About TrueCar
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
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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.
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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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When you use TrueCar that dealership that you choose will give you your car at that price. You don’t have to fight with the dealership with the price of the the. I used TrueCar three times already and it’s the best way to buy a new car.
Went on their site to look for a car to buy. I saw a few that I was interested in... Went through the process and every car I picked on the site said it was available. When I reached out to dealers they ALL told me the car was "sold". Then they tried to sell me something else. I would almost bet that many of the cars on that site do not exist. Waste of time.
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I went to TrueCar.com to find and negotiate a deal to trade for a new car. I found my deal, got an offer on my trade-in with a net price difference, accepted that deal, got a TrueCar Deal Code and set up an appointment for the next day to finalize the deal and make the trade. All this online at TrueCar.com's website. However, when I contacted the specified dealer to confirm the appointment, I was told they would not honor the deal and raised the price on the new car by about 20%. When I made attempts to get resolution/comment from TrueCar, I got no response whatsoever after a week.
I don't think it is working though the intention seems good. The listings are just to make people contact the dealers but at end of the day, people don't get for the price listed or end up buying something else. Dealers most of the time do not respect what was provided by Truecar to its clients.
So I started looking for a truck to find a decent price truck. In order for me to look at the prices, I had to put I'm my personal information. The next morning I'm getting like 10 calls, text messages, emails from different dealerships. Next time I'll just put a fake phone number, what a waste of time. And like I said I was using this website to get a good price but all of the trucks were over 5k msrp.
Got an offer of .80% from my credit union if I use one of their car buying services. One of which was True Car. Filled out all the information and started getting offers. The offers I was receiving were $5000 over MSRP. :-( Why would I need to enlist a car buying service in order to pay $5,000 over MSRP. Now I have all these car dealerships calling me on my cell phone trying to sell me Vehicles 5000 over MSRP. What a mistake this was. Now I have to figure out a way to stop the annoying phone calls... Bad experience.
I received offers from three different Honda dealerships through TrueCar and not one of them honored the pricing once I was in their showroom. I even specifically asked the last dealership if there was any possibility of additional fees or add-ons once I got there and they assured me, through both email and text, that all charges, other than taxes and registration, were disclosed in the TrueCar offer. Then after driving 60 miles to the dealership, I'm told that the specific car I was given pricing for (the Vin Number matched) actually had another $3000 in dealer add ons, plus a $5000 surcharge due to the current car shortage. What?!! Total waste of time and a horrible overall experience! Might be good for initial research, but the dealer offers are just a bait and switch.
Truecar probably has some uses for someone. But not for anyone who has had experience buying cars before. Once you try to see any price on a car, expect for your information to be sent to 20 dealerships who will endlessly hound you for a car that you didn't even decide was a good deal.
I went to TrueCar because I wanted up-front pricing on a new car. I got an offer from a dealer, which seemed good. Apparently the dealer can do whatever they want and doesn't hold to the TrueCar price. The dealer made me come in anyway and gave me a different price with a "market fee" after they told me there was no other fees than the dealer fee on the phone. What a scam. Just wasted my time. TrueCar is not worth it.
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.
TrueCar Company Information
- Company Name:
- TrueCar
- Website:
- www.truecar.com
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