The Best New Car Buying Sites

Saturday, May 25th

2024 New Car Buying Site Reviews

Cars

• "A+" rated and accredited by the BBB
• Millions of vehicles listed from more than 20,000 dealers
• Very detailed car listings
• Easy to connect with dealerships
• Fun tool to help you find the right auto match for your needs

Cars has been connecting car-shoppers with their new vehicles since 1998. With headquarters in Chicago, this site leaves no stone unturned to provide you with the information you need and the vehicles you want - millions of listings with tens of thousands of cars added every day. You won't find many platforms that can even come close to that.

No-hassle search tool

Do you already have a good idea what make and model you want? Select those in the dropdowns on the left side of the page; you can also specify the preferred distance, max price and your location, or go deeper with "advanced search" to put in criteria like the vehicle's min/max mileage, the colors you want inside or out, and so on. Once your results list pops up, you can sort them by whatever matters most (such as price or miles) or click on the features options to see just the matches that have your desired convenience features or tech specs.

Not quite a blind date

Not sure what new car is right for you? No problem. Cars has lots of research to consider, especially expert reviews on the newest car releases. But, this platform has something we fell in love with. See the part of the main page that says "Shop by what matters most" ? Cars refers to that as its "Matchmaker" tool - you might have seen a TV spot showing happy "matches" made between people and their cars. Start by entering the body style (like SUV, truck, or van) and the max price you want to pay. The next page has sliders for you to show how important certain criteria are, like ride comfort and cargo space. You'll be amazed how accurate the Matchmaker's recommendations are - and how you can quickly get more details or see local inventory of each one.

Ample inventory

We had no problem finding our test vehicle, a Toyota Highlander, near and far. Our nationwide search yielded nearly 4000 options; dropping the search radius down to a fairly tight 20 miles still left us with about 150 choices. We noticed that Cars had more dealerships in their network than any other platform we used: it included both Toyota-specific local dealers as well as nationwide, multi-make dealerships like AutoNation.

Details depend on dealer

Overall, Cars' listings go into a lot of depth. Photos, VIN, features list, reviews of the dealership itself, payment calculators, and direct links to the vehicle on the dealer website are just a few of the things you'll see. But, that also depends on the dealer: we saw a few listings that didn't have a price or that only had one photo (or just a "coming soon" image). Cars will give you everything they possibly can - including a "Deal Gauge" to show you how competitively any particular vehicle is priced, and easy links to contact the dealer or go right to their website to find out more.

Phenomenal reputation

Car-shoppers love using this service. Almost everyone gives it a 4- or 5-star rating, and the BBB assigns its highest rating and accreditation to Cars as well. Across the board, people rave about how much time and effort is saved by using the tools here to find new cars that have everything they're looking for.

Best option for buying new cars

Whether you're just at the research stage or you're ready to buy right away, this is the perfect resource. You'll love how Cars covers most of the dealerships in your area and gives you options well outside of your locale too, and how quickly you can get connected when you find the right vehicle. Cars is our first choice when shopping for a new car, and we give the service our highest rating.

CarGurus

• "A+" rated and accredited by the BBB
• Over five million vehicle listings
• All cars rated with respect to value, from "overpriced" to "great deal"
• Good for researching cars: test drive reviews, price trends, buying tips and more

If you've ever used TripAdvisor to plan a vacation and loved the service, you should take a look at CarGurus: the sites share a co-founder. In operation since 2006, CarGurus gets the most visits out of any online automotive marketplace in the US. The site uses in-depth analytics to give you insights into a new car's value, ranking it from "overpriced" to "great deal" and everywhere in between.

Excellent research tools

You could use CarGurus for the information alone. Go to the Research tab and you'll find Test Drive Reviews, Price Trends, Tips & Advice, and General Information on topics like deciding between certified pre-owned and new vehicles or what's covered by a new car warranty.

Filters come later

You'll want to have an idea of what you're looking for when you visit the CarGurus site, because it only lets you search by make and model (or by showing you ALL of the vehicles in your zip code): there's no filter to include certain features or price ranges on the first step of the search process. You'll find those once you've entered a make or at least your zip code: narrow down the options by color, desired features, dealer rating, or, our personal favorite, NHTSA Overall Safety Rating (safety first!).

Plenty of vehicles to choose from

CarGurus returned many more matching vehicles than most of their rivals. In our sample search for a new Toyota Highlander, we got results for nearly 100 cars within a 50 mile radius. Expanding that search to nationwide, there were over 4500 available. In a time when cars are selling faster than ever, it's critical to have lots of options, and CarGurus absolutely delivers in that regard.

Helpful and informative

In both the short results list and the individual vehicle listings, CarGurus doesn't bury the lead. You'll know exactly which dealership is selling the car, how long it's been listed on CarGurus and how many people have saved it as a favorite, whether or not there have been any price changes, and a price analysis to tell you if you're getting a good deal compared with similarly-equipped vehicles. And yes, you can also see lots of photos, look up the VIN, check out the features, and even get a preview on available financing.

Ready to connect?

So, you've found the new car of your dreams on CarGurus. What's next? You can use their fill-in-the-blank form on the right side of the page to send a message to the dealership. We think it's pretty novel compared with some car-buying sites' forms: you can choose several options in the dropdown boxes, like "I'd like to know your best price" or "I'd like to test drive this" . We also found options for connecting directly with the dealer via online chat (right above the Get a Quote form), and you're given all of the direct contact information for the dealer right underneath the photos. We love that CarGurus doesn't play any games or force you to use their method of contact so that they get the credit for it.

Just a few things to watch out for

You shouldn't have any concerns with CarGurus itself. The company is accredited and "A+" rated by the BBB, and barely over a dozen complaints were noted there in the 12 months leading up to this review. Looking at consumer commentary elsewhere, we found some issues when people used the CarGurus site to sell their vehicles but buyers almost always seem to come away happy with their experience here. That being said, be aware that your buying process will ultimately depend on the dealership itself. CarGurus does a good job of showing you detailed ratings and reviews (when available) on each dealer, but we read a handful of comments that said some dealers refused to honor the CarGurus price quote or hadn't provided accurate vehicle information for the CarGurus' listing.

Excellent way to buy a new car

CarGurus puts a lot of power in your hands when shopping for new cars. You'll find more listings here than on many other platforms, and it's easy to see where they're located and how to get in touch with the dealerships. Plus, the pricing insights can let you know what kind of wiggle room you have to negotiate - and how many other people might have the same idea. CarGurus gets one of our highest recommendations among services for buying a new car.

Autotrader

• "A+" rated and accredited by the BBB
• See vehicles offered by large dealerships, smaller car lots, online-only platforms and private sellers
• Over 3 million vehicle listings (new and used)

Autotrader is one of the most visited automotive websites out there: over 14 million people visit it every month. Cars listed here can come from big dealerships, small lots, online-only services and private sellers, but if you're looking for a new car here you'll mostly find listings from well-known dealers near you.

Lots of ways to search

Do you already have a make and model in mind? Enter that, plus your zip code, right into the boxes at the top of Autotrader's New Cars for Sale page. Or, you can browse by make and style, click on "advanced search" if you've got any must-have specifics, or use the Search by Budget option a little further down the page if cost is your ultimate deciding factor.

First results may include used vehicles

When we searched for Toyota Highlanders in our area, we got over 300 matches. It took a minute, though, to realize that the list included used vehicles - despite the fact that we started on Autotrader's New Cars page. Be sure to use the filter button and select "new" ; that dropped the inventory down to just 71 vehicles in the case of our example make and model.

Get more specific if you like

Autotrader has a lot of relevant filters to help you see only the cars that match what you have in mind. Not sure? Check out the buttons right underneath the search bar: maybe you really prefer AWD/4WD, or there's a trim level that has all of the bells and whistles you want. Autotrader does a good job of anticipating what you might be looking for and suggesting ways to see just those results.

Direct connections to local inventory

What we like about using Autotrader to search for new cars is the immediate results. Unlike some of the platforms we've evaluated, this service tells you right off the bat where each car is being sold, how far it is from the zip code you entered, the KBB rating for the specific dealership, and a phone number to confirm availability - and that's just in the results list. When you go to the individual vehicle listings, you'll get everything you want to know - plus a link directly to the car on the dealer's website. (Yes, there's a form on the Autotrader site you can use to request more info, but why not skip that step and get right to it?)

Trustworthy for new cars

Autotrader maintains a flawless "A+" rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau; there were almost no complaints filed there at the time of this evaluation. The only negative reviews we found elsewhere were largely related to this platform's service for buying and selling used cars, and that won't have any effect on your search for a new vehicle.

Worth using when buying a car

Autotrader cuts out a lot of the unnecessary middle steps you'll see with other services for buying a new car: search for what you want and see where you can find it near you. We love that kind of transparency and how easy it is to get real-time inventory options. There were a few dealers in our area that didn't show up in our Autotrader search results (who we did see on a few other platforms' vehicle matches), but by and large this is a reliable option to start you off on your car-buying journey.

Edmunds

• "A+" rated and accredited by the BBB
• In-depth car research
• 50+ years of experience

Edmunds is an automotive expert. In business for half a century and then some, they offer an incredible array of resources to help you pick the right new car - even video test drives to go along with their thorough reviews and comparisons. Would you believe that their editorial team drives about half a million miles every year to tell you where the rubber really meets the road?

Easy to get started

So, let's say you've used all of the Edmunds research to pick the right make and model for your needs. Ready to find one to buy? Enter the make or model in the search bar at the top of the site, or go to the New tab. (Or you can use the By Type or By Price options on that page too, if you're still open to different makes/models within your budget or preferred body style.) Plug in your zip code to see the specifics for new cars near you.

...or not

You'd expect the next page to show you vehicle listings that match what you entered, right? Maybe not so much. Instead, Edmunds shows you the MSRP range for the make/model you chose, more in-depth review information"�and then way down at the bottom, you'll see a small selection of vehicles of various trim levels that are available near you. This didn't even come close to matching the inventory results we got when using other sites for buying new cars.

Extra steps that might get you there

From there, when you click on one of those nearby vehicles, Edmunds takes you to a page where you can see the dealerships that may or may not have it in stock; we noticed that, in our list, one dealer was not automatically included, probably because it had a one-star rating. When you enter your first and last name, email address and phone number, you might be taken to a page that shows specific in-stock vehicles and where they're located. You could use that information to go right to the dealer website. But, Edmunds makes a point of telling you that most dealers can't post their lowest prices online, and you should use the Edmunds quote request to get the dealer's best out-the-door price on the vehicle you want. You also have some Edmunds tools to help with your negotiations, like how long the car has been listed and if there have been any price changes.

Other services are more direct

But, it felt like a lot of hoops to jump through - ones that Edmunds' higher-ranked competitors didn't usually require before getting to the nitty-gritty of cars' locations and real-time availability. There's nothing saying you can't use this service to get a ton of research done, and maybe even request a price quote, but if you're in a hurry (or if you're looking at a car that's likely to sell fast) you might not want the added steps of the Edmunds process.

Good reputation, best for research

Edmunds has a reputation you can trust, demonstrated by their "A+" and accreditation from the BBB, and you won't risk anything by using their service. Just don't expect it to be as fast or as linear as its rivals during the actual buying process.

True Car

• "A+" rated and accredited by the BBB
• Service refers you to local dealerships and online-only sales platforms
• Used as the engine behind well-known car-buying services like Sam's Club and Navy Federal Credit Union
• Good for doing research on cars and the buying process

In 2005, TrueCar hit the internet as an automotive digital marketplace. Consumers use this site to buy new and used cars, and it's the force behind many established buying services offered by companies like American Express, Navy Federal Credit Union, and Sam's Club.

Great for doing vehicle research

Our favorite use of the TrueCar platform is research. From reviews and rankings to loan and lease calculators, there's no shortage of tools here that can help you figure out what you really want when buying new cars.

DIY or let them choose?

Once you have a make and model in mind, click on the Shop New section and click on the brand. You'll see all of the available models from that manufacturer with helpful reference images and starting prices. Select the model you're looking for and enter your zip code. Then decide if you want to build out a vehicle with specific features and trim level or if you want TrueCar to show you a popular default build. Either route you choose, you'll land on a page that shows you the average dealer offer on the car.

Register to connect... or not

Here's where things get a little tricky with TrueCar. If you want to "see offers on local inventory" , you'll have to create a free account (and confirm it via email, so no fake info allowed). If that's not your favorite thing to do, you might be able to sleuth out the vehicles near you: scroll down and see "top matches near you" and click on the photo. Lo and behold, at the top of the listing you'll see "Dealer Profile" , and more often than not, that'll take you to a phone number. There's also a "connect with dealer" button, but once again that will require registration with TrueCar.

Reputation on the decline

In the past, TrueCar was our preferred choice for buying cars - new or used. This company still maintains an "A+" rating and accreditation from the Better Business Bureau, and there were fewer than a dozen complaints registered there in the year prior to this updated review. We're sad to say, though, that a lot of their more recent feedback from site users is on the negative side: a full 25% of their reviewers give TrueCar a rating of just average, poor, or even bad. Why? Common issues include dealers who don't honor the TrueCar pricing and cars becoming unavailable in the time between setting an appointment and driving to the dealership. People have started to use the words "waste of time" or even "scam" when describing how they feel about using this service for buying new cars.

Not horrible - but not amazing anymore either

You won't risk anything by using TrueCar to get started on your car-buying process. The research tools are decent and can help you narrow down what you want to purchase, and if you're willing to create an account you can find out more about the cars available near you. Beyond that, however, you can't really count on this platform to show you a guaranteed price on a car that's actually going to be on the lot by the time you go to see it.

Web2Carz

• "A+" rated and accredited by the BBB
• Connects you with listings at dealerships in their network
• Excellent resource for research: brands, reviews, automotive industry news

Even though the Web2Carz site may strike you as outdated at first, it's surprisingly full of current details on almost every new car you could imagine. Designed to "inform, entertain and enable" consumers in search of their next vehicles, this site is a terrific way to become well-educated in the car-buying process.

Get a match or request contact

Let's say you've used all of Web2Carz' research (helpfully located at the top under "Car Reviews" and scattered thoroughly throughout the entire site) and you're ready to buy. Look for the box on the left side of the page, and be sure to click over to the "New Cars" tab (because it defaults to "Used Cars" ). Select the make and model from the dropdowns, and the trim level if you have a preference, then enter your zip code. From there, one of two things will happen: either Web2Carz will show you a matching vehicle from a nearby dealership in their network, or you'll be asked to fill out a quote request form and wait for someone to reach out to you.

Not many results

In our case, we were disappointed to only get one vehicle near us that matched - despite knowing that there were at least two dozen within a 20-mile radius of our location. When we clicked on it, we were taken right to the dealership's listing for the vehicle; we appreciate not having to use Web2Carz as a middleman and being able to go directly to the dealer for the rest of the purchase process. We tried looking up a different model within the same brand, knowing that it tends to have much higher availability, but that wound up with the quote request form and not a single new car listing.

Inquiries often get no response

In general, we don't love the "fill out a form and be contacted" approach because it often leads to excessive phone calls and emails. In this case, you might have the opposite problem: we found comments from several recent Web2Carz users that said they never heard back after filling it out. That's better than getting dozens of spam calls, but it still doesn't help you buy a new car.

Good research tool - not much more

We give Web2Carz credit for being really thorough with their car reviews. That's probably why the Better Business Bureau gives them an "A+" and accreditation: there's nothing underhanded about this service. It just doesn't go far enough to be useful as a car-buying site. As you work through the process of choosing your next new car, Web2Carz can give you the information needed to choose a make and model - and then you'll most likely have to use another site for your purchase.

Cars Direct

• Great information for researching new cars
• Get a quote from a dealer

Cars Direct started in 1998 and is one of the original sites used to shop for both new and used vehicles. Many people use this service to research various makes and models, in order to be as informed as possible before deciding what to buy.

Detailed reviews of each make and model

You'll definitely get that impression as you start using the Cars Direct site. When you enter the make and model (if you've got one in mind), it'll take you to the car's current-year overview. Pay particular attention to the trim levels, because getting a price quote will require you to select a specific one (and that information won't be on the quote page itself). Also, at the top of the page you'll find any incentives currently running and whether or not the vehicle is selling at MSRP at the moment. From there, you click on "Get Custom Price Quote" to find a new car for purchase.

Almost useless for actually buying a new car

We found the whole new car buying process on Cars Direct to be annoying at best. Instead of letting us see what was available for the make and model we selected, it required us to choose a color, trim level and features to request a quote. After all that, there wasn't a vehicle in their dealer database that matched what we had entered. In other words, if you just want a Honda Civic and aren't particular about every little detail, Cars Direct offers no way to browse any ready-to-buy options anywhere. Otherwise, you're back to the drawing board, tweaking all of the possible features and upgrades in the hopes that you'll achieve the "magic formula" that matches some available vehicle in their database.

Experts in internet marketing, not automotive

When you consider that Cars Direct has two parent companies (Internet Brands and iMatrix) that are both internet marketing specialists, is it any surprise that this platform comes up short in connecting customers with current vehicle listings? Unfortunately, it seems like they do a fantastic job in selling site users' contact information: we found lots of complaints from people who used the Cars Direct service and wound up inundated with spammy phone calls and emails - from car-related businesses and totally unrelated ones like security system companies and warehouse clubs. No thank you.

Use this service for research only

Buying new cars can be straightforward and convenient. Cars Direct is neither. You can find decent information that can help you refine the cars you're looking for, but you'll 100% want to use a higher-rated service when you're ready to take the next step and make a purchase. We recommend against entering your personal information anywhere on the Cars Direct site and only enter a fake name and email address when doing research here.

Driveway

• Over 9,500 new cars to choose from
• No-haggle pricing
• 7-day/400-mile return policy
• All manufacturer warranties apply
• $500 refundable deposit to secure a vehicle

Driveway is one of the most recent buy-from-home options for getting a new car. While this platform definitely specializes in selling used cars - over 25,000 pre-owned vehicles nationwide vs. just over 9,500 in the new category at the time of this review - you can still find enough to choose from.

Helpful filters for narrowing down the options

To begin the process of finding your new car, enter the make, model, and year in the boxes on the right-hand side of the page. From there, you'll be taken to a screen that gives you an impressive amount of information, from pricing to safety and more, along with basic stats like MPG and MSRP. To get pricing, click on the red button that says "Get a Dealer Quote" and enter your ZIP code.

Very detailed info on each new car

Driveway makes it really easy to see practically every single detail about each vehicle: from dozens of photos and the VIN to features and financing calculators, you'll find what you need to make a decision.

Convenience galore

There are a lot of features on Driveway that are pretty compelling. Want to add a trade-in to your new vehicle purchase? No problem: you'll find that option on each new car listing, and Driveway will even arrange for it to be picked up from your home. Hoping to take advantage of rebates and incentives? Most of those will be included automatically in the pricing, and other options may show up during the checkout process (military and first responder discounts, and so on); you can also pop open a chat on the Driveway site and ask a rep what offers might be available to you. And yes, your car will be brought right to you - but not usually for free. On each vehicle listing, you'll clearly see where it's located and the shipping cost: as an example, to ship a brand-new Chevy Silverado from Pennsylvania to Florida, you'd pay $699 (at the time of this evaluation).

Refundable deposit of $500

Cars don't stay on the market long these days, and if you see a Driveway car you want, it'd be a good idea to jump on it quickly. Any vehicle they sell comes with a $500 refundable deposit to hold it for you: you'll pay it by credit card, but it'll be credited towards your purchase price if you wind up buying it. Otherwise, it'll be refunded - if you either cancel the order or you get approved for a loan with $0 down. One small detail to be aware of: putting down a deposit doesn't guarantee availability, and another buyer could "steal" it from you up until the point that you actually finalize the purchase.

Decent return policy

When you buy a new car here, it comes with all of the manufacturer warranties you'd get anywhere else (drivetrain, bumper-to-bumper). Driveway adds a 7-day, 400-mile return policy, so you're not stuck with something that you've bought online that doesn't live up to your expectations in real life.

Horrible customer service

It all sounds pretty great so far, right? We thought so too, until we started looking at buyer feedback. Because Driveway is newer within the industry, there isn't as much of it to consider - but what's out there is almost always negative. The BBB gives the company an "F" rating for failing to respond to eight complaints filed there. On its own, that wouldn't be so bad, but reading through customer reviews elsewhere revealed the same issue: a total lack of help from Driveway support reps. And, when many of those complaints say that Driveway failed to deliver the necessary paperwork to get cars legally registered - months after the purchase date - we can't get behind a company that would deliver a brand-new vehicle and then make it illegal to drive - not for a few days or even weeks but for months at a time. That's just unacceptable.

Fails to deliver when it counts

Yes, Driveway can bring a new car right to your doorstep - but these days, so can most local car dealerships. What this company offers in convenience is greatly overshadowed by where they fall short: who wants a new car that doesn't come with all of the paperwork in hand? Driveway has a long way to go before moving up in our rankings. We recommend buying your new car through a different service.