specification: FinOps Framework
specificationVersion: '1.0'
schema: https://www.finops.org/framework/
provider: ClearVIN
providerId: clearvin
created: '2026-06-21'
modified: '2026-06-21'
reconciled: false
tags:
- VIN
- Vehicle History
- Automotive
- NMVTIS
- Vehicle Data
- FinOps
- Cost Management
- FOCUS
description: >-
  FinOps view of ClearVIN spend. ClearVIN bills per vehicle report rather than
  per API call: each VIN lookup consumes one prepaid report credit / package
  unit drawn from the account balance, with consumer per-report, multi-pack,
  and unlimited-subscription tiers and discounted dealer / vendor bulk pricing.
  Credits do not expire. The primary cost driver is reports pulled; optimization
  centers on pack / subscription selection, deduplicating repeat VIN lookups,
  and matching report depth (decode vs. full history vs. valuation) to need.
notes: >-
  Vendor API pricing is quoted on signup and not publicly listed; per-report
  and subscription figures are representative public prices. Verify billing
  currency, invoicing cadence, and unit rates with ClearVIN on reconciliation.
sources:
- https://www.clearvin.com/en/api-subscribers/
- https://www.clearvin.com/en/dealer/pricing/
- https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
alignedWith:
  framework: FinOps Foundation Framework
  frameworkUrl: https://www.finops.org/framework/
  dataSpec: FOCUS
  dataSpecVersion: '1.3'
  dataSpecUrl: https://focus.finops.org/focus-specification/v1-3/
publisherName: ClearVIN
serviceCategory: Data and Analytics
billingModel:
  pricingCategory: Usage-Based
  billingFrequency: Prepaid
  billingCurrency: USD
  chargeCategories:
  - Purchase
  - Usage
focusColumns:
  ServiceName: ClearVIN Vendor API
  ServiceCategory: Data and Analytics
  ProviderName: ClearVIN
  PublisherName: ClearVIN
  InvoiceIssuerName: ClearVIN
  BillingCurrency: USD
  ChargeCategory: Usage
  PricingCategory: Usage-Based
meters:
- name: reports
  description: Vehicle reports retrieved by VIN; each report consumes one credit / package unit.
  unit: reports
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - product
- name: credits_purchased
  description: Prepaid report credits purchased into the account balance.
  unit: credits
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
- name: credits_consumed
  description: Report credits spent against VIN lookups.
  unit: credits
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
  - product
- name: subscription_reports
  description: Reports drawn against a monthly unlimited / package subscription allotment.
  unit: reports
  aggregation: sum
  dimensions:
  - account
principles:
- name: Visibility
  description: Track report pulls and credit burn against the account balance per product (decode, history, valuation).
- name: Allocation
  description: Tag report requests to teams / workflows; map credit spend to internal cost centers.
- name: Optimization
  description: Choose multi-packs, the unlimited subscription, or dealer pricing to lower per-report cost; deduplicate repeat VIN lookups; request only the report depth needed.
- name: Accountability
  description: Assign an owner for credit replenishment; review monthly report volume against budget.
maintainers:
- FN: Kin Lane
  email: kin@apievangelist.com