Where honest, transparent dealers
rise to the surface.
Most dealer reviews talk about smiles and snacks. DealerSurface grades how the deal was actually written — price integrity, add-ons, remote access, and how they treat your money — so you know where to shop before you ever step on the lot.
How DealerSurface Works
Three steps. No dealer involvement. No pay-to-play.
Real buyers submit structured reports
After a dealership visit, consumers answer a short, focused set of questions about one transaction — not a general review, a structured data point. Takes about 3 minutes.
Grades are calculated automatically
Every dealer starts at A+. Reports subtract points for pricing games, forced add-ons, financing refusals, and remote-deal unwillingness. Clean stores stay at the top.
Shoppers see who actually plays it straight
Search any dealership by name or city. See their grade, pillar stats, and anonymized report summaries before you make a call or step on the lot.
What We Grade — Four Deal Pillars
Not the coffee. Not the waiting room. How the deal was structured.
Price Integrity
Did the price quoted match what was advertised on the website or listing? How large was the gap? Market adjustments, "already installed" packages, and bait-and-switch pricing are tracked here.
Add-On Behavior
Were extras like paint protection, VIN etching, nitrogen tires, or GAP insurance pushed? Were they disclosed upfront — or sprung as "mandatory" and already installed? Could they be removed?
Remote Friendliness
Will the dealer quote a price, handle trade-in, and lock financing by phone or online? Or do they require an in-person visit before disclosing any real numbers?
Cash & Outside Financing
Do they welcome buyers using their own bank or credit union — or push back, refuse, or penalize cash deals? Hidden dealer reserve and financing kickbacks show up here.
The Grade Scale
Every dealer starts at A+. Only verified consumer reports move the grade down.
Score 90–100. Price almost always matches website. Add-ons are rare and usually removable. Welcomes outside financing and cash. Often allows full or partial remote deals.
Score 80–89. Occasional small price gaps. Add-ons appear but are usually negotiable. Some friction on financing, but not punitive.
Score 70–79. Regular small price discrepancies. Add-ons common but many removable. Prefers in-person, partial remote possible.
Score 55–69. Frequent price gaps or "market adjustments." Add-ons common; some can't be removed. Reluctant on outside financing. Negotiate hard if you go.
Score 40–54. Frequent large price gaps vs advertised. Mandatory add-ons, difficult to remove. Often refuses outside financing or penalizes it. Will not quote remotely.
Score 0–39. Consistent pattern of deceptive pricing, forced mandatory add-ons, refusal of outside financing, and no remote capability. Multiple verified reports confirm the pattern.
Example Dealer Cards
This is what a dealer profile looks like. As real reports come in, every store gets one.
Built to Be Hard to Game
Dealers can't post, reply, or "manage" their profile. This is a consumer-only platform — by design.
Dealers cannot submit reports, post responses, or influence their score in any way. This keeps the data clean.
Reports submitted with a VIN or deal document are marked "verified" and carry more weight in the score calculation.
You cannot buy a better grade here. Dealers earn their grade through consumer reports — period. Ads, if they exist, are only for stores that already earned an A.
Bursts of similar reports from one IP range, duplicate patterns, or coordinated campaigns are flagged and can be removed from scoring.
Each report is tied to one visit. We limit repeats and watch for suspicious submission patterns — making mass-spamming a losing game for bad actors.
We focus on pricing, add-ons, and financing behavior — the exact areas the FTC is actively regulating in 2026. Fake reviews submitted here violate federal law.
Had a recent dealer experience?
Help other buyers choose where to start. It takes about 3 minutes and your identity is never shared. The more reports, the more accurate every grade gets.
Share Your ExperienceIf you play it straight, your grade will show it.
You don't "sign up" for a grade. As your real customers submit reports, your score builds automatically. You can't buy an A here — but you can earn it by how you treat people.
Learn How Grading Works