How often should a vehicle feed update?

Frequently — ideally at least daily, and more often for fast-moving lots. Inventory changes constantly as cars sell and arrive, so the feed must refresh so ads reflect what's actually available.

What is a vehicle inventory feed (and how does it work)?

Q: What is a vehicle inventory feed?

A vehicle inventory feed is a structured data file listing every vehicle a dealership has for sale, with attributes like VIN, year, make, model, price, mileage, photos, and the vehicle detail page URL. Google and Meta read this feed to power inventory ads.

Q: What format is a vehicle inventory feed?

Feeds are usually delivered as a structured file such as CSV, TSV, or XML, or fetched from a URL on a schedule. Google Merchant Center and Meta each define their own required fields and accepted formats.

Last updated: June 21, 2026

A vehicle inventory feed is a structured data file that lists every vehicle a dealership has for sale, with attributes like VIN, year, make, model, price, mileage, photos, and the vehicle detail page URL. Google Merchant Center and Meta read this feed to power inventory ads — so the feed's accuracy directly decides which of your vehicles shoppers actually see.

What's in a feed

Each row represents one vehicle, with fields the ad platforms require, typically including:

✓ Identifiers: VIN, stock number
✓ Vehicle details: year, make, model, trim, body style, condition (new/used)
✓ Commercial data: price, availability, mileage
✓ Media: image URLs
✓ Links & location: vehicle detail page URL, dealership info

How it gets to Google and Meta

The feed is delivered as a structured file (CSV, TSV, or XML) or fetched from a URL on a schedule. Google Merchant Center and Meta each define their own required fields and formats, so the same inventory has to be shaped differently for each platform. Once submitted, the platform validates the data, approves eligible vehicles, and uses them to build Vehicle Listing Ads and Automotive Inventory Ads.

Why accuracy is everything

Inventory turns over daily, so a feed is never "done." If it doesn't refresh, ads promote sold cars and miss new arrivals; if attributes are wrong or missing, vehicles get disapproved and disappear. A feed that's complete, correctly formatted per platform, and updated frequently is the foundation everything else rides on — which is precisely what DealerFeeds builds and maintains.

Frequently asked questions

What is a vehicle inventory feed?+

A structured file listing every vehicle for sale with attributes like VIN, year, make, model, price, mileage, photos, and VDP URL. Google and Meta read it to power inventory ads.

What format is it?+

Usually CSV, TSV, or XML, or fetched from a URL on a schedule. Google Merchant Center and Meta each define their own required fields and accepted formats.

How often should it update?+

At least daily, and more often for fast-moving lots. Inventory changes constantly, so the feed must refresh to reflect what's actually available.

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