# The Used Car Index (remote · api.theusedcarindex.com)

Free NHTSA recalls, complaints and investigations per vehicle, recall alerts, dealer listing events.

- Trust score: 70/100 (medium)
- Change this week: +2
- Registry status: active
- Liveness: live
- Owner verified: no
- Last scored: 2026-10-18

## Components

- remote · `api.theusedcarindex.com`: 70/100 (this document), [markdown](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-theusedcarindex-feed/api.md), [page](https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-theusedcarindex-feed/api)

## Channel facts

- Endpoint: `https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp`
- Transports: `streamable-http`
- Auth: `none`
- Version: `1.2.0`

## Trust breakdown

How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. Scores are 0–100 per category. Scoring method: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring (what has changed: https://verifymcp.io/docs/scoring/changelog)

Scored 2026-10-18.

- **Endpoint Security**: 80/100
  - The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key.
  - No authorisation is required to call this server. Every tool declares its destructiveHint and none is destructive, so open access doesn't expose one.
  - HTTPS is enforced; there's no plaintext access path.
  - The HSTS (Strict-Transport-Security) header is present.
  - DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC.
- **Transport & Reachability**: 100/100
  - Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake.
- **Schema Quality & AI Usability**: 61/100
  - AI-judged instruction clarity (good).
  - Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 611 tokens (~152/item across 4 items; 4 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params.
  - Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples.
- **Stability & Change Management**: 12/100
  - Stability check failed: schema churn in the 10 days we've observed: 0 tool removals, 0 breaking changes, 1 auth/transport breaks, 1 additions.
- **Tool Coverage**: 67/100
  - 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).
  - 0% of tool parameters carry a description.
- **Tool Safety**: 100/100
  - No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.
  - We read all 4 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.
  - An AI judge read all 4 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.
- **Capabilities**: 100/100
  - Implements a supported MCP spec version (2025-11-25); the latest is 2026-07-28.

## Install

### How do I install the The Used Car Index MCP server?

The Used Car Index is a hosted endpoint at https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.

### Claude

```bash
claude mcp add --transport http com-theusedcarindex-feed 'https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp'
```

### Cursor

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-theusedcarindex-feed": {
      "url": "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### VS Code

```json
{
  "servers": {
    "com-theusedcarindex-feed": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Codex

```toml
[mcp_servers.com-theusedcarindex-feed]
url = "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp"
```

### opencode

```json
{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "com-theusedcarindex-feed": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}
```

### OpenClaw

```bash
openclaw mcp add com-theusedcarindex-feed --url 'https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp' --transport streamable-http
```

### Hermes

```yaml
mcp_servers:
  com-theusedcarindex-feed:
    url: "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp"
```

### Netclaw

```json
{
  "McpServers": {
    "com-theusedcarindex-feed": {
      "Transport": "http",
      "Url": "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

### Vellum

```bash
assistant mcp add com-theusedcarindex-feed -t streamable-http -u 'https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp'
```

### Other

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "com-theusedcarindex-feed": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp"
    }
  }
}
```

The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.

## Changelog

Every change recorded for this component, newest first. Days that predate change tracking, or that we cannot explain, say so: "we were watching and nothing happened" and "we were not watching" are different claims.

### 2026-10-17 (score 70, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 6 to 9.

### 2026-10-15 (score 69, +1)

No change was recorded against any check on this day. Stability & Change Management went from 0 to 2.

### 2026-10-10 (score 68)

First indexed and scored.

## MCP tools (4)

### `vehicle_risk` (~161 tokens)

Vehicle risk record

Look up the recorded risk facts for one make, model and model year: NHTSA complaint counts by system and subsystem, recalls, investigations, manufacturer communications, an optional verified complaints-per-100k-sold rate and source coverage. Separately labeled Jev model tags (model years 2012 and newer; about 43 percent of all complaints are tagged) carry per-label counts, shares and model confidence, which is not accuracy. Spellings and aliases resolve to the stored vehicle. A zero is confirmed only when coverage_complete is true. These are observed records, not a prediction, safety rating, verdict, repair advice or an individual vehicle history.

Input parameters:

- `make` (string, required)
- `model` (string, required)
- `year` (integer, required)

### `compare_vehicles` (~94 tokens)

Compare vehicles

Compare recorded facts for several vehicles side by side, with factual orderings by complaints, recalls and available verified complaints-per-100k-sold rates. Unknown vehicles come back with database suggestions and unrated vehicles stay explicitly unrated. Counts reflect source coverage; no recommendation, verdict or safety ranking. The free tier compares up to 2 vehicles per call, paid plans up to 5.

Input parameters:

- `vehicles` (array, required)

### `listing_changes` (~170 tokens)

Listing changes

List observed dealer listing changes (new, price drop, relisted, delisted) with VIN, price, mileage, dates, source and link, filtered by vehicle, event type or date. Collector status separates an inactive feed from observed events. No photos or dealer-written text; delisted only means the listing was no longer observed, not that a sale completed. The free tier returns at most 10 events per call with no paging, paid plans up to 200 with cursors.

Input parameters:

- `cursor` (string)
- `event_type` (string)
- `limit` (integer)
- `make` (string)
- `model` (string)
- `since` (string)
- `until` (string)
- `vin` (string)
- `year` (integer)

### `recall_changes` (~186 tokens)

Recall and investigation changes

List new and updated NHTSA recalls, investigations and complaint-count changes that this service recorded from the daily NHTSA bulk-file comparison, newest first, filtered by make, model, model year, type (recall, investigation, complaint_count) or observed date. Each change has the NHTSA campaign or action number, the record date, a short summary and a source link. These are published records, not a prediction, safety rating or advice. The free tier returns at most 10 changes per call with no paging, paid plans up to 200 with cursors and a vehicle watchlist.

Input parameters:

- `cursor` (string)
- `limit` (integer)
- `make` (string)
- `model` (string)
- `since` (string)
- `type` (string)
- `until` (string)
- `year` (integer)

## Diagnostics

Captured diagnostic sections: TLS, DNSSEC, Authorisation, Transports. The full working is on the page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-theusedcarindex-feed/api#diagnostics

## Score history

- 2026-10-18: 70
- 2026-10-17: 70
- 2026-10-16: 69
- 2026-10-15: 69
- 2026-10-14: 68
- 2026-10-13: 68
- 2026-10-12: 68
- 2026-10-11: 68
- 2026-10-10: 68

## Common questions

### What is the The Used Car Index MCP server?

The Used Car Index is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as com.theusedcarindex/feed. Free NHTSA recalls, complaints and investigations per vehicle, recall alerts, dealer listing events. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp).

### Is the The Used Car Index MCP server safe to use?

The Used Car Index scores 70 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.

### What tools does the The Used Car Index MCP server expose?

The Used Car Index exposes 4 tools: vehicle_risk, compare_vehicles, listing_changes, recall_changes. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 611 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.

### Does the The Used Car Index MCP server require authentication?

No. We connected to The Used Car Index without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.

### Is the The Used Car Index MCP server still maintained?

The Used Car Index is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 18 October 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.

## Links

- Remote endpoint: https://api.theusedcarindex.com/mcp
- Website: https://theusedcarindex.com/
- Changelog RSS feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-theusedcarindex-feed/api.xml
- Changelog JSON feed: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-theusedcarindex-feed/api.json
- HTML version of this page: https://verifymcp.io/servers/com-theusedcarindex-feed/api