no | Up to 64 characters each | | `year_min`, `year_max` | integer | no | Model year bounds | | `fuel_slugs[]` | list of strings | no | Fuel types, as slugs | | `transmission_slugs[]` | list of strings | no | Transmissions, as slugs | | `seller_type[]` | list of strings | no | `dealership`, `private_seller`, `online_seller` | List parameters repeat in the query string. For used Toyota and Honda cars from 2020 onwards, sold by dealerships, add `makes[]=toyota&makes[]=honda&year_min=2020&seller_type[]=dealership`, using the make slugs `taxonomy` returns. `stock_type=cpo` limits results to certified pre-owned cars. ### What does a search response contain? The recorded response for the Chicago request above has a `metadata` object and a `listings` array. `metadata` reports `total_entries` 10,000 across `total_pages` 500. A round 10,000 may be a cap on what one search reports rather than the size of the market, so narrow by radius, make or year to see past it. The first listing, trimmed with `…`: ```json { "success": true, "data": { "metadata": { "page": 1, "page_size": 20, "total_pages": 500, "total_entries": 10000, "sort": "BEST_MATCH_DESC", "has_more": true }, "listings": [ { "listing_id": "5fac55c4-0214-4693-ba58-5e80581e5cb7", "vin": "SCCLEKMX0RHB45170", "price": 90412, "price_currency": "USD", "mileage": 9457, "year": 2024, "make": "Lotus", "model": "Emira", "trim": "First Edition", "body_style": "Coupe", "fuel": "Gasoline", "drivetrain": "Rear-wheel Drive", "certified_preowned": false, "stock_type": "USED", "seller_type": "dealership", "price_badge": "GOOD", "predicted_price": 89702, "listed_at": "2026-09-11T14:47:18", "location_zip": "60515", "dealer": { "id": "08cb8b0e-0d9b-5eba-9354-55618dd089a2", "name": "Napleton Aston Martin" }, … }, … ] } } ``` The `vin` is the field to deduplicate on and to join with other sources, since `listing_id` is Cars.com's own. `location_zip` is the car's location, which can differ from the ZIP you searched. Fields such as `city_mpg` appear on some listings and not others, so treat everything beyond the core price, mileage and vehicle fields as optional. ## How do you open one listing? Pass the listing's ID and the search's ZIP to `GET /v1/cars-com/listing`. The same two parameters open the dealer, the photos and the model reviews, so a full profile of one car is four calls. Most projects need only `listing`; fetch `dealer` when you're aggregating by seller and `media` when you need the images. ```bash curl "https://api.perceptlayer.com/v1/cars-com/listing?listing_id=$LISTING_ID&zip=60601" \ -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" ``` This Python script pages through a search and saves each page as it arrives, stopping at a fixed page budget so a large market can't run away with your credits: ```python import json import os import requests URL = "https://api.perceptlayer.com/v1/cars-com/search" HEADERS = {"X-API-Key": os.environ["API_KEY"]} BASE = {"zip": "60601", "radius_miles": 50, "stock_type": "used", "sort": "LISTED_AT_DESC", "page_size": 20} MAX_PAGES = 10 spent = 0 for page in range(1, MAX_PAGES + 1): r = requests.get(URL, params={**BASE, "page": page}, headers=HEADERS, timeout=60) if r.status_code != 200: print("page", page, r.json()["error"]["code"]) break spent += int(r.headers["X-Credits-Used"]) with open(f"cars-60601-p{page}.json", "w") as f: json.dump(r.json(), f) print("credits used:", spent) ``` We haven't run this script live for this article. With `sort=LISTED_AT_DESC`, the first pages hold the newest listings, so a daily run that reads the first few pages catches new stock without re-reading the whole market. ## What does price-eval return? `GET /v1/cars-com/price-eval` returns price evaluations for the listings in an area. It takes the same area and paging parameters as search, `zip`, `radius_miles`, `sort`, `page` and `page_size`, plus an optional boolean `no_accidents`, but no make, model or stock filters. It works on the market around a ZIP, not on one listing. ```bash curl "https://api.perceptlayer.com/v1/cars-com/price-eval?zip=60601&radius_miles=50&sort=BEST_MATCH_DESC&page=1&page_size=20&no_accidents=true" \ -H "X-API-Key: $API_KEY" ``` We haven't recorded a `price-eval` response, so look at a page in the playground before you rely on any field. Note that search listings already carry the site's verdict: in the recorded search, each listing has a `price_badge` ( `GOOD` or `GREAT` on the first three) and a `predicted_price`, such as 89,702 against a list price of 90,412. Treat an evaluation as the site's view of a listing's price at the time of the call, not as a valuation of your own. If you need a model you control, the article on [used car listing data for price analysis](https://perceptlayer.com/blog/used-car-listing-data-price-analysis) covers the listing fields that predict price. ## What does paging a metro area cost? One credit per successful call, so the cost is the number of pages, which is listings ÷ `page_size`, rounded up. Read the market size from your first page rather than guessing it. The recorded search for used cars within 50 miles of 60601 reports `total_pages` 500 at `page_size` 20: | Step | Calls | Credits | | --- | --- | --- | | `taxonomy`, once | 1 | 1 | | `search`, all 500 pages | 500 | 500 | | `listing` for 200 cars you shortlist | 200 | 200 | | **Total** | **701** | **701** | That's 701 credits, inside the 1,000 free credits a month. A daily check of the first 5 pages of newest listings is 5 × 30 = 150 credits a month on top. Failed calls cost nothing and return `X-Credits-Used: 0`. The [credits docs](https://docs.perceptlayer.com/credits) explain the balance, and [pricing](https://perceptlayer.com/pricing) has what credit packs cost. For another US source, the [CarGurus guide](https://perceptlayer.com/blog/cargurus-api-used-car-search) covers its search and dealer data. To try it now, run a search for your own ZIP in the playground on the [Cars.com API page](https://perceptlayer.com/apis/cars-com). ## APIs in this post - [Cars.com **1 credit per call** · 8 endpoints](https://perceptlayer.com/apis/cars-com) ## Frequently asked questions ### How much does the Cars.com API cost? Each of the 8 endpoints costs 1 credit per successful call, and failed calls cost nothing. Paging the recorded Chicago search's 500 pages is 500 credits, and each listing you open is one more. Every verified account gets 1,000 free credits a month, and the [pricing page](https://perceptlayer.com/pricing) has what credit packs cost. ### Why do the listing endpoints need a ZIP code? `listing`, `dealer`, `media` and `model-reviews` all require `zip` alongside `listing_id` in their endpoint definitions. Store the ZIP you searched with next to each listing ID, and send the same pair when you open the listing. A call without `zip` fails with `invalid_parameters` and costs nothing. ### Can I search private sellers only? Yes. Add `seller_type[]=private_seller` to the search. The other values are `dealership` and `online_seller`, and you can repeat the parameter to include more than one. Private sellers are people, so use those listings for market analysis and don't contact sellers from the data without a lawful basis. ### What does stock\_type=cpo mean? `cpo` is certified pre-owned: used cars sold with a certification, usually through a manufacturer's programme. The other values are `used`, `new` and `all`. `stock_type` is required on search, so every search names one; use `all` when you want every listing in the radius. ### How do I get valid make and model values? Call `/v1/cars-com/taxonomy`, which takes no parameters and costs 1 credit, and use the slugs it returns in `makes[]` and `models[]`. `facets` with a `zip` shows the values available in one area. Fetch taxonomy once and cache it rather than calling it before every search. cars.com used cars car listings automotive price evaluation ## More from the blog 1. [API guides](https://perceptlayer.com/blog/category/api-guides) 20 Aug 2026 Perceptlayer 6 min read ## [AutoTrader UK API: Get Used Car Listings as JSON](https://perceptlayer.com/blog/autotrader-uk-api-listings-json) Search UK used car listings by postcode, make and price with one GET call. Real BMW response, 6 endpoints, 1 credit per call, failed calls free. 2. [API guides](https://perceptlayer.com/blog/category/api-guides) 7 Aug 2026 Perceptlayer 7 min read ## [AutoScout24 API: Search European Car Listings as JSON](https://perceptlayer.com/blog/autoscout24-api-car-listings-json) Search AutoScout24 listings as JSON: make\_id and price filters, a recorded BMW response, and what a monthly price sweep costs in credits. 3. [API guides](https://perceptlayer.com/blog/category/api-guides) 4 Aug 2026 Perceptlayer 8 min read ## [CarGurus API: Search Used Car Listings and Dealers](https://perceptlayer.com/blog/cargurus-api-used-car-search) Get CarGurus used car listings as JSON: look up make and model IDs, run search at 1 credit a call, then pull a dealer by service\_provider\_id.