To get live API access, your integration must pass certain tests. This will make sure that it meets our technical standards and best practices.
For each capability, the tests cover Essential and Enhanced functionalities. Your integration must pass at least one of the Essential functionality tests to get live access.
We recommend using the Enhanced functionalities to allow dealers to get the full benefits of the service.
We'll cover the tests for the following functionalities:
- Pricing Updates
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- Update supplied price (Essential)
- Update forecourt price (Essential)
- Update VAT status (Essential)
- Override admin fee (Enhanced)
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There are three ways we check that tests are successful:
- Demonstration - We will expect you to show us your code or your UI
- Call log validation - We will check your API calls to our service to make sure the call is made correctly
- Database check - We will check our database to see whether the correct attribute has been updated
Pricing updates
If you would like to update the price of a stock record, send a PATCH request to the Stock API. The request path should include the stock ID, and the relevant price fields below should be included in the request body.
Update supplied price and forecourt price (Essential)
The supplied price powers the value being shown on Auto Trader. This field should be the vehicle price without any fees.
The forecourt price is the value to be shown on the dealer's forecourt, if it is different from the price displayed on Auto Trader. If the price is the same, then you should set it to the same value as the supplied price.
| Test | How we'll check it |
| Able to update a stock record's supplied price to display this price on the Auto Trader website | Demonstration and database check |
| Able to update a stock record's forecourt price to be the same as the supplied price, where not required to be different | Demonstration and database check |
| Optional checks | |
|
Able to update a stock record's forecourt price via the Stock API to be different from the supplied price |
Demonstration and database check |
Update VAT status (Essential)
VAT status can be set for both the supplied price, which is shown on the Auto Trader website, and the forecourt price, which represents the price on the dealer's forecourt.
The VAT status will show next to the price, for example, £4500 + VAT.
Setting VAT status is required for vans and crossovers. We will reject the vehicle if the VAT status isn't set when advertised.
This is not essential for cars. You can optionally send a VAT status or leave it as null.
| Test | How we'll check it |
|
Able to update VAT status for commercial vehicles to at least one of the below statuses (demonstration, stock database check)
|
Demonstration and database check |
| When sending a price update for cars, by default VAT status is excluded from the payload | Demonstration and database check |
Override admin fee (Enhanced)
By default, dealers will be able to set an admin fee in Auto Trader Portal that applies to all stock at that location.
If the dealer needs to override this, this can be set through the Stock API using a PATCH request and including the override admin fee attribute in the request body.
| Test | How we'll check it |
|
Ability to update the admin fee field for specific vehicles via the Stock API |
Demonstration and database check |
| This should not be done for all vehicles, and should only be used to override the default admin fee set in Auto Trader Portal where required | Demonstration |