TrueCar Review: Buy, Sell Or Finance Online (2024) (2024)

Overall, we believe that TrueCar offers a uniquely fast and easy car buying and selling experience. Their array of online tools allows for easy comparison of vehicles, which can help you get the best deal. However, since this company aggregates dealer offers, you will mostly be dealing with salespeople from its certified network.

TrueCar receives positive feedback from customers online. On Trustpilot, 75% of the company’s nearly 1,800 reviews are 4 or 5 stars. TrueCar’s 3.9 out of 5-star rating on the Better Business Bureaus (BBB) site further solidifies its positive reputation.

TrueCar Car Buying Rating

Our team found that TrueCar offers a great buying experience where users can break down specifications of everything from make and model to engine type. However, in the end, you have to speak to a dealer to close the deal, which can be a hassle for some buyers. Below we have broken down our rating for TrueCar’s overall buying experience:

*Scores updated July 2023

TrueCar Car Selling Rating

While not known for vehicle selling, the company offers a good experience in this case as well. However, since TrueCar functions as an intermediary, sellers may or may not get support services like free pickups and at-home car inspections. Below we have broken down our rating for TrueCar’s selling experience:

*Scores updated July 2023

TrueCar Pros and Cons

Is TrueCar Legit?

TrueCar has been in business for nearly 20 years and holds an A+ rating from the BBB as well as solid customer reviews on various sites. It is certainly a legitimate company and a good option for buying or selling your car.

Customers give TrueCar solid ratings online. Positive TrueCar customer reviews typically focus on how easy it is to research vehicles and find a fair price. Negative TrueCar reviews often focus more on difficulties with dealerships than the company’s services.

TrueCar works with a wide network of car dealerships to give you an online quote for your vehicle. The process is simple, just input your car’s information to receive a quote that is good for three days. Photo: Timon – stock.adobe.com

TrueCar App Reviews

The TrueCar app has very high ratings from customers both on the Apple Store and GooglePlay. The company’s application has a score of 4.7 out of 5 stars from over 46,000 Apple users and 4.3 out of 5 from over 12,000 people on Google Play. Users praise the app for its overall great functionality and how it has helped them save money on car purchases. Overall, TrueCar offers a great app for buying or selling a car.

Founded in 2005, TrueCar works with over 13,000 car dealerships across the country and has a reputation for strong customer service and a haggle-free car buying process. TrueCar is not a direct seller or buyer of vehicles since it holds no inventory. Instead, the company works with its wide network of automotive dealerships and connects them with consumers to buy and sell vehicles.

The company pulls together offers from its certified dealers. The range of these offers includes selling and buying prices, special incentives and financing options and trade-ins. Uniquely, TrueCar allows you to both buy new and used vehicles and customize them to your needs. Tools are also available to customers to find out how much car you can afford and how much your car is worth.

As mentioned, TrueCar serves as an intermediary between consumers and dealerships to provide one source for car buying and selling. To help you understand how their platform works, we will break down the company’s car buying and selling process, along with related support tools on their website and app.

How Buying a Car Through TrueCar Works

When buying a used or new car through TrueCar, there are a variety of filters and options to choose from to find the best car for the lowest price. The car buying experience begins with searching for a car through the company’s search engine for either used or new vehicles, including electric cars. Car buyers can break down what you want by things like make, model, vehicle type, color, accessories and pricing. You can even filter choices by specifications like engine, cab height, payment type and more.

After this point, you will need to fill in your ZIP code to see what applicable deals are available in your area. There will also be deals presented for financing and cash offer incentives that are completely optional. Once you’ve decided on a TrueCar offer, you need to provide contact information and speak to a representative of the certified local dealer. Prices are negotiable, so if you want the best deal, you can haggle with the salesperson to get favorable terms.

Financing or Leasing

Since TrueCar works directly with dealerships, they also offer financing and leasing services through their network. While you may find favorable terms when searching for offers on the platform, you ultimately have to talk to a dealer to close the deal — and negotiating can save a significant amount of money.

Support Tools

In addition to helpful search tools for car buying, the company also offers these additional features and services:

• Car affordability calculator: Use information like your credit score, desired monthly payment, down payment and vehicle type to find out which cars you can afford
• Auto loan calculator: If you are looking for the best auto loan rates for vehicle financing, use this tool to find out what rates to expect and compare offers
• Car lease calculator: Find out how much you can afford for a lease
• Lease matching: Enter your desired car and get matched with certified dealers to find the best deal
• Car finder quiz: If you are unsure of what type of car you want, this quiz will help you find the car that fits what you are looking for
• Car reviews and rankings: The company aggregates information such as reliability, overall driving experience, pricing and maintenance costs to help you make an informed decision
• Car comparison tool: If you are between two options for vehicles, using this tool will help you compare the details

TrueCar Military Program

TrueCar also offers a car buying program tailored to active duty military, veterans and their family members. The program comes with special savings and incentives for military service members, such as repair reimbursem*nts up to $4,000, car buying guides and a dedicated customer service hotline.

How Selling a Car Through TrueCar Works

When you sell your car through the company, you get a feel for how mileage, certain features and any physical damage affect its total value. Once you enter all your information, you get an offer that’s good for at least three days at a certified dealer.

Selling your car via TrueCar is a simple process that involves the following steps:

1. Fill in your vehicle identification number (VIN) or license plate number, state and ZIP code
2. Enter specific information about your car
3. Provide contact information to reveal the offer
4. Take offer to the participating dealer within three days

#1 Fill in Basic Vehicle Info

The first step is to provide your car’s VIN or license plate number, along with your state and ZIP code on the TrueCar website. From there, you’ll be asked to confirm the trim level, style and mileage of your vehicle.

#2 Enter Vehicle Specifications, History and Condition

This step gets specific about your car and goes a long way toward determining its value. You’ll be asked to provide the following information about the vehicle:

• Exterior color
• Interior color and material
• Transmission type
• Optional equipment
• Title type (clean, salvage or rebuilt) and if seller possesses it
• Accident history
• Damage to body or windshield (severity and specific types)
• Condition of seats (including whether vehicle has been smoked in)
• Presence of any mechanical issues or fluid leaks
• Any aftermarket parts
• Any issues with tires and whether they’ve been replaced or repaired
• Any damage to brakes
• How many keys seller has

#3 Provide Contact Information

In order to receive offers from TrueCar-certified dealers, you need to provide an email address and phone number. This is a sticking point for some, as agreeing to TrueCar’s terms of service can lead to a wave of calls, texts and emails from car dealers.

#4 Receive Your Offer and Take It to a Dealership

Once you’ve inputted all the necessary information, you’ll receive a “True Cash Offer” that’s valid for three days. If you like TrueCar’s offer, you’ll take it to a certified dealer to complete the transaction. You’ll likely need to complete a bill of sale to do so. Be sure to check with your local department of motor vehicles (DMV) to confirm what’s required for a vehicle sale in your state.

What If You Owe Money on the Car or Have a Lease?

You can sell your car through TrueCar even if you still owe money on a loan or lease. The process is easier if you sell a car with an auto loan, as you can contact your lender to get a payoff quote for the vehicle and then have the dealership send the payoff amount.

Selling a leased vehicle is a bit more complicated. These are the steps you’ll likely need to complete:

• Explore options for buying your vehicle early
• Work with your leasing company to buy the vehicle
• Obtain a new vehicle title in your name
• Get a TrueCar offer for your vehicle

When you sell your car with TrueCar, you will most likely need a certificate of title like the one pictured above. Photo: Rick – stock.adobe.com

Overall, TrueCar has good pricing when it comes to selling or buying a car online, but when compared to competitors it is a mixed bag. To put this in perspective, we’ve broken down quotes for sale offers and buying prices compared to fair market values and top competitors below.

TrueCar Buying Prices

Our team researched pricing information for three different vehicles, a 2017 Ford F-150 XL, a 2017 Toyota Camry (SE) and a 2020 Honda CR-V EX. Comparing pricing information for buying a used car is simple with TrueCar’s car buying platform.

The table below breaks down pricing for the vehicles mentioned compared to competitor values:

However, it should be noted that unlike many other online car-buying sites, TrueCar allows you some wiggle room on listing prices. So, you may be able to get a better deal if you know how to negotiate for a car.

TrueCar Selling Prices

For our review of TrueCar, our team received offers for two vehicles, a 2015 Ford F-150 SuperCab and a 2015 Toyota Camry. The process of getting an offer from TrueCar is fast and easy, and each offer we received took less than five minutes from start to finish.

See the table below for the “True Cash Offers” we received from TrueCar and the Kelley Blue Book (KBB) trade-in values for comparison:

While the offer we received for the Ford F-150 was slightly below the KBB trade-in value for the vehicle, TrueCar’s offer for the Toyota Camry was slightly higher than the KBB value.

Here’s a look at how the offers we received from TrueCar compare to offers from Cars.com and Carvana, two of our top-ranked options for selling a car:

TrueCar takes a lot of the hassle out of selling your vehicle. The company has positive customer reviews and an A+ rating from the BBB. If you’re looking for an easy way to understand the value of your vehicle and get offers from dealerships, TrueCar is a reliable option.

Best Places To Sell Your Car

Along with TrueCar, our team also recommends Cars.com and Carvana for selling your car.

Cars.com: Editor’s Choice

Cars.com has been in business since 1998 and has an excellent industry reputation. Like TrueCar, Cars.com gives users instant cash offers in just a few clicks. Also like TrueCar, Cars.com boasts an A+ rating from the BBB. If you decide to go with a private sale rather than through a dealership, you can list your used car on the Cars.com online marketplace for free.

Read more: Cars.com review

Carvana: Most Seamless Process

It’s easy to get an instant offer on your vehicle from Carvana. Unlike its competitors, Carvana actually gives you the option of selling your car from home. The company will pick up your car and either give you a check on the spot or pay you through direct deposit. One of the things we like about Carvana is that it gives customers seven days to consider their offer.

Read more: Carvana review

Because consumers rely on us to provide objective and accurate information, we created a comprehensive rating system to formulate our rankings of the best platforms to sell your car. We collected data on several providers to grade each company in five key areas. The end result was an overall rating for each provider, with the car selling platforms that scored the most points topping the list.

Here are the factors our ratings take into account:

• Industry Standing: Our research team considers ratings from industry experts and years in business when determining this score.
• Platform: Platforms that offer a variety of features, including instant offers and multiple sales options, are more likely to meet consumers’ needs.
• Cost: To compare providers’ average offer prices, our team conducted a secret shopper analysis for a variety of vehicle types. We also considered the fees companies charge to use their platforms.
• Support: Car selling companies that offer strong transaction support received the highest scores in this category. This includes offerings like free pickup service as well as how quickly you receive your payment.
• Customer Experience: This score is based on customer satisfaction ratings on the BBB and Trustpilot as well as our team’s experience reaching out to each platform.

*Data accurate at time of publication.