Autotrader Listings vs. Autolist Listings

The Web is full of people trying to help you buy and sell things. From Amazon to eBay to Craigslist, sites exist to show people items for sale. The car sales world is even more comprehensive, with numerous sites offering listings of both new and used cars for sales, and some of them (such as Autotrader) going farther and connecting buyers directly with dealers who want their business. In our effort to arm consumers with the best information possible in their car-buying quest, we decided to take a look at some of our competitors. Here we look at how Autotrader compares with Autolist.com.

Autotrader History and Mission

Auto Trader launched in 1992 as a print publication, showing ads for cars, although after 25 years, the print version folded in 2017. Autotrader, with much more comprehensive tools, reviews, and vehicle history reports, launched in 1997.

As our goal is to be “your ultimate solution for buying and selling new, certified, and used cars,” Autotrader.com offers a number of benefits. We boast the largest selection of vehicle inventory from dealers and private sellers; a comprehensive selection of buying and selling tips; research and comparison tools, including reviews, photos, and videos; vehicle pricing, including seller specials and dealer discounts; safety information and vehicle history reports; and even help with finance, insurance, and warranty programs. Pricing information comes through our partnership with KBB.com.

Autotrader.com gives the shopper the option to search and compare cars by body type, mileage, price, and other criteria. We have more than 3 million vehicle listings from 40,000 dealers and 250,000 private owners, with more than 14 million buyers per month.

One feature we’re particularly proud of is called “Dealer Home Services” that allows shoppers to limit their search to only those dealerships that offer a video walkaround, at-home test drive, and vehicle delivery. This is particularly useful for people who are reluctant to visit showrooms.

Autolist.com History and Mission

One of the newest players in the online car-buying sphere, Autolist was founded in 2011 and acquired by CarGurus.com in early 2020. The company is headquartered in San Francisco and is relatively small, with fewer than 50 employees. Autolist does not generate its own listings, rather acting as an aggregator by pulling both new and used car listings from Carmax, CarGurus, Edmunds, Truecar, and other search engines.

One feature it promotes is called Listmate, where it categorizes a car’s listed price by analyzing it with others, comparing it with other listings for a similar car. Under “Buyer Intelligence,” it includes how long the vehicle has been on the market and by what percentage its price is higher or lower than the average.

Autolist does not have separate tabs for searching new and used cars. Rather, once a make and model is chosen, you then have the option of ordering the search a few different ways, including Year (Newest First or Oldest First).

Autolist also includes articles for buyers and sellers, such as how to buy a new or used car, what to look for when inspecting a used car. It also includes different articles to aid in the car buying process, with information about used car warranties, and buying guides for particular cars. There is also a section with editorial reviews of newer cars.

Autolist also offers a mobile app that works with either Apple or Android phones.

Autotrader for Car Buyers

Autotrader.com allows buyers to search for new cars by everything from make to style, price, location, and even more. Each new car listing includes information provided by the seller, including the vehicle’s VIN (vehicle identification number) and often the dealer stock number.

How Autotrader Works

At the top of the page, you can search by make, model, or style. An “Advanced search” button allows you to broaden your search terms, with such things as location, condition, and style.

This brings up a page with numerous car listings, with each listing showing a photo of the car and the dealership, including MSRP. It also includes information on the dealership and KBB’s dealer rating. Boxes appear with Dealer Home Services options, such as whether a video walkaround or at-home test drive is available. You also have the option to expand the search radius from your zip code.

Once you click on a particular car, the mileage, engine, transmission, mpg, exterior and interior colors, and the VIN are included, including seller comments. Lower down the page is warranty information.

Below that is pricing information provided by KBB.com. This includes the MSRP and how it relates to KBB’s fair market range for the vehicle. This information is updated frequently as it changes depending on things like season (four-wheel drive SUVs are more popular in the winter, for example) and the popularity of a particular new car.

If you need to finance the vehicle, below this is the “Calculate Payment” tool where you can input the number of months and down payment and (if applicable) the trade-in value of your current vehicle. It will then tell you your monthly payment and what the APR is.

Autolist for Car Buyers

Autolist’s home page has a search button at the top where you input your city and then whether you want to search via Body Style or Make & Model. There is also a View All option.

The top of the page also includes a tab for Research, and another where you can save Favorites, which requires a sign-up through Google, Facebook or e-mail.

Further down the page is a list of Trending Searches, such as “Pickups under $10,000” or “Sedans under $5,000”.  Below that is a list of prices, offering searches from Under $1,000 up to Under $20,000. Further down is a list of cities and top models. It should be noted that Autolist does not include listings in every city and state.

How Autolist Works

Once you click on a make and model, you are brought to a page with a number of listings, which includes a variety of search filters down the left side, including price range, year range, trim, body style, and vehicle category. The default setting is a seemingly random “best match,” and both new and used cars are included. Results can be ordered in several different ways, including Price (least expensive or most expensive), distance, year, mileage, and time on market.

If you pick Newest First, then the listings appear with the year and a photograph, the location, and either a price or “Accepting Offers.” There are also options to track the price over time or check availability.

Once you click on the listing, the page includes more photos, contact information for the dealer, and more information about the car, such as equipment, transmission, trim, and VIN. Also included is the number of days on the market and (if a price is listed) how it relates to its competitors.

Contacting a dealership through Autotrader

At the top of the listing is an e-mail click that says “confirm availability” if you like the car.

Then there are a number of ways to contact the dealership, including a private message with your name, e-mail and (optionally) phone number. Or you can send an e-mail and ask questions about the car.

Contacting a dealership through Autolist

Autolist contact is similar to that of Autotrader, with a Check Availability option as well as a basic form with your name, phone number, and zip code to contact the dealership. All searches can be saved.  There is also of course the option to e-mail or call the dealer.

A checkbox offers the option to be contacted via e-mail if the price drops or there are new listings.

Used Cars on Autotrader

Autotrader features used car listings from both dealers and private parties. The search options are similar to those for new cars, and include such parameters as year, make, price, style, location, color, etc.

Used cars can be filtered via vehicle history (number of owners, any accidents) and mileage. Many listings also include a link to a free Carfax report.

Each listing includes information from the seller, features, and general model information such as reviews, where applicable. Information about the original warranty is also available, as well as KBB’s Fair Market value.

Similar to the new car listings, the used listings also offer a variety of ways to contact the seller, such as e-mail, chat, and of course by phone.

Certified Pre-Owned on Autotrader

Some Autotrader listings are CPO (certified pre-owned) cars. CPO programs are run by the manufacturers and available at dealerships. A CPO car is one with low mileage that has been thoroughly inspected and includes a warranty from the manufacturer.

Used Cars on Autolist

Rather than offering separate tabs for New or Used cars, Autolist simply provides the option to search either by Newest (new) or Oldest (used).

Used car listings are similar to those of new cars, except they include the mileage of the vehicle and not only the price but how that breaks down into an estimated monthly payment. The page for a particular car is much the same as that of a new one, with contact information for a dealer and how the price compares to similar listings.

There is nothing indicated about CPO cars on Autolist, although on the page for a used car, there was an ad about the manufacturer’s CPO program, but it simply led to the manufacturer’s CPO Web site, rather than having any relation to the particular car in question.

More Search Choices on Autotrader

Even beyond the conventional new and used car listings, Autotrader.com provides different classes of search on other pages. At the bottom of the home page, there are options to find classic and exotic cars, motorcycles, or even RVs. One category that may be handy for certain buyers is a special search for those with bad credit.

Lower on the left side of the search page, there are a number of different ways to search, including Muscle, Luxury, Classic, and even Supercar. But those listings are rather sparse, and not quite as comprehensive as available on other sites, with some smaller or defunct manufacturers not even included.

Autotrader for Sellers

Since Autotrader.com exists to help not only buyers but also sellers, Autotrader offers a few different choices for private-party sellers. Listings are on a pricing scale, with a basic ad going for $25, a featured ad costing $50 and a premium ad going for $90. Due to Autotrader’s partnership with KBB, any Autotrader posting also appears on KBB.com.

Each listing includes the ability to display photos as well. Basic comes with three photos, featured gets 20, and a Premium ad includes 30. There is also the option to add 10 more photos to any package for an additional $20.

Each ad also includes a counter so a seller can see how many people have clicked on their ad.

Seller Options

Sellers can include a vehicle history report, which costs $15 with a basic or featured listing but is included with Premium. Another $15 option is called Spotlight Ad status, which bumps the ad up on the search results page from time to time. This is free with Premium.

Premium ads also get something called the Supercharger listing, which makes the ad stand out in search results. This costs $10 with a Basic or Featured ad.=

KBB Instant Cash Offer

Yet another advantage to Autotrader’s partnership with KBB.com is that a seller has the option of participating in the Kelley Blue Book instant cash offer, which gives the seller to get a cash or trade-in offer from KBB at participating dealers. This eliminates a lot of the hassle of selling a car, which can take time and also leave a seller vulnerable to scams.

Autolist for Sellers

On the home page, under the More tab are Sell My Car and Car Values. Car Values includes a few recent cars with lows and highs of current listings and middle-ground “Fair List Price” values, as well as a scatter chart of active listings.

There is also a banner for What Should You Pay for Your Next Car, where a search by make and model led to nothing more than a spinning wheel when two recent cars were selected.

Sell My Car led directly to the CarGurus sell my car page. Autolist does not handle sales.