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Smartcar Connect is the starting point for connecting vehicles to your application. It uses Smartcar’s patented and secure OAuth 2.0 flow to let vehicle owners grant your app access to their car data and control features.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have configured your Smartcar application in the Smartcar Dashboard. You will need:
  • Your application’s Client ID and Client Secret
  • A valid redirect_uri for your application
  • The vehicle data you want to access (e.g., odometer, location, etc.)
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Step 1: Launch Smartcar Connect

Direct your users to the Smartcar Connect URL. This can be done using the Smartcar SDK for your platform (web, iOS, or Android) or copying the URL from the Smartcar Dashboard. The user will:
  • Select their vehicle brand
  • Log in with their connected services account
  • Review and approve the requested permissions
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Step 2: Handle the Redirect and Get the Authorization Code

After the user authorizes access, Smartcar will redirect them back to your application using the default redirect_uri you provided in your app configuration. The redirect will include an authorization code as a query parameter.
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Step 3: Exchange the Code for an Access Token

Your backend exchanges the authorization code for an access token and refresh token by making a request to Smartcar’s token endpoint. You’ll need your app’s client_id, client_secret, and the same redirect_uri.
POST https://auth.smartcar.com/oauth/token
Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET&grant_type=authorization_code&code=AUTH_CODE&redirect_uri=YOUR_REDIRECT_URI
The response will include an access_token and a refresh_token.
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Step 4: Store Tokens

Store the access_token and refresh_token securely in your application’s database. These tokens are sensitive credentials that allow access to vehicle data and actions, so:
  • Use encrypted storage or a secrets manager whenever possible.
  • Never log tokens or expose them in client-side code.
  • Associate tokens with the correct user and vehicle in your database for easy lookup and management. Here is a recommended architecture structure.
  • The access_token expires after two hours. You will need to use the refresh_token to obtain new access tokens when needed. The refresh_token expires after 60 days. If the refresh_token expires, the user will need to reauthorize your application.

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What’s Next