Is there an API for Cars?

Cars does not offer a public data API for this, but Anakin Wire provides 2 maintained endpoints for cars.com. You call Anakin's REST API with an action ID and parameters and get structured JSON back; Anakin handles the browser, proxies, anti-bot, and parsing.

How do I scrape Cars data?

POST to https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task with your API key, the action ID, and its parameters, then poll GET /v1/wire/jobs/{id} until the job settles. There is nothing to install and no scraper to maintain — when cars.com changes its markup, Anakin updates the action.

Do I need a Cars account?

No. Every Cars action listed here runs anonymously — no account and no credentials required.

What does the Cars API cost?

Usage-based credits, charged per call and refunded automatically when a job fails. New accounts start with 300 free credits and no card. See anakin.io/pricing for the current rates.

Automotive

Cars API

cars.com

Vehicle marketplace - inventory search, filters, listing details, pricing, and dealer contact.

Actions: 2
Category: Automotive
Login: Not required
Output: JSON

Get an API key Wire API reference

Call the Cars API

Submit a task, then poll the job until it settles. This example runs act_cars_com_dealer_dynamic_phone.

curl -X POST https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task \
  -H "X-API-Key: $ANAKIN_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "action_id": "act_cars_com_dealer_dynamic_phone",
    "params": {
      "listing_id": "67df6e2d-9819-462b-8eb4-e7bd28129498",
      "trip_id": "1e554260-a8ef-402a-ae14-f99ccebbff78",
      "dni_correlation_data": "{\"dni_correlation_id\":\"77a7a7d2-187c-4a5e-b61b-d8f3070397c3\",\"pageInstanceId\":\"GLZ9qoJCY_tvavyKZLOC\",\"sourcePage\":\"shopping/vehicle-details\",\"sourceUrl\":\"https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/67df6e2d-9819-462b-8eb4-e7bd28129498/\"}"
    }
  }'

2 actions on cars.com

Write

Write actions change state on cars.com and run as the account you connect.

Dealer Dynamic Phone
act_cars_com_dealer_dynamic_phonewrite2 credits / call
Fetches the dealer call-tracking phone number and type for a vehicle listing.
listing_id
string · required
trip_id
string · required
dni_correlation_data
string · required
Vehicle Listing Search
act_cars_com_vehicle_listing_searchwrite2 credits / call
Searches vehicles by zip, body style, and sort, returning price, mileage, and dealer.
zip_code
string · required
body_style_slug
string · required
sort
string
radius_miles
integer
page
integer
page_size
integer
trip_id
string

Cars API questions

Is there an API for Cars?: Cars does not offer a public data API for this, but Anakin Wire provides 2 maintained endpoints for cars.com. You call Anakin's REST API with an action ID and parameters and get structured JSON back; Anakin handles the browser, proxies, anti-bot, and parsing.
How do I scrape Cars data?: POST to https://api.anakin.io/v1/wire/task with your API key, the action ID, and its parameters, then poll GET /v1/wire/jobs/{id} until the job settles. There is nothing to install and no scraper to maintain — when cars.com changes its markup, Anakin updates the action.
Do I need a Cars account?: No. Every Cars action listed here runs anonymously — no account and no credentials required.
What does the Cars API cost?: Usage-based credits, charged per call and refunded automatically when a job fails. New accounts start with 300 free credits and no card. See anakin.io/pricing for the current rates.