# Vehicle Payments API

> Get detailed information about vehicle financing options based on a given VIN.

Vehicle Payments estimates financing for a vehicle by VIN: the loan amount, the monthly payment with and without taxes, the APR by term, and the sales tax and fees. Send GET /payments/{vin} with the sale price and ZIP code, and your API key. It costs $0.005 per call on Growth, or $0.004 on Scale.

## Endpoint

`GET https://api.auto.dev/payments/{vin}`

- `vin` (path): 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (letters and digits, excluding I, O, and Q). Format: `[A-HJ-NPR-Z0-9]{17}`.
- `price` (query, required): Sale price in US dollars.
- `zip` (query, required): Buyer's ZIP code, for taxes and fees.
- `docFee` (query, optional): Dealer documentation fee.
- `tradeIn` (query, optional): Trade-in value.
- `downPayment` (query, optional): Down payment.
- `loanTerm` (query, optional): Loan term in months (default 60).

Authenticate with `Authorization: Bearer <key>`, `?apiKey=<key>` or `X-API-Key: <key>`.

```sh
curl "https://api.auto.dev/payments/1C4RJFAG0FC625797?price=25000&zip=55414&docFee=200&tradeIn=0&downPayment=5000&loanTerm=60" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $AUTODEV_API_KEY"
```

## What it returns

- Loan amount
- Monthly payment, with and without taxes
- APR by term
- Sales tax
- Title, registration and DMV fees

Response:

```json
{
  "vehicle": {
    "vin": "1C4RJFAG0FC625797",
    "year": "2015",
    "make": "Jeep",
    "model": "Grand Cherokee"
  },
  "criteria": {
    "price": "25000",
    "zip": "55414",
    "docFee": 200,
    "tradeIn": "0"
  },
  "paymentsData": {
    "loanAmount": 21952.49,
    "loanMonthlyPayment": 363.83,
    "loanMonthlyPaymentWithTaxes": 399.35,
    "totalTaxesAndFees": 1952.49,
    "taxes": {
      "combinedSalesTax": 1625,
      "stateSalesTax": 1625,
      "gasGuzzlerTax": 0
    },
    "fees": {
      "titleFee": 8.25,
      "registrationFee": 70.99,
      "dmvFee": 48.25,
      "combinedFees": 327.49,
      "docFee": 200,
      "dmvFees": {
        "Filing Fee": 7,
        "License Plate Fee": 15.5,
        "Public Safety Vehicle Fee": 3.5,
        "Technology Fee": 2.25,
        "Wheelage Tax": 20
      }
    },
    "calculationCriteria": {
      "numberOfMonths": 60,
      "financeRate": 3.5,
      "downPayment": 5000,
      "tradeIn": 0,
      "tradeInOwedAmount": 0,
      "salesPrice": 25000,
      "conditionalIncentiveAmount": 0,
      "primaryIncentiveAmount": 0,
      "docFee": 200,
      "zipCode": "55414",
      "styleId": 200701040,
      "marketValue": 25000,
      "withConcreteTaxesAndFees": true,
      "applyLimits": true,
      "msrp": 25000,
      "lowerLimit": false
    }
  },
  "apr": {
    "36": 9.25,
    "48": 9.25,
    "60": 9.25,
    "72": 9.25,
    "84": 9.25
  },
  "totalTaxesAndFees": 1952.49,
  "taxes": {
    "combinedSalesTax": 1625,
    "stateSalesTax": 1625,
    "gasGuzzlerTax": 0
  },
  "fees": {
    "titleFee": 8.25,
    "registrationFee": 70.99,
    "dmvFee": 48.25,
    "combinedFees": 327.49,
    "docFee": 200,
    "dmvFees": {
      "Filing Fee": 7,
      "License Plate Fee": 15.5,
      "Public Safety Vehicle Fee": 3.5,
      "Technology Fee": 2.25,
      "Wheelage Tax": 20
    }
  }
}
```

## Pricing

- Free: not available on this plan, 5 requests per second
- Growth: $0.005 per call, 10 requests per second
- Scale: $0.004 per call, 50 requests per second

## Use it from an AI agent

Hosted MCP server (recommended): https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp, named `auto-dev`. Sign-in is OAuth on first use, so agents never handle an API key.

- Claude Code: `claude mcp add --transport http auto-dev https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp`. Then run /mcp in Claude Code and choose Authenticate for auto-dev.
- Claude Desktop: In Settings, open Connectors, choose Add Custom Connector, name it auto-dev and paste https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp, then sign in
- Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json): `{"mcpServers":{"auto-dev":{"url":"https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp"}}}`. Restart Cursor. Sign-in opens on the first tool call.
- VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json): `{"servers":{"auto-dev":{"type":"http","url":"https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp"}}}`. For Copilot agent mode, VS Code 1.99 or later. Sign-in opens on first use.
- Windsurf (~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json): `{"mcpServers":{"auto-dev":{"serverUrl":"https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp"}}}`. Restart Windsurf. Sign-in opens on the first tool call.
- Grok Bot: send `Add a custom MCP server called auto-dev at https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp`. Confirm, then choose Authorize and sign in. Type @auto-dev in a chat to use it.
- Muse: send `Connect Auto.dev`. Or open Settings, then Connectors, and choose Connect next to Auto.dev. Sign in when asked.
- ChatGPT and dots: At chatgpt.com/plugins, choose + and Add custom MCP server, paste https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp and choose OAuth, then Create as a plugin. Your dot uses the same plugin

Or install the `auto` CLI, the local MCP server (`auto --mcp`) and the JavaScript SDK in one package:

```sh
npm install -g @auto.dev/sdk
auto login
auto mcp install
```

- Agent skill: `npx skills add drivly/auto-dev-skill`

This API is the `auto_payments` MCP tool. From the terminal: `auto payments 1C4RJFAG0FC625797 --price 25000 --zip 55414 --doc-fee 200 --trade-in 0 --down-payment 5000 --loan-term 60`

## Questions

### What does the Vehicle Payments API return?

Loan amount, monthly payment, with and without taxes, APR by term, sales tax, title, registration and DMV fees. Every response is JSON from `https://api.auto.dev/payments/{vin}`.

### How much does the Vehicle Payments API cost?

Vehicle Payments is available from the Growth plan. It costs $0.005 per call on Growth and $0.004 per call on Scale, on top of the plan's subscription.

### How do I call the Vehicle Payments API?

Send `GET /payments/{vin}` to `api.auto.dev` with your API key as a Bearer token in the `Authorization` header, or as an `apiKey` query parameter. The path takes `vin`, the 17-character Vehicle Identification Number (letters and digits, excluding I, O, and Q). Required query parameters: `price`, `zip`.

### What are the rate limits for Vehicle Payments?

Rate limits follow your plan: 5 requests per second on Free, 10 on Growth and 50 on Scale. Vehicle Payments needs Growth or above.

### Can AI agents use the Vehicle Payments API?

Yes. Connect the hosted MCP server, `https://mcp.auto.dev/mcp`, and agents such as Claude Code and Cursor call it as the `auto_payments` tool, signing in with OAuth instead of an API key. Or run it locally: `npm install -g @auto.dev/sdk`, then `auto login` and `auto mcp install`.

## Related APIs

- [Interest Rates](https://www.auto.dev/interest-rates.md): Real-time automotive financing rates and lending information.
- [Taxes & Fees](https://www.auto.dev/taxes-fees.md): Registration fees, taxes, and location-specific vehicle costs.
- [Total Cost of Ownership](https://www.auto.dev/total-cost-ownership.md): Comprehensive ownership costs including depreciation, maintenance, and operating expenses.

## References

- Docs: https://docs.auto.dev/v2/products/vehicle-payments
- OpenAPI: https://www.auto.dev/openapi.json (JSON), https://www.auto.dev/openapi.yaml (YAML)
- llms.txt: https://www.auto.dev/llms.txt
- Pricing: https://www.auto.dev/pricing
- Sign up: https://www.auto.dev/signin?redirectUrl=%2Fonboarding