Car Dealer Ratings Based On Real Prices

The Dealer Transparency Index (DTI) is a data-driven scoring system that rates auto dealers on how transparently they price vehicles. It analyzes dealer fees, quoted add-ons, and whether quotes match the dealer's advertised price.

The DTI is based on 79,000+ verified out-the-door price quotes from real car buyers across 22,000+ US dealerships.

CarEdge's Dealer Transparency Index rates 22,000+ car dealers using 79,000+ verified out-the-door price quotes. Unlike review sites that rely on opinions, CarEdge scores dealers 0-100 on dealer fees, quoted add-ons, and pricing accuracy, all from real transaction data.

Search for the dealer on CarEdge's Dealer Transparency Index. Each dealer profile shows their transparency score (0-100), letter grade (A-F), total dealer fees, quoted add-ons, and whether their quotes match the advertised price. All data comes from verified OTD quotes collected by CarEdge's AI car-buying agent.

CarEdge is the only platform that rates dealers using verified out-the-door price quotes rather than user-submitted opinions. The Dealer Transparency Index analyzes actual pricing data, including dealer fees, quoted add-ons, and advertised price accuracy, from 79,000+ real transactions to score dealers objectively.

On CarEdge's 0-100 scale: 90+ (Grade A) means excellent transparency with low fees and minimal add-ons. 80-89 (Grade B) is above average. 70-79 (Grade C) is average. Below 70 means the dealer has higher-than-typical dealer fees, more quoted add-ons, or quotes that don't match the advertised price. Scores are based on four factors: fee transparency (30%), add-on behavior (30%), price accuracy (30%), and data quality (10%).

CarEdge's AI car-buying agent collects itemized out-the-door price quotes from dealers. Each dealer is scored 0-100 on four weighted factors: Fee Transparency (30%) comparing total dealer fees with the state median, Add-on Behavior (30%) measuring how often quotes include quoted add-ons and how much they cost, Price Accuracy (30%) checking whether the quote matches the dealer's advertised price, and Data Quality (10%) measuring how fully the quote itemizes its charges. Only quotes from the past 12 months count. They are split into four equal groups from newest to oldest, which count for 50%, 30%, 15% and 5% of the score, so scores reflect current dealer behavior.