Cars.com

What Cars.com does

Cars.com, operating as Cars Commerce Inc. (NYSE: CARS), is a US digital automotive marketplace that connects approximately 19,390 car dealers with car shoppers and monetizes that two-sided audience primarily through recurring dealer subscriptions for marketplace listings, visibility placements, and advertising solutions. The platform spans consumer-facing vehicle search and research (including 21 years of the American-Made Index, Best Value Awards, expert and consumer reviews, financing prequalification, and the Carson AI conversational search engine launched November 2025) and dealer-facing tools such as the AccuTrade Inventory Management System (VIN-level risk scoring and profit forecasting for used-car dealers), AI-generated VIN-specific video advertising, the Market Area Expansion tool, and DealerCloud LLC, an automotive CRM co-developed with Salesforce and Del Grande Dealer Group on the Agentforce Automotive platform. The company also generates revenue from digital advertising sold to OEMs and national advertisers, with content marketing, SEO, the Chicago Auto Show partnership, and email channels feeding the funnel. Cars.com is headquartered in Chicago, serves the United States and Canada, reported record FY2025 revenue of $723.2 million (up 1% year-over-year) and Q1 2026 revenue of $180.2 million, and operates with a workforce of roughly 5,001-10,000 employees that is currently being reduced by approximately 11% as part of a restructuring program expected to deliver $25-30 million in annualized cost savings by 2027.

Name

Cars.com

Legal name

Cars Commerce Inc.

Website

https://cars.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Cars.com (Cars Commerce Inc., NYSE: CARS) is a US digital automotive marketplace connecting ~19,390 dealers with car shoppers, monetizing dealer subscriptions, advertising, and financing; FY2025 revenue was $723.2 million across marketplace listings, AI-powered search, and dealer management software.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Automotive Marketplace

NAICS

Automobile Dealers (4411)

SIC

Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500)

akta.pro primary industry

Automotive Parts, Tools & Accessories Marketplaces (CRAFABAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Auto / Vehicle Marketplace Lending (FSAKAHAF)

Keywords

• Automotive marketplace platform
• Dealer advertising solutions
• Vehicle search and research
• Inventory management software
• Auto financing prequalification

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Dealer Subscriptions and Marketplace: Cars.com generates primary revenue from subscription fees paid by car dealerships for marketplace access, listing placements, and visibility on the platform. Dealer customers remained flat at 19,390 in Q1 2026.
2. Digital Advertising: AI-powered advertising solutions and marketing tools for dealer partners, including video ad creative and market expansion tools that enable dealers to reach beyond local markets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cars.com operates a digital automotive marketplace that connects car shoppers with over 19,390 dealerships across the U.S. and Canada, offering new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicle listings, expert reviews, financing prequalification, and AI-powered search. The company generates primary revenue from monthly dealer subscriptions for marketplace access and advertising placements, augmented by AI-powered dealer solutions including VIN-specific video advertising, the AccuTrade inventory management system, and the DealerCloud CRM platform.

Product overview

Cars.com operates as a digital automotive marketplace platform connecting car shoppers (consumers) with vehicle dealers, generating revenue primarily from dealer subscriptions and advertising. The core Cars.com Marketplace offers new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicle listings, complemented by research and editorial content including the American-Made Index, Best Value New Cars Awards, and Best Of Awards. Financing services enable prequalification and loan access. The platform has expanded into AI-powered products including the Carson™ AI search engine for conversational vehicle search and VIN-specific video advertising for dealer inventory promotion. Dealer-facing solutions include AccuTrade Inventory Management System (IMS) acquired in 2022, the DealerCloud CRM built on Salesforce, and Market Area Expansion tools. AccuTrade IMS provides VIN-level risk scoring and profit forecasting for used-car dealers. Research products include the quarterly Q3 Industry Insights Report and annual Dealer of the Year Awards. The platform serves both consumer and dealer segments with a multi-product architecture combining marketplace listings, AI-powered tools, dealer management solutions, and automotive industry research and awards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AccuTrade: Inventory Management System providing vehicle valuation, risk scoring, and appraisal solutions for auto dealers
• Carson
• Cars Commerce

Products and services

• Cars.com Marketplace Core digital automotive marketplace enabling consumer search and discovery of new, used, and certified pre-owned vehicle listings from over 19,390 dealers across the U.S. and Canada. Provides vehicle research, expert and consumer reviews, dealer comparison, and purchase facilitation for car shoppers.
• Cars.com Financing

Quantifiable outcome

• AI video advertising solution drove 47% increase in influenced vehicle sales, 45% increase in dealership foot traffic, and 35% increase in website visitors
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability13 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• ComEdminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 June 2026Premier partner for Chicago Auto Show 2026, with ComEd sponsoring the EV test track and maintaining an educational presence at the event alongside Cars.com.
• SalesforcecoreTechnology or Integration · 4 February 2026Collaboration with Salesforce to launch DealerCloud LLC, a new automotive CRM built on Salesforce's Agentforce Automotive platform, designed to address inefficiencies in auto retail operations. Initial tests demonstrated 30%-40% shorter sales cycle and 30% lift in close rate for internet leads.
• Del Grande Dealer Group (DGDG)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 February 2026DGDG's 15 dealerships participated in initial tests of DealerCloud CRM solution, demonstrating meaningful performance improvements including 30%-40% shorter sales cycle and 38% more sales for new hires.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CarGurus: CarGurus operates one of the largest U.S. automotive marketplaces, connecting shoppers with dealers via listings, dealer reviews, and pricing analytics. It is the most direct competitor to Cars.com, with overlapping dealer subscription model, comparable consumer traffic base, and similar advertising/SaaS monetization.
• TrueCar: TrueCar runs an online automotive marketplace focused on transparent new- and used-car pricing, dealer network subscriptions, and OEM partnerships. It competes head-to-head with Cars.com in dealer-paid marketplace listings and pricing-lead generation, though with a smaller traffic footprint.
• Edmunds: Edmunds.com provides automotive research, expert reviews, and a vehicle marketplace with dealer listings. Comparable to Cars.com's marketplace + editorial model, with overlapping dealer subscription offerings and similar content-driven SEO strategy.

Broad incumbents

• AutoTrader (Cox Automotive): AutoTrader is a flagship consumer automotive marketplace owned by Cox Enterprises, paired with sister brands like Kelley Blue Book and Dealertrack. It competes directly with Cars.com on dealer subscriptions and consumer search and benefits from Cox Automotive's broad dealer-services portfolio.
• Kelley Blue Book (Cox Automotive): Kelley Blue Book is the dominant U.S. vehicle valuation brand and consumer marketplace, also owned by Cox Automotive. Its pricing authority and marketplace overlap directly with Cars.com's Best Value Awards, American-Made Index content strategy, and dealer listing business.

Emerging players

• CarMax: CarMax operates the largest U.S. used-car retailer with integrated online-to-offline listings and appraisal/financing tools. While vertically integrated rather than marketplace-only, it competes for the same consumer vehicle-search demand and offers dealers' inventory a parallel listing surface.
• Carvana: Carvana sells used vehicles through an online-only vertical marketplace with home delivery and integrated financing. It is an adjacent competitor that diverts consumer demand from Cars.com's listings for used vehicles, particularly in the early online car-buying segment.
• Autotrader-style EV market specialists (e.g., Recharged by Recurrent): Recurrent operates Recharged, an EV-focused online marketplace and research platform. It is an emerging vertical specialist that intersects with Cars.com's EV shopping traffic and editorial content strategy (Cars.com's EV101 series, Best EV awards).

Others

• Dealer.com (Cox Automotive): Dealer.com is a Cox Automotive digital marketing platform providing dealer websites, SEO, and advertising services. It is an ecosystem peer that overlaps with Cars.com's dealer advertising and website solutions, especially for franchised dealers.
• Dealer Inspire: Dealer Inspire, originally acquired by Cars.com in 2018, now sits within Cars Commerce but competes in the dealer website / digital marketing space against Cox Automotive's Dealer.com and similar vendors. It is a subsidiary-comparable peer for the dealer website/SaaS layer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/carsdotcom
• Facebookfacebook.com/CarsDotCom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A6 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Cars.com