# Which car price or deal API should your AI agent use?

Use DealScore when your agent needs a grade on one listing's asking price, and use Auto.dev, VinAudit, CarsXE, or CarAPI when it needs raw listings, VIN decode, or vehicle history.

## Comparison

| Vendor | What it returns | MCP server | Auth | Free tier | Pricing page | Source (as of) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DealScore | Deal grade | Yes, hosted at https://cardealscore.com/api/mcp. Tools: score_deal, explain_grade, health. | MCP: OAuth 2.1 with PKCE, or an API key. REST (POST /api/score): API key in x-api-key or Authorization: Bearer. | Free: 5 scored calls a month, no card. Builder is $19/mo (founding price) for 1,000 scored calls a month. | [pricing](https://cardealscore.com/pricing) | [DealScore pricing](https://cardealscore.com/pricing) (as of 2026-10-23) |
| CarsXE | VIN decode, Vehicle history, Market value estimates | Yes, hosted at https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp. Tools need an API key on an active subscription. | REST: API key in the key query parameter. MCP: X-API-Key header, or a CarsXE account on supported connectors. | Sandbox: up to 100 API calls, lifetime. | [pricing](https://carsxe.com/pricing) | [CarsXE pricing](https://carsxe.com/pricing) (as of 2026-10-23) |
| VinAudit | VIN decode, Vehicle history, Market value estimates, Raw listings and comps | not stated | API key in the key parameter. | Trial: up to 100 queries. | [pricing](https://data.vinaudit.com/pricing) | [VinAudit pricing](https://data.vinaudit.com/pricing) (as of 2026-10-23) |
| CarAPI | VIN decode | not stated | JWT made from your API token and secret, sent as Authorization: Bearer. | Free dataset covering 2015 to 2020. Other years need a subscription. | [pricing](https://carapi.app/pricing/) | [CarAPI pricing](https://carapi.app/pricing/) (as of 2026-10-23) |
| Auto.dev | Raw listings and comps, VIN decode | Yes, hosted at https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp. | REST: API key as Authorization: Bearer or the apiKey query parameter. MCP: OAuth sign-in or an API key. | Free plan: 1,000 API calls a month, capped at the limit. | [pricing](https://www.auto.dev/pricing) | [Auto.dev pricing](https://www.auto.dev/pricing) (as of 2026-10-23) |
| CarDeals-MCP (open-source GitHub project) | Raw listings and comps, Deal grade | Yes, a local server you run with Node. One tool: search_car_deals. | not stated | Open source under the MIT license. You run it yourself. | not stated | [car_deals_search_mcp on GitHub](https://github.com/SiddarthaKoppaka/car_deals_search_mcp) (as of 2026-10-23) |

A cell that says "not stated" means the vendor's own docs, pricing page, or repository did not say, as of 2026-10-23. Prices and limits change, so check the linked page before you sign up.

## When another API fits better

- Raw listings or comps at scale: Auto.dev and VinAudit sell listings data. DealScore returns one grade per call and no listing rows, so it is the wrong tool for bulk inventory or market reports.
- VIN decode and specs: CarAPI, CarsXE, VinAudit, and Auto.dev all decode VINs. DealScore takes a VIN as an optional input. It is not a decode API.
- Vehicle history reports: CarsXE and VinAudit sell vehicle history. DealScore has no history reports.
- A self-hosted scraper: CarDeals-MCP, an open-source GitHub project, runs on your machine. It scrapes Cars.com, Autotrader, and KBB with headless Chrome, per its README.

## Where DealScore fits

DealScore answers one question per call: is this asking price fair for this car? score_deal returns a grade, a 0 to 100 score, and the expected price band from current dealer listings. Comps come from a licensed listings data provider. Agents connect over MCP with OAuth or an API key, or call POST /api/score over REST.

## What each one returns

### DealScore

One grade per listing: Great, Good, Fair, High, or Overpriced, a 0 to 100 score, and the expected price band from comparable dealer listings.

- DealScore pricing: https://cardealscore.com/pricing (as of 2026-10-23)
- DealScore API docs: https://cardealscore.com/docs/api (as of 2026-10-23)

### CarsXE

VIN and plate decode, specs, vehicle history, recalls, and market value estimates (wholesale, retail, trade-in, and auction).

- CarsXE pricing: https://carsxe.com/pricing (as of 2026-10-23)
- CarsXE MCP docs: https://docs.carsxe.com/docs/integrations/mcp (as of 2026-10-23)
- CarsXE get started: https://docs.carsxe.com/docs/get-started (as of 2026-10-23)
- CarsXE market value: https://docs.carsxe.com/docs/products/market-value (as of 2026-10-23)

### VinAudit

VIN decode and specs, vehicle history reports, market values (retail, wholesale, and trade-in), and market listings.

- VinAudit pricing: https://data.vinaudit.com/pricing (as of 2026-10-23)
- VinAudit VIN decoder docs: https://data.vinaudit.com/docs/api/vin/decoder (as of 2026-10-23)
- VinAudit vehicle data API: https://data.vinaudit.com/ (as of 2026-10-23)

### CarAPI

VIN decode and vehicle specs (year, make, model, trim, engine), plate to VIN, and OBD codes. Its pages list no price or valuation endpoint.

- CarAPI pricing: https://carapi.app/pricing/ (as of 2026-10-23)
- CarAPI authentication: https://carapi.app/docs/api/auth/ (as of 2026-10-23)
- CarAPI home and FAQ: https://carapi.app/ (as of 2026-10-23)

### Auto.dev

VIN decode, listings, photos, specs, recalls, payments, and other per-vehicle data.

- Auto.dev pricing: https://www.auto.dev/pricing (as of 2026-10-23)
- Auto.dev getting started: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/getting-started (as of 2026-10-23)
- Auto.dev MCP quickstart: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/mcp-quickstart (as of 2026-10-23)

### CarDeals-MCP (open-source GitHub project)

An open-source GitHub project, car_deals_search_mcp. It scrapes listings from Cars.com, Autotrader, and KBB and adds a heuristic deal rating per listing.

- car_deals_search_mcp on GitHub: https://github.com/SiddarthaKoppaka/car_deals_search_mcp (as of 2026-10-23)

CarDeals-MCP here means the open-source GitHub project at https://github.com/SiddarthaKoppaka/car_deals_search_mcp. It has no official site. Its install file names an npm package that is not on npm, so you clone the repository and run it with Node.

## Quick answers

### What does DealScore return for one listing?

A grade, a 0 to 100 score, and the expected price band from current dealer listings. Each score_deal call answers one question: is this asking price fair for this car?

### Does DealScore return raw listings or decode VINs?

No. DealScore returns one grade per call and no listing rows. It takes a VIN as an optional input and has no vehicle history reports.

### How does an agent call DealScore?

Over MCP at https://cardealscore.com/api/mcp with OAuth or an API key, or over REST with POST /api/score and an API key.

### Does DealScore have a free tier?

Free includes 5 scored calls a month. Only results with coverage: scored count, and explain_grade and health are never metered.

## Get a free API key

Get a free API key, or connect your agent over MCP.

- Sign in to create an API key: https://cardealscore.com/login?next=%2Fkeys
- Connect over MCP: https://cardealscore.com/agents
- Pricing: https://cardealscore.com/pricing