About TrueCar
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TrueCar offers fair price reports for vehicles in your area and partners with dealerships to provide pricing without any negotiation. After receiving a TrueCar price report, simply take it to participating dealerships to lock in the price. This quote does not include taxes and can only be used at participating dealerships, but the service is completely free.
Overall Satisfaction Rating
- 5 stars18
- 4 stars11
- 3 stars2
- 2 stars3
- 1 stars8
Pros
- No haggling
- Free service
- Straightforward pricing
- TrueCar app available
Cons
- Works only with partner dealerships
- Not always the lowest price
Bottom Line
TrueCar partners with dealerships to offer specialized price reports to car buyers. The prices aren’t always the cheapest, but it's great for those who want a haggle-free experience.
Top TrueCar Reviews
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Found TrueCar to be the most helpful. After checking availabilities on cars, dealers emailed with a quick response and some followed up with a phone call. This was great for my ti...
Read full reviewI used several search engines to find a car, but TrueCar was by far the best. It has great sort features and the best prices. I was able to find the exact vehicle at a below marke...
Read full reviewWhat is TrueCar?
TrueCar is an online car buying site for new and used cars. TrueCar partners with dealerships across the country to offer predetermined prices that are meant to be lower than what you would traditionally find at a physical car dealership.
How does TrueCar work?
TrueCar works by offering customers the “true” value of a vehicle — in other words, the TrueCar pricing breakdown includes the MSRP (Manufacturer Suggested Retail Price), savings offered by the dealer, the destination fee and the regional advertising fee. The TrueCar price is what others were offered, not necessarily what others paid, for the same vehicle.
TrueCar charges dealerships when a customer buys a vehicle through its website, so there’s no fee to use the service. The process is nearly identical to buying a car in traditional circumstances; TrueCar even leases vehicles, and it offers both new and used cars.
TrueCar pricing
TrueCar doesn’t charge any fees to use the website, and the TrueCar price report includes the destination fee and the regional advertising fee. The estimate will not include any accessories installed by the dealer, taxes, titles, licensing fees, documentation fees, state fees or dealer-locate fees.
TrueCar prices its vehicles by aggregating data to calculate a fair cost. It gathers data from car dealerships, car loans, dealer’s marketing materials, registration information and insurance data to determine a good price based on what others have paid for similar vehicles.
Does TrueCar really work?
Yes and no. To receive a price certificate, you have to submit specific information to the TrueCar website. The price certificate you receive will lock in a fixed cost at participating TrueCar-certified dealerships.
However, you should be aware that price isn’t necessarily the best deal — it’s usually just the MSRP with additional rebates included that apply to any buyer off the street.
And remember: You might receive more emails and phone calls than you want as a result. If you feel the price presented to you by TrueCar is fair, then there’s no real risk involved, and it does take haggling out of the buying process.
TrueCar FAQ
- Does TrueCar ship cars?
- TrueCar is able to ship some cars. Customers who want their vehicle delivered should look for the “Buy From Home” badge while shopping.
- How does TrueCar make money?
- TrueCar charges each participating dealer a fee for every car sold through TrueCar; this is the primary way it makes money. It also makes some money through ads, data and consulting.
- Do dealers have to honor TrueCar’s prices?
- TrueCar certified dealers must honor the price report. However, there’s no guarantee the vehicle advertised on the website will be on the lot when the customer arrives.
- What is a TrueCar certified dealer?
- Certified dealers connect with customers by posting their vehicles on the TrueCar website. TrueCar searches include TrueCar certified local dealers as well as online-only dealerships.
- Does TrueCar work for used cars?
- Yes, users may shop both new and used cars on the website. There are over 870,000 pre-owned vehicles listed on TrueCar.
- How does TrueCar get its data?
- TrueCar works with data aggregators in the automotive industry. It also collects data from dealers’ marketing materials, loan information, vehicle registration and insurance information.
Is TrueCar legit?
Yes, TrueCar is a legitimate company that works with certified dealerships to provide haggle-free pricing. It provides pricing for used and new vehicles in your area, though it cannot guarantee that the vehicle will still be available when you arrive at the dealership. It requires all certified dealerships to honor its price quotes, though these quotes do not include taxes.
TrueCar is an excellent option for those who want to avoid haggling, though keep in mind that you still might not be getting the lowest possible price.
TrueCar Reviews
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I'm the average person doing research on purchasing a used vehicle under a certain dollar amount and used several online searches. Found TrueCar to be the most helpful. After checking availabilities on cars, dealers emailed with a quick response and some followed up with a phone call. This was great for my time management.
Drivertopia was the dealership my 2007 Mini Cooper was purchased. The sales person Stephen **, took the time (very patient) to answer or find the answer to all my questions. He sent close up photos and videos of everything I want to see on the car. I believe in full transparency and this dealership provided a history report that I could do my own research on any inconsistencies. This was my first online and purchase not in my own city. Mr. **, was able to get my paperwork sent overnight and auto transport ready to delivery my vehicle. I'm so grateful for this experience. It gave me confidence to purchase another vehicle using TrueCar and searching again using TrueCar. Great experience!
I hate car shopping, particularly dealing with sales talks. TrueCar allowed me to compare several models, select the ones I wanted to explore, and get offers from the dealers without really wasting a lot of time being talked up and assessed by sales people. I got three fairly similar offers, choose the one that looked best and drove it home. I would like to add that I also used Edmund's and the offers through their website were not as good, the dealers seemed to expect to ask a higher price and haggle.
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There have been a lot of complaints about TrueCar that are quite frankly, unfair. I have used this service twice for purchasing new vehicles. Yes, I received many emails and phone calls, and yes, I had to go to the lot and the price I paid was more than I expected to. But the bottom line price in both cases was very accurate and consistent with Kelly Blue Book and other sites. TrueCar provides helpful bottomline information so you can comparison shop for the best price on a vehicle you are looking for. It is not a buying service. Those services are expensive.
Car dealers want to call you to make a sale and negotiate a price that is lower than other dealers. They will also want to make money and will always try to add to their profit on your vehicle. It is surprising how many people are shocked by this. What TrueCar gives you is the bottom line sale price for negotiating. That is just the starting place and is helpful for finding a dealer and salesperson that is straightforward and honest in making the sale. If the salesperson is unwilling to give you the vin number, sticker, bottom line price and financing information before you go to the lot, then don't deal with them or direct your call to the Internet sales manager or General Manager. There are plenty of Dealerships and internet salespeople that want to make a fair sale for the vehicle you want. TrueCar helps you to find them.
This is my second time using the True Car website through my Progressive policy. I have found the site to be extremely useful in finding a car make, model, year, and price that I was looking for. The first time I used this site I went to Fairway Auto in Phoenix and that was an absolute no haggle process. I was out of there in less than 30 minutes with my car. Unfortunately, I only had that car for a few days and it was in another accident. Back to True Car to find another car. Fairway did not have the cars that I was looking for. Received prices from True Car from Chapman Auto in Tempe (Curtis was very helpful) and Vans Chevrolet in Scottsdale (neutral) and ultimately found my car at Auto Nation. Auto Nation was great to deal with with no hidden fees. Very pleased with the website and ultimately the dealership.
TrueCar is amazing. I ended up getting an amazing deal on the 2017 Lincoln MKC that I bought thanks to True Car. I would definitely recommend using TrueCar and I personally will use them again for the next vehicle I purchase. When you click on the check availability button you immediately receive an email with the TrueCar price. Sometimes the price is what is quoted on the site and sometimes like in my case the price is a little cheaper. The site gave me a complete break down of what fees I would be expected to pay at the dealership. You are contacted almost immediately with an email and/or a phone call. The dealership I went to honored everything on my TrueCar certificate and I appreciated that even more. There are several car buying sites to look at but I recommend checking out TrueCar first.
I just bought a new car at or below invoice price and it was delivered to my home - the most hassle free car buying experience in my life. The site lets you compare the dealer prices and gives you an idea about what pricing to expect to work.
True experience was truly terrible! They made an evaluation and offered me a price on line. Then they just sent me to used car salesman. I had to drive 40 miles to get there. The used car salesman (true to his reputation) priced the car at 78% of the value offered to me without any hesitation. I would not recommend anyone to use True & specifically this dealer in Oakland. Happy to reveal more specifics.
We went to TrueCar looking to purchase a car. When we telephoned the dealership, located through TrueCar, the price was $20,000 more than listed on the TrueCar Site. SCAM! A total waste of time. They should be shut down for false advertising!
Very simple to use site and pricing are great. Met my expectations. Also the car dealers respond back in a timely manner. I would definitely would visit again when car buying. Thank you TrueCar! Happy customer!
I used several search engines to find a car, but TrueCar was by far the best. It has great sort features and the best prices. I was able to find the exact vehicle at a below market value that was certified by Honda. Win Win!
TrueCar Company Information
- Company Name:
- TrueCar
- Website:
- www.truecar.com
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