Are these OEM studio images?

The search endpoint returns real-world photographs from public sources, each with a context link to where it came from. The generation endpoint, /v2/images, is in beta: it matches reference photos of the vehicle and renders a new studio shot in the color and angle you ask for, returned as a hosted link.

Can I look up images by VIN?

No. This endpoint takes make and model, with year and trim optional. Decode the VIN with the Specifications API first, then pass the year, make and model it returns into this call.

Can I publish the images commercially?

The license parameter filters by labels on the source page. Presets are Public, Share, ShareCommercially, Modify, and ModifyCommercially. You can also pass cc_publicdomain, cc_attribute, cc_sharealike, cc_noncommercial, and cc_nonderived as a comma-separated list, and prefix a token with - to exclude it. ModifyCommercially keeps public-domain, attribution, and ShareAlike labels, and excludes NonCommercial and NoDerivatives. The filter does not grant a license. Check each image's context link before you publish.

How does pricing work?

The API bills per successful lookup, and one lookup returns up to 10 images. The free sandbox is 100 calls with no card.

Up to 10 images per call

Vehicle Images API

Real photos for any make, model and year you list, or a studio shot generated in the color and angle you need. Built for developers and AI agents.

Direct links, thumbnails and source context
Filter by angle, color, trim and photo type
Filter by usage rights before you publish
Dimensions, file size and MIME type per image

Test API Documentation

Our benefits

Photography for the vehicles you never shot.

Ten matched photos per call

Up to 10 photos per call, matched to the make, model and year you asked for. Validation is on by default, so irrelevant shots never reach you.

Integrate in minutes

Two required parameters, make and model. Copy the request from the panel below, add your key, and the first gallery comes back in minutes.

People who know the catalog

A free sandbox, a documented response, and support that can tell you which makes and model years come back thin before you build a gallery on them.

For developers and AI agents

See what one call returns.

The panel on the right is a real request for a 2022 Toyota Camry, front angle, and the response it returns. Scroll the images array to see every field on each photo, then copy the request and swap in a make and model from your inventory.

The array is always there: images is always present, and empty when nothing matches, so you can index it without a guard.
Usage rights are a filter: Pass a preset such as license=ModifyCommercially, or specific tokens such as license=cc_publicdomain,cc_attribute. The filter reads license labels from the source page. Check the context link before you reuse an image.
Legacy route, check success: Images is a v1 endpoint. A missing make or model returns 500, not 400, so branch on the success field.

Request

curl -G https://api.carsxe.com/images \
  -d key=YOUR_API_KEY \
  -d make=Toyota \
  -d model=Camry \
  -d year=2022 \
  -d angle=front

Response

{
  "success": true,
  "query": { "make": "Toyota", "model": "Camry", "year": "2022", "angle": "front" },
  "images": [
    {
      "mime": "image/jpeg",
      "link": "https://example.com/toyota-camry-2022-front.jpg",
      "contextLink": "https://example.com/toyota-camry-2022",
      "height": "1080",
      "width": "1920",
      "byteSize": 245760,
      "thumbnailLink": "https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=...",
      "thumbnailHeight": "168",
      "thumbnailWidth": "300"
    }
  ]
}

For AI agents

Built into the AI tools you already use

Point your coding agent at the CarsXE MCP server and it can call the API on its own, no client library, no glue code. The same tools are available to chat agents over plain HTTP.

Claude Code
Cursor
GitHub Copilot
Grok Bot
Codex
Gemini
Hermes Agent
OpenClaw
opencode
& more

Explore integrations

One command. Register the CarsXE MCP server with your editor.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http carsxe https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp \
  --header "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"

View the docs

Then just ask. The agent picks the right CarsXE tool and returns structured vehicle data.

Prompt

Find front images of a 2022 Toyota Camry

Agent onboarding. Are you an AI agent? Fetch this skill to get an API key and start pulling vehicle data.

SKILL.md

curl -s https://carsxe.com/agent-onboarding/SKILL.md

View the skill

Fair billing

No data, no charge

A lookup we cannot resolve comes back as a 404 and costs you nothing. You are billed only when the API returns data.

Data found200 OK

Data found

{ "success": true, "query": { "make": "Toyota", "model": "Camry", "year": "2022" }, "images": [ { "link": "...", "width": "1920", "height": "1080" } ] }

Billed. One lookup.

No match404 Not Found

No match

{
  "success": false,
  "message": "No images found"
}

No charge.

Priced per answer, not per request.

Matched by make and model

Robust international support

Images are matched by make, model and year rather than by registration market, so the same call works wherever the vehicle was sold.

Generated images · Beta

Watch one request become a studio photo.

Send a year, make, model, color and angle to /v2/images. CarsXE matches real reference photos of that vehicle, renders a new studio shot, and returns a hosted link. Generation is in beta, so contact us for access.

Real API results

See for yourself.

Every photo below is a real result from the CarsXE Vehicle Images API, returned for the exact request shown next to it. Flip through the featured shots, then open any of them full size.

01 / 11

2025 Toyota Camry

Angle: Front 3/4
Color: Blue
Background: Transparent

Request

GET/imagesmake=toyotamodel=camryyear=2025angle=front

11 of 11 images

Customer stories

Companies love building with CarsXE

How teams build on CarsXE vehicle data.

“

CarsXE offers MotorTango's customers accurate and reliable vehicle data across many makes and models. Their VIN decoder and specs API are second to none.

Andy Liakos

CTO, MotorTango

“

The API is super easy to work with...it's a damn good API. And trust me, I deal with a lot of third parties and you're the creme de la creme. It's great. Documentation is sound, the result sets are sound. I have nothing to say but, man, it's too easy to work with.

Alan Deitch

Senior Engineering Leader, SpotHero

“

When a customer calls a dealership, we know they have an open recall instantly. That changes what the call is worth. Our agents book the recall alongside whatever the customer originally called about, and the dealer captures service work that used to walk out the door unnoticed. CarsXE's recall data is what makes that possible on every call, at every rooftop we run.

Samee Khan

Founder & CEO, PAM

“

With their VIN decoder and images, we can accurately document what's needed to perform repairs and ADAS calibrations, and we do it much more efficiently — saving dozens of minutes on every single repair. The result is consistent, reliable service at scale for all of our customers, backed by data we trust. CarsXE has become a critical part of our workflow and our ability to grow.

Philip Brossy

Founder & CEO, ADAS Safe

Same key, more endpoints

Keep building from the vehicle record

Vehicle Specifications

Full factory specs from a 17-character VIN

Year Make Model

Specs and pricing without a VIN

Vehicle History

Title, salvage and odometer records

Plate Decoder

Vehicle identity from a license plate

Market Value

Wholesale and retail values by VIN

Workflows

Not sure which APIs you need?

Paste your company's website and we'll suggest a step-by-step workflow built from real CarsXE APIs, with a link to the docs for each one.

Suggest a workflow

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our customer support team.

Up to 10 photos per call for a given make, model and year. Each image carries a direct link, a thumbnail link, a source context link for attribution, pixel dimensions, file size and MIME type.

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