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Integration Partners Programme

Become a Integration Partner

Help your dealer clients get free visibility on the UK's AI-powered vehicle search engine — covering cars, motorbikes, and vans. Push or pull integration, zero cost, instant value.

Get in Touch See How It Works

Why Partner With Carslink.ai?

Adding Carslink.ai to your service offering is effortless — and gives your dealer clients a powerful new channel at no extra cost across cars, motorbikes, and vans.

Add Value to Your Clients — Free

Offer your dealer clients instant visibility on a growing AI-powered search platform at absolutely no cost to them or you. Covers cars, motorbikes, and vans.

Simple REST API Integration

One POST endpoint, JSON payload, standard HTTP. If your system can send a webhook, it can integrate with Carslink.ai. A single endpoint handles all three vehicle types.

No Complex Onboarding

We generate a partner API key for you. Your dealers are onboarded automatically from your feeds — no individual dealer registration required.

Verified Partner Status

Your brand is listed as a verified integration partner on our platform, visible to all dealers exploring Carslink.ai.

AI & Search Engine Visibility

Your clients' stock is indexed by Google, Bing, ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI agents — reaching buyers traditional platforms miss.

Competitive Differentiation

Stand out from other DMS and website providers by offering AI search visibility across cars, motorbikes, and vans as part of your service.

Three Ways to Get Stock Listed

Choose the model that best suits your platform. All options are free, fully supported, and can run simultaneously.

Option A

Push Integration

We generate a partner API key for your organisation. You push stock data to our endpoint on your own schedule. We process it and create dealer profiles automatically.

  • You control the data flow and push timing
  • Full feeds + real-time event-triggered updates
  • Dealers onboarded automatically — no registration
  • Instant delete flag for sold vehicles
Best for: DMS providers like Haswent, Car Dealer 5, and Starkwood who prefer to control data flow and push updates on their schedule.
Option B

Pull Integration

You provide Carslink.ai with API access to your stock endpoint. We call your API on our schedule to fetch data for all dealers. You do nothing beyond enabling access.

  • Zero push setup — we pull on a schedule
  • Full reconciliation at noon and midnight daily
  • Webhook support for real-time events
  • Supports Bearer, API Key, Basic, OAuth2 auth
Best for: DMS providers like Dealerkit and Dragon2000 who prefer to provide an API and let Carslink.ai handle timing.
Option C

CSV Upload (Self-Service)

Dealers who manage stock in a spreadsheet can upload a CSV file directly through the self-service portal. No DMS or technical integration required.

  • No DMS or developer required
  • AI-powered column mapping — any CSV format
  • Descriptions formatted automatically by AI
  • No limit on number of vehicles per upload
Best for: Independent dealers without a DMS who manage stock in Excel or Google Sheets.
Download CSV Template

How the Integration Works

Choose your integration model below to see the step-by-step process and full technical specification.

01

We Generate Your Partner API Key

Contact us at [email protected]. We create a unique partner-level API key for your organisation and share the endpoint URL, JSON schema, and full documentation.

02

You Push Stock With Dealer Identification

Send an HTTP POST to our stock-ingest endpoint with your partner API key in the X-Dealer-Api-Key header. Each request includes a dealer object identifying the dealership and an array of vehicle listings.

03

Dealers Are Created Automatically

When we receive a feed for a dealer we haven't seen before, we automatically create their profile on Carslink.ai, resolve their postcode to a UK location and region, and send them a welcome email.

04

Stock Goes Live Instantly

Listings appear on Carslink.ai within minutes — indexed by search engines and AI agents. Each listing links directly to the dealer's own website. Push full feeds twice daily and event-triggered partial updates in real time.

Endpoint & Authentication

Endpoint: POST https://api.Carslink.ai/api/v1/stock

Authentication: X-Dealer-Api-Key: YOUR_PARTNER_API_KEY

Content-Type: application/json

Required Dealer Fields

Every feed must include a dealer object containing at least partner_dealer_id. All other dealer fields are strongly recommended — they build the dealer profile shown to buyers.

required partner_dealer_id — Your internal unique ID for this dealer — strictly required
recommended name — Full legal dealership name
recommended address_line_1 — First line of address — combined with town to form address
recommended town — Town or city — combined with address_line_1
recommended postcode — UK format postcode
recommended phone — UK phone number
recommended email — Valid email address
recommended website — Valid HTTPS URL
optional address_line_2 — Second line of address
optional county — County

Location & region are resolved automatically from the dealer's postcode. Do not include location or region in listing payloads — any values submitted will be overridden.

Required Listing Fields

The following fields are required on every listing. Listings missing any required field will be skipped (not the entire feed) and reported in the response.

required make — Manufacturer name
required model — Model name
required year — 4-digit integer
required price — Numeric, greater than zero
required mileage — Integer, zero or greater
required registration — UK Vehicle Registration Mark (VRM)
required images — Array of HTTPS URLs — minimum 4 required

Strongly Recommended Fields

recommended vehicle_type — 'car' (default), 'motorcycle', or 'van'. 'motorbike' also accepted as an alias.
recommended fuel — e.g. Petrol, Diesel, Electric, Hybrid. Sent as fuel or fuel_type. Powers search filters.
recommended transmission — Manual, Automatic, Semi-Automatic, or CVT. Powers search filters. Validated for format if provided.
recommended colour — Exterior colour. Powers search filters.
recommended listing_url — HTTPS URL to the listing on your dealer's website. Must be HTTPS if provided.
recommended description — Vehicle description. If absent or under 20 characters, an AI-generated description is created automatically.
recommended variant — e.g. '320d M Sport'
recommended condition — e.g. Used, New, Nearly New
recommended vin — Vehicle Identification Number (17 chars, no I/O/Q)
recommended source_id — Your internal vehicle ID (for partial updates)

Vehicle-Specific Required & Recommended Fields

Cars
req body_type
Motorbikes
engine_size (cc) bike_type licence_category (A, A1, A2, AM)
Vans
req body_type
van_typeroof_heightload_lengthpayload_kgload_volume_m3

Image Requirements

Minimum 4 images per listing. Provide all images in a single images array. The first image is the hero image displayed prominently. Images 2, 3, and 4 are thumbnails. Additional images beyond 4 are accepted and stored. Listings with fewer than 4 images are skipped.
  • All images must be publicly accessible via HTTPS
  • Use permanent URLs — not signed or temporary URLs
  • Recommended minimum: 800px wide. Formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP
  • Images are cached by Carslink.ai at ingestion — no ongoing load on your servers

Feed Modes & Schedule

"mode": "full_replace" — Sends the dealer's entire current inventory. Any existing listings not in the batch are automatically removed. Recommended for scheduled feeds.
"mode": "partial" — Adds or updates individual listings without affecting others. Use for event-triggered updates when a vehicle is added, edited, or sold.

Expected schedule:

  • •Full stock feed in full_replace mode at 12:00 noon and 00:00 midnight daily
  • •Event-triggered partial updates immediately on every vehicle change
  • •Listings not refreshed within 24 hours automatically expire and are removed

Instant Vehicle Removal

To remove a sold vehicle instantly, send a partial mode update with "delete": true on the listing:

{
  "mode": "partial",
  "dealer": {
    "partner_dealer_id": "YOUR-INTERNAL-DEALER-ID"
  },
  "listings": [
    {
      "source_id": "VEHICLE-001",
      "price": 27495,
      "mileage": 25100,
      "description": "Updated description..."
    },
    {
      "source_id": "VEHICLE-002",
      "delete": true
    }
  ]
}

Complete JSON Examples 

{
  "mode": "full_replace",
  "dealer": {
    "partner_dealer_id": "DEALER-001",
    "name": "Smith Motors Ltd",
    "address_line_1": "123 Motor Row",
    "town": "Manchester",
    "postcode": "M1 2AB",
    "phone": "0161 555 0100",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "website": "https://www.smithmotors.co.uk"
  },
  "listings": [
    {
      "vehicle_type": "car",
      "make": "BMW",
      "model": "3 Series",
      "variant": "320d M Sport",
      "year": 2021,
      "price": 28995,
      "mileage": 24500,
      "fuel": "Diesel",
      "transmission": "Automatic",
      "colour": "Black Sapphire",
      "body_type": "Saloon",
      "condition": "Used",
      "registration": "AB21 XYZ",
      "vin": "WBAJL510X0G123456",
      "source_id": "YOUR-VEHICLE-ID-001",
      "images": [
        "https://example.com/hero.jpg",
        "https://example.com/rear.jpg",
        "https://example.com/interior.jpg",
        "https://example.com/dashboard.jpg"
      ],
      "listing_url": "https://www.smithmotors.co.uk/vehicle/001",
      "description": "One owner from new with full BMW service history."
    }
  ]
}

Feed Response Format 

{
  "sync_id": "sync_a1b2c3d4",
  "status": "accepted",
  "message": "Payload accepted, processing in background",
  "received_count": 47,
  "queued_count": 45,
  "deleted_count": 0,
  "success": true,
  "dealer": null,
  "feed": {
    "mode": "full_replace",
    "received": 47,
    "accepted": 45,
    "skipped": 2,
    "removed": 0
  },
  "skipped_listings": [
    { "source_id": "V-001", "reason": "minimum 4 image URLs required (received 2)" },
    { "source_id": "V-002", "reason": "price must be numeric and > 0" }
  ],
  "timestamp": "2026-05-12T10:00:00Z"
}

Data Ownership & GDPR Compliance

Push integration: You control the data flow using a partner API key we generate. Dealer business details and publicly available vehicle listing data are the only data processed.

Pull integration: We connect to your API using credentials you provide. Dealer trading details are included per dealer in your API response.

In both models, Carslink.ai only receives publicly available vehicle listing data and dealer business contact details. We never handle personal buyer data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions from DMS and website providers considering integration.

There are three options. Option A — Push Integration: We generate a partner API key for your organisation and you push stock to our endpoint. Dealer accounts are created automatically. Option B — Pull Integration: You provide us with an API endpoint and we pull stock on a schedule. Option C — CSV Upload: Dealers upload a CSV file directly through our self-service portal.
With push and pull integrations, nothing. Dealers are onboarded automatically when their stock first appears in a partner feed. With CSV upload, they register to get an API key and upload their spreadsheet.
The only field strictly required for validation is partner_dealer_id — this links the vehicles to your dealer. We strongly recommend also including name, postcode, phone, email, and website so the dealer profile is fully populated. address_line_1 and town are used to build the dealer address if a flat address string is not provided. Location and region are resolved automatically from the postcode — do not include them.
The listing is skipped and reported in the feed response. The rest of the feed is processed normally. Fields that will cause a listing to be skipped: partner_dealer_id, registration (VRM), make, model, year, mileage, price, and images (minimum 4 HTTPS URLs). Fields such as fuel, transmission, colour, listing_url, and description are strongly recommended but will not cause a listing to be skipped if absent — a missing or very short description is filled automatically by AI.
No — Carslink.ai is completely free for both dealers and integration partners. There are no listing fees, no per-lead charges, no commission, and no subscription costs.
Provide a minimum of 4 publicly accessible HTTPS image URLs per listing in the images array. The first image is the hero image displayed prominently. Images 2, 3, and 4 are thumbnails. Additional images beyond 4 are accepted and stored. Listings with fewer than 4 images are skipped. Images are cached by Carslink.ai at ingestion — no ongoing load on your image servers.
Location and region are resolved automatically from the dealer's registered postcode using our UK postcode lookup. Partners must not include location or region in listing payloads. Any values submitted will be overridden by the resolved postcode data.
Push partners should send a full stock feed in full_replace mode twice daily (noon and midnight) plus event-triggered partial updates on every vehicle change. Pull integrations are fetched by us at noon and midnight. Listings not refreshed within 24 hours automatically expire.
Send a partial mode update with 'delete': true on the listing. The vehicle is removed from the platform immediately. Alternatively, use full_replace mode and simply omit the sold vehicle from the feed.
Yes. The vehicle_type field determines each listing's category. Set it to 'car', 'motorcycle', or 'van'. 'motorbike' is also accepted as an alias for 'motorcycle'. If omitted, it defaults to 'car'.
We support Bearer tokens, API keys (custom header), Basic authentication, and OAuth2. During onboarding you share your preferred method and credentials. All credentials are stored securely with encryption at rest.
Email [email protected] with your company name and preferred integration model (push or pull). We'll generate your partner credentials and walk you through the setup.

Ready to Partner With Us?

Email our partnerships team to get started. We'll generate your partner credentials and have you integrated within days.

[email protected] View Current Partners