Autotrader App Review: Find a Car

Autotrader's mobile car-buying app is as easy to navigate as its desktop website. Its robust inventory of used cars for sale by private sellers makes it a great app for buyers looking to find unique deals or avoid the dealership. Plus, the app features scores of helpful search filters, price alerts and widgets that indicate good deals.

This app is best for: individuals who want to buy a used car from a private seller.

What is Autotrader?

Autotrader is an online car marketplace that includes listings for new and used cars from private sellers and car dealerships. The company was founded in 1997. Today, it claims to have more than 3 million vehicle listings from roughly 250,000 private sellers and 40,000 dealerships.

Marketplace car-buying apps like Autotrader aggregate new- and used-car listings from big online retailers such as CarMax and Carvana, local dealerships and often individual sellers. The best apps offer a wide variety of listings, thoughtful and intuitive filters to zero in on your car, details on a car's past and an idea of how competitive its asking price is.

Loan calculator	Not on the mobile app; there is one on the website.
Vehicle reviews	Yes.
Vehicle history reports	Yes, most listings include a vehicle history report.
Price alerts	Yes, you can sign up to receive price alerts on specific vehicles.
Cash offers available?	Yes, through Kelley Blue Book Instant Cash Offer.

Pros:

Includes reviews of the dealership.
Has a huge inventory of used cars.
A Kelley Blue Book widget generates cash offers from partner dealerships near you.

Cons:

Price ratings don't tell users if a listing is overpriced — only if it’s a fair price.

Listing a car on Autotrader: It costs $49 to list your car on Autotrader, including up to 30 photos, a vehicle history report and free renewals for up to a year if your car doesn't sell in the first 30 days.

Buying a car on Autotrader: You don't pay any fees to Autotrader to buy a car listed on its website. If you're interested in buying a car from a private seller, you send the seller a private message through Autotrader. If you want to buy a car from a dealership, you can send the dealership an email through Autotrader or begin the purchasing process online.

Useful search filters

At-home test drives, home delivery options, fuel type, disability equipped, trailer hitch, premium audio system and Wi-Fi hotspot.

Other useful details

Can I filter out cars with accidents or other damage? Yes.

Can I filter for cars with only one owner? Yes.

Can I filter out online retailers' non-local listings? Yes.

Apple store rating: 4.7 stars; 289,000-plus user ratings.

Google Play rating: 3 stars; 29,000-plus user ratings.

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