Integrating with Smartcar is now easier than ever. We’ve combined all previous version of webhooks into a much more powerful single webhook offering to get your integration up and running quickly.
Webhooks are the recommended way to receive real-time vehicle data from Smartcar. You can still use the REST API for retrieving data and issuing commands, but webhooks are the most scalable and reliable option for most use cases.

​
How to Set Up a Webhook Integration

Head over to the Smartcar Dashboard to set up your webhook integration. There are three main steps to set up a webhook in Smartcar:
Application Configuration in Smartcar Dashboard

Integrations in Smartcar Dashboard

1

Select an Integration Type

From the integrations page, start by creating a new integration and choosing webhook. For most use cases, Webhooks are the recommended option.
2

Choose a Trigger

Define when Smartcar should send you a webhook. This is the vehicle event or condition that causes data to be delivered.
Example triggers:
  • Vehicle’s battery percentage changes
  • Vehicle is plugged in or unplugged
  • Airbags deploy
  • Odometer changes as the vehicle drives
  • Doors or windows open
  • Vehicle location changes as it drives
3

Select the Data (Signals)

After choosing a trigger, specify what vehicle data (“signals”) should be included in the webhook payload.
Your selection directly maps to the permissions that the vehicle owner granted your application during the connection process. Smartcar offers over 20 specific permissions for granular control.
4

Provide a Webhook callback URL

Enter the destination URL where Smartcar should send the data. This should be your application’s endpoint to receive webhook payloads.Your callback URI should handle the "eventType" : "VERIFY" received in the request payload and respond with a 200 status code and a {"challenge": "{HMAC}"}. Please see this guide on how to verify your callback URI.

​
How are vehicles subscribed to your webhook(s)

Once the user grants access to your application, you can chose between automatically subscribing all vehicles to your webhook or by manually subscribing specific vehicles. Automatically subsribing vehicles can be done by selecting the option in the Dashboard when creating your webhook. When this option is selected, all vehicles that are connected to your application will be automatically subscribed to your webhook. New connections will also be automatically subscribed and start sending data right away. If you do not select the option to autosubscribe vehicles, you may also manually subscribe vehicles to webhoooks by issuing requests to the subscribe and unsubscribe with the corresponding webhook ID or from the Smartcar Dashboard.
Webhook Subscription in Smartcar Dashboard

Webhook Subscription in Smartcar Dashboard

In both scenarios, data will be sent only after your webhook has been verified. When a vehicle is first subscribed to a webhook, Smartcar will send an initial payload that attempts to get all the signals you’re subscribed to for that vehicle. Smartcar will only send subsequent data when it matches the conditions specified in your webhook creation steps. For example, when any of the signals you specified change in value.
The first payload may only contain partial data if there were issues retrieving data from the vehicle initially. Connection or compatibility issues will be reported to your error callback URI as described below.

​
FAQS

Ready to get started? Check out our Getting Started guides or tutorials to connect your first vehicle and set up your integration.