Cars.com
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.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersChicago, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
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.
Cars.com firmographics
Firmographics- 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
Cars.com industry classification
Industry- 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
Where Cars.com is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Chicago
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Cars.com business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- 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.
- 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
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Dealer marketplace subscription tiers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Cars.com product offering
Product offeringCore 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
Companies that use Cars.com
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cars.com technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability13 records
Feature4 records
Cars.com partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.
- ComEdminorPremier partner for Chicago Auto Show 2026, with ComEd sponsoring the EV test track and maintaining an educational presence at the event alongside Cars.com.
- SalesforcecoreCollaboration 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)flagshipDGDG'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
Cars.com competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect 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
Cars.com social profiles
Digital presenceCars.com financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cars.com leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Cars.com subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
Cars.com funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cars.com M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A6 records
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cars.com
What does Cars.com do?
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.
Is Cars.com a public or private company?
Cars.com is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Cars.com founded?
Cars.com was founded in 1998. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Cars.com based?
Cars.com is headquartered in Chicago, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cars.com make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Dealer Subscriptions and Marketplace is the primary driver. The others are digital Advertising.
Who are Cars.com's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are CarGurus, TrueCar and Edmunds. Broad incumbents are AutoTrader (Cox Automotive) and Kelley Blue Book (Cox Automotive). Emerging players are CarMax, Carvana and Autotrader-style EV market specialists (e.g., Recharged by Recurrent). Others are Dealer.com (Cox Automotive) and Dealer Inspire.
Does Cars.com have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cars.com.
What industry is Cars.com in?
Cars.com's product category is Online Automotive Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFABAJ, Automotive Parts, Tools & Accessories Marketplaces, with a secondary code of FSAKAHAF, Auto / Vehicle Marketplace Lending. Its NAICS code is 4411 and its SIC code is 5500.