ChinaCarAPI: Node.js client for Chinese car data (Dongchedi API, Che168 API)

Official Node.js / TypeScript client for ChinaCarAPI, a REST China car API for the Chinese used-car market. One API for Dongchedi (懂车帝) and Che168 (车168, Autohome): 400,000+ listings with price, mileage, first registration, seller, photos, inspection reports (accident, flood, fire, EV battery), price history and export status. Delivered in English, with the original Chinese kept alongside.

Built for car exporters, importers, dealers and marketplaces that need reliable Chinese car data without scrapers, captchas, proxies or Chinese-language parsing.

A ChinaCarAPI key is required. The API and its data are a paid service. This client only works with a key from chinacarapi.com (5-day trial available). EnCarAPI keys with the China add-on work as well.

Install

npm install chinacarapi

Requires Node.js 18+. TypeScript types included.

This package is the China entry point of encarapi, the official client for Korean and Chinese used car data. Need both markets? Use new EnCarAPI(key) with client.korea and client.china (exported here as well).

Quick start

const { ChinaCarAPI } = require("chinacarapi");

// Get your key at https://chinacarapi.com
const client = new ChinaCarAPI("YOUR_API_KEY"); // or set CHINACARAPI_KEY

(async () => {
  // Export-ready BYDs, cheapest first, from both marketplaces (duplicates merged)
  const { total, results } = await client.catalog({ make: "BYD", export_ready: true, sort: "price_asc", limit: 25 });

  // Full record: price history, photos, seller, alsoListedOn (same car on the other marketplace)
  const car = await client.vehicle(results[0].id);

  // Inspection report: accident, flood and fire checklist, battery data for EVs
  const report = await client.inspection(results[0].id);
})();

Without a valid key every call throws a ChinaCarAPIError pointing to chinacarapi.com. There is no free data in this package, only a clean client for the paid API.

API

Method	Endpoint	Description
client.catalog(params?)	GET /api/catalog	Search and filter listings (Dongchedi + Che168)
client.vehicle(id, params?)	GET /api/vehicle/:id	Full record of one car
client.vehicleByUrl(url, params?)	GET /api/vehicle/by-url	Same record by Che168/Dongchedi listing link (desktop, mobile or app)
client.inspection(id, params?)	GET /api/inspection/:id	Inspection report
client.specs(trimId, params?)	GET /api/specs/:trimId	Autohome trim sheet of a Che168 car (cc, kW, hp, torque, emission standard, weights, EV battery)
client.bulk(ids, params?)	POST /api/vehicle/bulk	Up to 500 records per call
client.changes({ since | cursor })	GET /api/catalog/changes	Change feed: new cars, price changes, removals
client.exportCsv(params?)	GET /api/catalog/export	Full catalog as CSV text
client.exportToFile(path, params?)	GET /api/catalog/export	Full catalog streamed to a file (not held in memory): { path, bytes, generatedAt }
client.enums(params?)	GET /api/enums	Makes, fuels, cities, sources with counts
client.models(make)	GET /api/models	Models of one make

Catalog filters: source (dongchedi, che168), duplicates=include, make, model, year_min/year_max, reg_year_min/reg_year_max, price_min/price_max (CNY), mileage_max, power_min/power_max (hp), city, fuel, has_report, export_ready (China's 180-day rule for used-car exports), updated_since, sort, page, limit, lang.

Languages: lang: "zh" returns the original Chinese values, lang: "ru" Russian values for the fixed fields (fuel, transmission, drivetrain, colours, seller type, condition, vehicle class), city names and equipment names; make, model and trim names stay Latin. Works on catalog, vehicle, vehicleByUrl, bulk and specs. enums({ lang: "ru" }) adds nameRu to fuels and cities, exportCsv({ lang: "ru" }) and exportToFile(path, { lang: "ru" }) return the label columns in Russian.

Full reference (OpenAPI 3.1, 13 languages): chinacarapi.com/documentation

Keeping a local copy

Export to a file, start the change feed at the export's timestamp, then keep the cursor (Business/Scale):

// 1) Baseline, streamed to disk; generatedAt = the export's x-generated-at header
const { path, generatedAt } = await client.exportToFile("china-catalog.csv");
importCsv(path); // your import: upsert by source + id

// 2) First sync from the export's timestamp (not the time of your download)
for await (const change of client.iterateChanges({ since: generatedAt })) {
  // change.type: "new" | "price" | "removed" | "relisted"; apply idempotently
}
saveCursor(client.lastCursor);

// 3) Then every few minutes from the saved cursor
for await (const change of client.iterateChanges({ cursor: loadCursor() })) { /* ... */ }
saveCursor(client.lastCursor);

generatedAt lies a few minutes before the file's data snapshot, so the first feed page can repeat a few events that are already in the file: apply them as upserts.

Why ChinaCarAPI?

• Dongchedi API and Che168 API in one: the same car listed on both is merged and linked.
• English output: official English make and model names, translated trims and inspection findings.
• Export status: ready-made filter for China's 180-day rule on used-car exports.
• Plans from €99/month, 5-day trial for €9.99. EnCarAPI (Korea) customers add China from €39/month.

Korean car data: see EnCarAPI and its Node.js client.

License

MIT for this client. The data is only available through a ChinaCarAPI subscription.