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Transportation

Pros And Cons Of Buying A Car On Amazon Autos

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Amazon’s move into online car listings through Amazon Autos in 2024 has been widely framed as a breakthrough for consumers. But, for buyers considering this new option, the real story is more nuanced. While the platform offers a familiar, streamlined shopping experience and no-haggle pricing, it does not eliminate dealerships, negotiations behind the scenes, or the traditional profit structures that shape car pricing.

A quick heads up fellow Canucks- Amazon Autos is not yet available in Canada but plans are in place for expansion so stay tuned.

Trade Offs

As more North Americans explore buying a vehicle through alternative means including Amazon, experts say the key question isn’t whether it’s easier, but whether shoppers understand the trade-offs they’re making. Knowing the pros, the cons, and the fine print can be the difference between convenience and costly compromise.

What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Watch For When Buying a Car on Amazon

amazon autos.png

Is It A True Breakthrough?

Amazon’s move into online car listings through Amazon Autos has been widely framed as a breakthrough for consumers. But, for buyers considering this new option, the real story is more nuanced. While the platform offers a familiar, streamlined shopping experience and no-haggle pricing, it does not eliminate dealerships, negotiations behind the scenes, or the traditional profit structures that shape car pricing. As more Americans explore buying a vehicle through Amazon, experts say the key question isn’t whether it’s easier, but whether shoppers understand the trade-offs they’re making. Knowing the pros, the cons, and the fine print can be the difference between convenience and costly compromise. 

Amazon Autos, has generated headlines over the past year for a number of reasons. Some heralded the launch as a true game changer in the car market. But in reality, buying a car on Amazon is not all that different from buying a car the old fashioned way.

Participating automakers (like Hyundai) or dealers (like rental car giant Hertz) can now list their inventory on Amazon. But make no mistake: you’re still buying from a dealer. Amazon Autos is only acting as an online marketplace for cars, meaning that the cars you see listed are only there because traditional car dealers listed their inventory on the platform. Amazon is just making online car shopping feel like the Amazon experience that nearly 200 million Americans are familiar with.

There are pros and cons of buying a car on Amazon.

Amazon advertises no-haggle pricing, but there’s something crucial that most shoppers overlook: that rarely means you’re truly getting the best price possible. No-haggle pricing is crafted by dealers to ensure healthy profit margins on their end, while making consumers feel relieved that they don’t have to deal with unpleasant negotiations or salespeople. The truth is, buying the actual vehicle still takes place at a dealership. There are still salespeople involved. It can still be inconvenient or uncomfortable.

Dealers are thrilled with the assumption that pricing is already agreed upon before the customer even arrives. Remember, dealers have plenty of profit in the form of holdbacks, manufacturer-to-dealer cash, and even volume bonuses. That’s not to mention more money for them if you finance with them, or purchase an extended warranty or other add-on.

All of this means that you’re much more likely to overpay than if you were to go your own way and negotiate confidently.

In summary, when you buy a new or used car on Amazon, you’re still buying through a traditional dealership. Amazon doesn’t hold any of the inventory you see online, they’re merely adding the online Amazon experience many consumers are familiar with to online car shopping. In most cases, that means trading competitive pricing for convenience.

For some, that may be a compromise you’re willing to make in order to skip the haggling process. But it’s important to know that you’re limiting your ability to land a great deal when you forfeit your chance to negotiate car pricing.

Research Required

To best ensure you’re not leaving money on the table, thoroughly research the car market. Always research demand factors for the cars you’re interested in. Are you shopping for a car that’s less popular than the hottest sellers on the market? Does it sell slower than the market average in your area? If so, you’re much more likely to overpay with ‘no-haggle pricing’. Find inventory that has been sitting on the dealership lot the longest. Those are the cars that dealers are motivated to sell at a discount.

For the Silo, Justin Fischer.

Justin Fischer is an automotive retail analyst and consumer advocate at CarEdge, a leading consumer platform dedicated to empowering car shoppers to make confident, informed and financially savvy decisions.

Transportation

Why Canada’s Electric Vehicle Targets Beyond 2026 Are Still Unrealistic

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November, 2025 – The federal Canadian government is expected to unveil proposed changes to its electric vehicle sales mandate this winter. The upcoming announcement comes as Canada’s 2026 Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate – requiring 20 percent of new light-vehicle sales to be electric – faces mounting evidence it was unlikely ever to be met, according to a new report by the C.D. Howe Institute.

In “Mandating the Impossible? Assessing Canada’s Electric Vehicle Mandate for 2026 and Beyond,” Brian Livingston, at the C.D. Howe Institute, finds that the policy’s trajectory remains unrealistic beyond 2026. “Even if incentives return, the targets far exceed what consumers are willing or able to buy,” says Livingston. “Mandates alone won’t generate the demand or the vehicles needed to meet these goals.”

The analysis shows that under the 2026 requirement, automakers collectively would have had to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to comply. Companies falling short of their targets could face over $200 million in penalties to generate “Charging Fund Credits,” along with unknown additional costs to purchase “Excess Credits” from firms such as Tesla and Hyundai. To meet compliance thresholds, manufacturers might have been forced to restrict non-ZEV sales, reducing total vehicle supply by more than 400,000 units – leaving significant consumer demand unmet.

Meanwhile, companies exceeding the 20 percent target – primarily foreign-based automakers – would benefit from windfall revenues by selling excess credits. Canadian-based producers such as GM, Ford, Toyota, Stellantis, and Honda, which manufacture domestically, would bear higher costs and face reduced competitiveness.

Federal officials recently noted that the government’s highly anticipated review of the ZEV mandate – launched after Prime Minister Mark Carney paused the 2026 target in September – will report back this winter and unveil proposed changes to targets and credit rules.

Livingston recommends that Ottawa either abandon or substantially revise the ZEV mandate. Options include revising percentage targets to align with market realities, counting increasingly popular hybrid vehicles toward compliance, redirecting credit proceeds to the federal government, or suspending the mandate until trade negotiations with the United States and China clarify the future of Canada’s auto sector.

“The waiver of the 2026 target is only a first step,” Livingston cautions. “Unless the policy is recalibrated to reflect consumer demand and production capacity, Canada’s ZEV mandate risks driving up costs, shrinking supply, and undermining competitiveness – without delivering meaningful emissions reductions.”