Confidence scored, not guessed
License Plate Recognition
Turn a vehicle photo into a plate number.
- Plate string with a confidence score
- Alternate candidates, each scored
- Predicted plate region, such as us-ca
- Bounding box and detected vehicle type
Our benefits
Built for gates, lanes and intake screens.
A decision, not a string
Every read returns a confidence score and alternate candidates, so you can auto-accept above a threshold and send the rest to review.
Integrate in minutes
One POST with an image URL. Copy the request from the panel below, add your key, and the first read runs in minutes.
People who know the model
A free sandbox, a documented response, and support that will look at your own sample images before you commit to a camera position.
Straight into the decoder
The plate and the predicted region drop into Plate Decoder on the same key, turning a photo into a full vehicle record in two calls.
For developers
A photo in, a scored read out.
The panel on the right is a real request with an image URL and the response it returns. Scroll it to see the candidates and the two confidence scores, then copy the request into your terminal and point it at an image of your own.
- Two different scores
- score is confidence in the characters. dscore is confidence that a plate was detected at all.
- Region comes with the plate
- region.code predicts the issuing region, such as us-ca, with its own score you can threshold on.
- It is image_url in the body
- A POST with JSON. Some SDKs expose it as upload_url, but the body field is image_url.
curl -X POST "https://api.carsxe.com/platerecognition?key=YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"image_url":"https://example.com/vehicle.jpg"}'{
"results": [
{
"plate": "9djc652",
"score": 0.902,
"dscore": 0.755,
"region": { "code": "us-ca", "score": 0.61 },
"box": { "xmin": 143, "ymin": 267, "xmax": 291, "ymax": 316 },
"candidates": [
{ "plate": "9djc652", "score": 0.902 },
{ "plate": "9dje652", "score": 0.611 }
],
"vehicle": { "type": "Car", "score": 0.81 }
}
]
}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
One command. Register the CarsXE MCP server with your editor.
claude mcp add --transport http carsxe https://mcp.carsxe.com/mcp \
--header "X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY"Then just ask. The agent picks the right CarsXE tool and returns structured vehicle data.
Read the license plate in this photoAgent onboarding. Are you an AI agent? Fetch this skill to get an API key and start pulling vehicle data.
curl -s https://carsxe.com/agent-onboarding/SKILL.mdFair 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.
{ "results": [ { "plate": "9djc652", "score": 0.902, "region": { "code": "us-ca" } } ] }Billed. One lookup.
{
"success": false,
"message": "No plates detected in image"
}No charge.
Priced per answer, not per request.
Region predicted per read
Robust international support
The model reads plate formats from many markets and returns a predicted issuing region with each read, scored so you can threshold it.
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
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can't find the answer you're looking for? Reach out to our customer support team.
Get started
Ready for the test drive? Start building today.
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