A car is long-believed to be the second largest purchase that the average Canadian will make in their lifetime. As such, it should come as no surprise that one of the most common questions prospective buyers ask when shopping for their next vehicle is whether or not the car they want is priced fairly. With more than two decades of automotive inventory availability, time-in-market and pricing data under our belts, Cars.ca is keen to guide Canadian car buyers toward the perfect deal—starting with our exclusive Cars Confidence price badging, which is visible on all eligible inventory, based on the location of the vehicle for sale and the radius within which you are shopping.

Comparable Price

If a car has a “Comparable Price” badge, it means that the vehicle has been expertly priced based on several factors: current inventory in the area, historical prices and our current expectations of pricing. This means we’re able to badge a vehicle even when it’s the only one of its kind on the website at the time. You can trust that this car is a better deal than most, but, depending on market conditions and availability, there could be other models out there priced slightly better than this one.

Competitive Price

If a car has a “Competitive Price” badge, it means that the vehicle is priced lower than the majority of similar vehicles. Dealers who offer competitively priced vehicles are going out of their way to offer this vehicle at a price that will help it stand out from the rest that are available for sale, but it’s likely to sell fairly quickly if you don’t take the opportunity to go see it for yourself.

Can’t Miss Price

If a car has a “Can’t Miss Price” badge, it means that the vehicle is priced lower than the vast majority of similar vehicles. The dealer is extremely motivated to sell and we believe that it is unlikely that this car will stay in the market for long. If this is the car you’re looking for, it’s time to act! Shop Can’t Miss Deals here.

What if there’s no Cars Confidence badge?

Unfortunately, this isn’t a “participation ribbon” kind of system. If a vehicle has no Cars Confidence badge, it could mean a few things:

• The car is simply not priced better than expected given historical prices and current availability in the market in which you’re shopping.
• Something about the vehicle makes us uncertain about its value. Perhaps it is an uncommon model or the vehicle is in unusually good or bad condition for its age.
• Despite being priced competitively, the vehicle has something in its CarFax report that lowers its estimated value. That doesn’t necessarily mean it isn’t a great deal, but it’s worth taking a deeper look at the details in the history report.