Itemized fee breakdowns give 
shoppers full pricing transparency

Show shoppers every dollar, before they ask

As state & federal regulations evolve to focus more on consumer pricing transparency, Cars.com price stacking gives you the tools to display itemized fee breakdowns across your inventory. Dealers who configure their fees also earn Deal badge eligibility on qualifying listings and are better positioned in Best Match results, where price competitiveness is a ranking factor.

Cars.com price transparency tools let you display a transparent breakdown of your list price and required fees directly on your listings:

• Gives every shopper a transparent, itemized total before they contact you
• Shoppers see your total price on SRP, VDP, and ads — with a detailed fee breakdown available on your VDP
• Set  fees separately for new and used vehicles 
• Works with your existing inventory feed — your current setup stays exactly as-is

Configure in minutes

A few clicks in Dealer Dash is all it takes. Here’s how it works:

1. Find the Dealer Fees section

• Log in to Cars.com Dealer Dash
• Scroll down to the Dealer Fees section
• Click Edit Pricing Fees

2. Tell us how you send pricing

• No dealer fees — Select this if you charge no additional dealer fees. An indicator will display on your VDP confirming this to shoppers. Note: some states require disclosing documented dealer fees. If applicable, enter those as mandatory dealer fees instead.
• Total price (fees included) — Select this if your feed price already includes your fees. Your feed price displays as the total price. You can list the fees below for an itemized breakdown on your VDP.
• Base price (fees excluded) — Select this if your feed price does not include fees. We’ll add your configured fees to calculate the total price.
• Note: You’ll repeat this step for new and used vehicles separately — helpful if you send different price types for each (e.g., Base Price for new, Total Price for used).

3. Add your fees

• Add fees separately for new and used vehicles — the process is the same for each
• Select the fee type (doc prep, reconditioning, or other)
• Choose New, Used, or both
• Enter the dollar amount
• Note: Skip this step if you selected No dealer fees above.

4. Save your fees

• Click Save to ensure your changes go through once you’ve reviewed every section
• Your VDPs update instantly
• Note: You must click Save even if you made no changes — this is required to maintain Deal badge eligibility.

Important: Dealers must comply with their state’s fee disclosure regulations, ensuring all required fees are reflected in the total price.


Additional resources to reference

Cars.com provides you with resources to effectively list your vehicles with us. Just a click away, you can find information on our Vehicle Listing Policy (“Policy”).  Our Policy provides general guidelines to aid in ensuring your vehicle listings comply with online advertising consumer protection laws. While our Policy is not legal advice, it may serve as educational and foundational knowledge regarding local, state, and federal transparent pricing laws.

For detailed steps and FAQs, read the price stacking fees Help Center article.