PAINT CODES FOR YOUR SOFTWARE.

Add paint-code lookups by UK registration to your software. Bearer API keys, prepaid credit, idempotent requests, saved history and source-free results.

PaintReg’s API lets software request a vehicle paint code from a UK registration. It returns customer-facing vehicle and paint information. Data suppliers, internal evidence and routing information are private.

Getting access

Create and verify an API account in the partner portal.
Deposit at least £20 in prepaid credit.
Create an API key and keep it on your server. Restrict browser origins if your integration uses them; origin controls do not replace keeping a key secret.

A lookup request

Send a JSON POST to https://api.paintcodebyreg.com/v1/lookup, with a Bearer API key. The example below uses placeholders and contains no vehicle result or credential.

POST /v1/lookup
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Content-Type: application/json
Idempotency-Key: YOUR_UNIQUE_REQUEST_ID

{"reg":"YOUR_REGISTRATION"}

Use the same idempotency key when retrying the same logical lookup. It must contain 8–128 characters. Do not reuse it with a different registration. The OpenAPI definition describes the public request and status contract.

Billing and retries

Only successful code deliveries use prepaid credit. Failed and unresolved results are not charged. API pricing starts at 0.064p (£0.000640) per successful search and reduces by monthly volume.

Public response statuses
Status	What to do
200	A code result was returned; successful delivery is billable.
401 / 403	Check the key and account or origin permissions.
402	Add credit or check billing access.
409	A request is in progress or the idempotency key conflicts.
429	Wait for the Retry-After duration; do not retry immediately.
503	The lookup is unavailable; it is not billed.

Limits are shared across an account: up to 12 requests in flight, a burst of 10 per second and 300 per minute. Browser requests have a 60-per-minute limit. Availability and upstream restrictions can reduce throughput; these ceilings are not a guarantee of successful results.

History and exports

Your account keeps private search history and supports CSV export. API keys can be revoked in the portal. Treat keys and vehicle results as private customer data.

Reviewed by PaintReg · 12 October 2026