CarQuotes
CarQuotes is a privately held US automotive pricing platform that connects car buyers with authorized dealerships and credit unions via free "Know Before You Go" pricing reports, monetizing through dealer lead referral fees and credit union marketing services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersLincolnshire, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What CarQuotes does
CarQuotes Corporation is a privately held US automotive pricing platform founded in 1979 and operating online since 1994. The company runs a digital marketplace through carquotes.com that connects individual car buyers with authorized franchised dealerships and credit unions via its core product, the "Know Before You Go" Vehicle Pricing Report. The platform delivers real-time pricing data including dealer invoice prices, MSRP, manufacturer advertising fees, consumer cash rebates, and Black Book values for used vehicles, alongside research tools such as loan payment and affordability calculators. Headquarters are in the Deerfield/Lincolnshire, Illinois area, and the company serves only the United States market.
The underlying technology is a proprietary pricing-report system integrated with geographic dealer matching and credit-union member-identification workflows. Consumer-facing search and pricing-report delivery is self-serve and free; the consumer is never charged, with no obligation to purchase. Revenue is generated through two distinct B2B channels: affiliate referral fees paid by dealers for qualified leads routed through the platform, and professional services contracts with credit unions that use CarQuotes' marketing technology and member-identification capability to surface in-market auto buyers and offer exclusive financing.
Go-to-market combines a direct-to-consumer website funnel with an enterprise field-sales motion executed by Area Sales Managers who call on prospective dealers and credit unions across assigned US territories, supplemented by credit-union channel partnerships that resell the service to their members. Named credit union partners include Wright-Patt Credit Union, Motorola Employees Credit Union, Credit Union One, and Michigan State University Federal Credit Union; named dealer partners include multiple Hyundai and Genesis franchises across the Midwest and Northeast. The company maintains BBB accreditation and toll-free phone support as consumer trust signals.
CarQuotes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CarQuotes
- Legal name
- CarQuotes Corporation
- Website
- https://carquotes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- CarQuotes is a privately held US automotive pricing platform that connects car buyers with authorized dealerships and credit unions via free "Know Before You Go" pricing reports, monetizing through dealer lead referral fees and credit union marketing services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CarQuotes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Automotive Pricing Services
- NAICS
- Motor Vehicle and Parts Dealers (441), Automobile Dealers (4411)
- SIC
- Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Auto / Vehicle Marketplace Lending (FSAKAHAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Auto & Vehicle Loan Brokerage (FSAEAEAK)
Keywords
Where CarQuotes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lincolnshire
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
CarQuotes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Dealer Lead Generation: CarQuotes generates revenue by connecting car buyers with automotive dealers. When users submit quote requests, their information is matched with dealers in the affiliate network. The company earns revenue by helping dealers acquire customers while lowering advertising costs.
- Credit Union Marketing Services: Provides credit unions with auto marketing technology and identifies members actively in-market for vehicle purchases, helping credit unions offer members exclusive financing and increase loan opportunities.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free Consumer Pricing Reports |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels3 records
CarQuotes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
CarQuotes operates a web-based automotive pricing and dealer-matching platform that delivers free "Know Before You Go" Vehicle Pricing Reports to consumers, providing dealer invoice prices, MSRP, advertising fees, and rebate information via email. The platform connects car buyers with hundreds of authorized franchised dealerships in their geographic area and partners with credit unions to identify in-market members for auto financing. Revenue is generated through dealer lead generation and credit union marketing services rather than direct consumer fees.
Product overview
CarQuotes operates a web-based automotive pricing and vehicle search platform consisting of new and used car search products, the Know Before You Go Vehicle Pricing Reports as the core offering, plus supplementary tools including loan calculators, rebate finders, and an advanced New Car Finder. The platform connects car buyers with franchised dealerships and provides upfront pricing data including invoice prices, MSRP, and available rebates. Users can search vehicles by make, model, type, price, mileage, year, and color, then receive pricing reports to use at dealerships without haggling.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- New Cars Pricing Web-based search and pricing platform for new vehicle inventory, allowing consumers to browse new vehicles by make, model, type, and price range and access pricing reports and dealer quotes.
- Used Cars Pricing Web-based search platform for used vehicle inventory with filtering by make, type, price range, mileage, year, and color, providing available vehicles and Black Book values.
- Know Before You Go Vehicle Pricing Reports Free emailed pricing reports providing dealer invoice prices, MSRP, standard and optional equipment listings, consumer cash rebates, and manufacturer advertising fees to help buyers avoid surprises at dealerships.
- Rebates & Incentives Comprehensive listings of manufacturer rebates and incentives by vehicle make, model, and body type with expiration dates, helping consumers identify available savings.
- New Car Finder Advanced search tool for new vehicles with filters for body style, price range, make, year, drivetrain, transmission, fuel economy, fuel type, and seating capacity.
Quantifiable outcome
- Receive free pricing report via email in 30 seconds
Companies that use CarQuotes
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CarQuotes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
CarQuotes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Wright-Patt Credit UnioncoreTrusted credit union partnership delivering innovative auto and marketing technology. Wright-Patt Credit Union members receive access to CarQuotes' Know Before You Go vehicle pricing reports, helping them avoid overpaying for vehicle purchases while providing the credit union a means to offer members exclusive financing.
- Motorola Employees Credit Union (MECU)coreTrusted credit union partnership providing auto marketing technology and member identification services. MECU members are identified as actively in-market for auto purchases, enabling the credit union to offer competitive financing options.
- Credit Union OnecoreCredit union partner receiving member identification services for in-market auto buyers. CarQuotes provides technology that identifies members shopping for vehicles, helping Credit Union One offer exclusive financing.
- Michigan State University Federal Credit UnioncoreTrusted credit union partnership delivering auto and marketing technology. MSU FCU members benefit from CarQuotes' transparent vehicle pricing information while the credit union increases loan opportunities.
- Hundreds of Authorized DealershipscoreNetwork of high-quality automobile dealerships selected based on consistent high levels of customer service and satisfaction. Authorized dealers deliver vehicles at pre-negotiated low prices without haggling, and interact with customers through CarQuotes Representatives.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights3 records
CarQuotes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TrueCar: TrueCar operates an automotive pricing and dealer referral platform that provides consumers with transparent vehicle pricing and connects them to a network of certified dealers. It is the closest direct competitor to CarQuotes' 'Know Before You Go' pricing report and dealer lead generation model.
- Cars.com: Cars.com is a leading online automotive marketplace connecting car shoppers with dealers, offering pricing research tools, dealer reviews, and lead generation. It competes directly with CarQuotes for both consumer pricing research traffic and dealer referral spend.
- Autotrader: Autotrader (owned by Cox Automotive) is one of the largest online automotive marketplaces in the US, offering new and used car listings, pricing tools, and dealer advertising solutions. It directly competes with CarQuotes for both consumer traffic and dealer partnership revenue.
- CarGurus: CarGurus is a top automotive marketplace that combines dealer listings, price transparency analytics, and consumer reviews to help shoppers compare vehicles. It is a directly comparable lead-generation and pricing-transparency competitor to CarQuotes.
- Kelley Blue Book (KBB): Kelley Blue Book, owned by Cox Automotive, is the most recognized vehicle valuation and pricing brand in the US. Its fair purchase price tools, Black Book-adjacent valuation data, and dealer partnerships overlap heavily with CarQuotes' pricing and dealer referral offering.
- Edmunds: Edmunds provides vehicle pricing information, reviews, and a dealer referral platform. Its True Market Value pricing product and lead-generation model make it one of the closest direct competitors to CarQuotes' pricing reports.
- AutoWeb: AutoWeb is an automotive lead-generation marketplace that connects in-market car shoppers with dealers through pricing research tools. It is a smaller but direct competitor in the same lead-referral and pricing transparency category as CarQuotes.
Broad incumbents
- DealerSocket (Cox Automotive): DealerSocket provides CRM, digital retailing, and dealer SaaS tooling. As dealers adopt more first-party digital infrastructure, DealerSocket and similar incumbents reduce dealer reliance on third-party lead sources like CarQuotes, representing an indirect competitive threat.
Emerging players
- Carvana: Carvana pioneered online used car sales with at-home delivery and a no-haggle pricing model. While it bypasses the traditional dealer referral model, its transparent, fixed-price approach directly substitutes for parts of CarQuotes' value proposition for used car buyers.
Regional players
- AutoTrader (UK): AutoTrader UK is the leading automotive marketplace in the United Kingdom, offering pricing, listings, and dealer referral services. It is comparable to CarQuotes in product offering but does not directly compete geographically as CarQuotes is US-only.
Market position
Strengths3 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CarQuotes social profiles
Digital presenceCarQuotes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CarQuotes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
CarQuotes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CarQuotes M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CarQuotes
What does CarQuotes do?
CarQuotes operates a web-based automotive pricing and dealer-matching platform that delivers free "Know Before You Go" Vehicle Pricing Reports to consumers, providing dealer invoice prices, MSRP, advertising fees, and rebate information via email. The platform connects car buyers with hundreds of authorized franchised dealerships in their geographic area and partners with credit unions to identify in-market members for auto financing. Revenue is generated through dealer lead generation and credit union marketing services rather than direct consumer fees.
Is CarQuotes a public or private company?
CarQuotes is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was CarQuotes founded?
CarQuotes was founded in 1979. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CarQuotes based?
CarQuotes is headquartered in Lincolnshire, United States, in the North America region.
How does CarQuotes make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Dealer Lead Generation is the primary driver. The others are credit Union Marketing Services.
Who are CarQuotes's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TrueCar, Cars.com, Autotrader, CarGurus, Kelley Blue Book (KBB), Edmunds and AutoWeb. DealerSocket (Cox Automotive) is listed as a broad incumbent. Carvana is listed as an emerging player. AutoTrader (UK) is listed as a regional player.
Does CarQuotes have an API?
No public API is recorded for CarQuotes.
What industry is CarQuotes in?
CarQuotes's product category is Automotive Pricing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAKAHAF, Auto / Vehicle Marketplace Lending, with a secondary code of FSAEAEAK, Auto & Vehicle Loan Brokerage. Its NAICS code is 441 and its SIC code is 5500.