Frequently Asked Questions

CarGenius is the AI operating system for your entire car life. We replace 15-25 websites with one intelligent conversation—helping you buy, own, and sell smarter. Our AI understands car buying like a knowledgeable friend, providing intelligence you can't get anywhere else.

Most car sites make money from dealers—they get paid to show you listings and referrals. CarGenius is different: our revenue comes from you, not dealers. That means no paid rankings, no sponsored placements, and no conflicts of interest. We built proprietary scores that actually help you make better decisions.

Instead of bouncing between Autotrader, KBB, Consumer Reports, Carfax, forums, and dozens of other sites, CarGenius brings everything into one AI-powered conversation. Research, inventory, pricing, reliability, owner insights—it's all here.

We index over 4.5 million vehicles from 40,000+ dealerships across the United States. Our database updates in real-time, so you're always seeing current inventory and prices.

CQS is our master score that combines vehicle condition, deal quality vs. market, reliability reputation, and overall value into a single 0-100 rating. Higher is better. It answers the question: "Is this a good vehicle at a good price?"

Regret Probability predicts the likelihood you'll be unhappy with a purchase. We factor in reliability risk, lifestyle fit, hidden ownership costs, and depreciation. Lower is better—a score under 20 means very low risk of buyer's remorse.

BTBI tells you whether now is a good time to buy a specific vehicle. We analyze market timing signals, seasonal patterns, inventory trends, and new model announcements. A score of 80+ means conditions are favorable for buyers.

This visual forecast shows what to expect over your ownership period—when major repairs become likely, when warranty coverage ends, and projected TCO at each milestone. It helps you plan for the future, not just the purchase.

No. Absolutely not. Our scores are computed from data, not dealer payments. Dealers cannot pay to boost their listings or influence rankings. This is a core principle we will never compromise.

Yes! Our free tier includes natural language search, basic CQS scores, up to 10 searches per day, and access to our full 4.5M+ vehicle inventory. For serious shoppers, our Pro and Expert tiers unlock additional intelligence.

Pro ($12/month) is perfect for most car buyers—unlimited searches, full CQS breakdowns, Regret Probability, Best Time to Buy Index, price alerts, and ChatGPT integration. Expert ($39/month) adds API access, bulk analysis, full TCO projections, and priority support for enthusiasts and professionals.

Purchase Assist ($99, one-time) is white-glove support for when you're ready to buy. You get a personalized vehicle shortlist, deep-dive analysis on your top picks, negotiation talking points, VIN-specific risk assessment, and a 1-on-1 consultation call.

Absolutely. Pro and Expert are month-to-month with no long-term commitment. Cancel anytime and retain access through the end of your billing period.

Personal Garage lets you track vehicles you own. We monitor value changes, alert you to maintenance needs and recalls, and tell you when it might be a good time to sell. It's your AI co-pilot for ownership. Coming soon!

Yes! Our selling tools help you time the market, price competitively, and understand your options (trade-in vs. private sale). We provide market-based pricing and optimization tips. Coming soon!

CarGenius is available as an MCP (Model Context Protocol) integration for ChatGPT. Pro and Expert subscribers can connect their accounts to access CarGenius intelligence directly in ChatGPT conversations.

We aggregate inventory data from dealerships across the United States. Our database is updated continuously to ensure accuracy. We also incorporate reliability data, recall information, and aggregated owner satisfaction data.

Yes. We take privacy seriously. Your searches and preferences are used only to improve your experience and are never sold to third parties. See our Privacy Policy for complete details.

No. We never sell your information to dealers, and dealers cannot see who's searching for their vehicles. Our business model is subscription-based, not advertising-based.