The short answer: CarGurus charges a subscription priced on your inventory size and region. Google vehicle ads charge for clicks, on a budget you set. On CarGurus, the shopper looks at your car on a marketplace full of other dealers’ cars. A Google vehicle ad sends the click to that car’s page on your own website. Which one costs less per lead depends on your numbers, so measure both.
Side by side
| CarGurus | Google Vehicle Ads | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | A subscription, billed monthly, quarterly, every six months or yearly | For clicks, on a daily budget you set |
| What sets the price | Your inventory size, your region and the return CarGurus expects to deliver. Renewals can come at higher rates | The ad auction for each search. You choose the budget and can change it any day |
| What dealers spend | $8,134 per quarter on average per paying US dealer in Q2 2026, about $2,711 a month | No average: it is your budget. Google search ads for used-car dealers had a median cost of $1.73 per click |
| Commitment | Most CarGurus contracts have one-month committed terms | None with Google |
| Where the shopper lands | Your listing on CarGurus | That car’s page on your website |
| Price rating next to your car | CarGurus’ deal rating, from Great to Overpriced | None. The ad shows the photo, price, mileage and your name |
| Free option | Restricted Listings, with capped, anonymous leads | No |
| What you need | Your inventory sent to CarGurus | An inventory feed in Google Merchant Center, a Google Business Profile, and car pages that show price, VIN, mileage and availability |
Sources: CarGurus Q2 2026 results, CarGurus 2025 annual report, LocaliQ 2026 benchmarks. The CarGurus average covers every paying dealer, including large franchise stores, so many independent dealers pay less.
How CarGurus charges dealers
In its 2025 annual report, CarGurus lists a free tier, Restricted Listings, where dealers “have access to capped anonymous leads and connections,” and paid packages called Enhanced, Featured+ and Featured Priority+.
The report says pricing is “based on a dealer’s inventory size and region” and on CarGurus’ view of the return it delivers. It also says that “dealers may be renewed at higher rates commensurate with growth and updated performance expectations.” Most contracts have one-month committed terms.
Every car also gets a deal rating. CarGurus compares your asking price with its own estimate of the car’s market value, called IMV, and labels the deal Great, Good, Fair, High or Overpriced (CarGurus). A car priced under market gets a selling point. A car priced over market carries a label you don’t control.
What CarGurus does well
- Shoppers are already there. Leads can arrive without you running a single ad.
- No campaigns to manage. You send the inventory, and CarGurus does the rest.
- Good deals get noticed. A Great Deal badge helps a car priced below market.
Where Google vehicle ads are different
In Google’s words, “customers see an image of the car with details like the make, model, price, mileage, and dealer name,” and “clicking on a vehicle ad will take the customer to the vehicle description page (VDP) on your website” (Google).
- The shopper is on your website. They see your phone number, your forms and the rest of your inventory, not another dealer’s car.
- The shopper picked that car. They searched, saw the photo and price, and clicked on that exact car.
- You control the spend. You set the budget, raise it when the lot is full, and lower it when it isn’t.
- You own the account. The Google Ads account and its data stay in your dealership’s name.
The trade-offs are real. Vehicle ads need setup: a feed in Merchant Center, a Business Profile for every lot, and car pages that meet Google’s rules. They also need ongoing management. A click is not a lead, so your car pages have to turn visits into calls and forms. Our technical guide lists every requirement.
How to compare them with your own numbers
- CarGurus cost per lead: your monthly CarGurus bill divided by the leads CarGurus sent you that month. Count calls, emails, chats and texts.
- Google cost per lead: run a test budget for 30 to 60 days with call and form tracking, then divide the ad spend by the leads.
- Cost per sale: if your CRM records the lead source, compare the cost per car sold too. That is the number that pays the bills.
Our cost-per-lead calculator does steps 1 and 2 side by side.
Do you have to choose?
No. You can keep CarGurus and add Google. Run both for a month or two with tracking, and your own numbers will show which one earns its budget.
Driviam sets up and manages Google vehicle ads for independent dealers in your own accounts, and every monthly report shows what each lead cost. Get a free inventory audit to see which of your cars show up on Google today.