Edmunds lists dealer cars and estimates what others pay. The Broker Black shows a dealership's own price three ways.
The Broker Black is not a licensed motor vehicle dealer or broker and does not act as a broker in any way. Participating dealerships sell and lease every vehicle and complete each purchase directly with you.
Edmunds is a car shopping website with vehicle reviews, new and used car listings, appraisals, and price and payment calculators (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). Edmunds.com, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CarMax, Inc. (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). The Broker Black is launching in Arizona. Where a participating dealership serves your area, it shows that dealership's new cars as a loan, a lease (monthly, one-pay, or with deposits), and a cash purchase, with the taxes and fees for your city, before you talk to anyone. The Broker Black is not a broker, and it does not negotiate: the dealership sells or leases the car and completes the purchase directly with you.
| Edmunds | The Broker Black | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Edmunds is a car shopping website with vehicle reviews, new and used car listings, appraisals, and price and payment calculators (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). Edmunds.com, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of CarMax, Inc. (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). | New-car buying platform, not a broker; the dealership publishes the price, The Broker Black prices it three ways, and the dealership sells the car to you directly |
| Who can use it | Edmunds says its website can help shoppers buy a car in the United States through dealerships that partner with Edmunds to list their inventory (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). Edmunds states that its sites cost site visitors nothing (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). | Launching in Arizona. Whether a car can be delivered to you depends on its dealership. |
| Who sells the car | Edmunds states that it is not a dealership and does not sell the cars listed on its site (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). Each car listed is for sale at a dealership in the United States, and shoppers contact the dealership directly to buy it (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). | The participating dealership, which sells or leases the car and completes the purchase directly with you; The Broker Black does not negotiate |
| Where the price comes from | The Edmunds Suggested Price, formerly called Edmunds True Market Value (TMV), is Edmunds' estimate of the current average transaction price for a vehicle in the shopper's area (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). Edmunds says it bases this estimate on data that includes actual transaction data from dealers, supply, demand, incentives, options, and recent nearby transactions (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). | Each participating dealership's own published savings, price, and any market adjustment |
| Where you see the price | Shoppers can see the Edmunds Suggested Price, the invoice price, and the MSRP by configuring a car with the Build and Price tool (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). Edmunds says the suggested price also appears when browsing a specific new car in inventory (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). | Before you talk to anyone: finance, lease (monthly, one-pay, deposits), and cash with taxes and fees for your city |
| Ways to buy | Edmunds lists new and used cars for sale at dealerships (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). Listing pages include loan and lease payment calculators, and Edmunds notes that these amounts are its estimates and are not a financing offer or a promise of credit (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). Edmunds does not offer specific prices for leasing and suggests entering the suggested price into its lease calculator to estimate a payment (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). | New cars from participating dealerships, each priced as finance, lease (monthly, one-pay, multiple security deposits), and cash |
| What it costs | Edmunds states that its sites cost site visitors nothing (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). Edmunds describes its appraisal tool as costing nothing (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). | Creating an account to see pricing is complimentary. A membership covers you and your household at the same address for every purchase during its term and includes an introduction to the participating dealership you choose, so you can complete your purchase directly with them. Pricing for White Level and Black Level, and the full list of what each level includes, are coming soon. |
| Your current car | Edmunds offers an appraisal tool that shows trade-in, private party, and dealer retail values (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). Edmunds has partnered with CarMax to provide an instant cash offer on eligible vehicles, valid for seven days and redeemable at a CarMax location (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). | An instant estimate from your VIN, or an appraisal from the dealership on your deal, based on the details and photos you send it. Its number is final once it inspects your car, and it holds if your car arrives in the same condition you described. |
No. Edmunds states that it is not a dealership and does not sell the cars listed on its site; each listed car is for sale at a dealership, and shoppers contact that dealership directly (edmunds.com, as of October 2026).
It is what Edmunds suggests a consumer should pay for a car, not including taxes or fees, based on data such as supply, demand, incentives, options, and recent nearby transactions (edmunds.com, as of October 2026). It was formerly called True Market Value (edmunds.com, as of October 2026).
No. Edmunds states that it is not a bank or lending institution and does not offer vehicle loans, though some pages show an option to pre-qualify through a business partner (edmunds.com, as of October 2026).
Yes. Nothing stops a shopper from using Edmunds and also checking a participating dealership's published price for a new car on The Broker Black.