Question 1

How do you verify prices?

Accepted Answer

Anyone can submit a deal, but not all submissions are equal — verified deals carry 3× weight in the median. The process: you redact your own personal information, upload your purchase agreement, our team verifies the out-the-door price, and the report is stored at 3× weight. Before uploading, redact your PII yourself (name, address, signature, SIN, and anything else you don't want stored) — our team only needs to see the vehicle, the OTD price, and the date. Unverified submissions still appear in results as useful reference points, but they carry less weight in the median and are clearly labelled.

Question 2

Why don't you show dealer names?

Accepted Answer

FairDrives never mentions which dealership a deal came from, and that's intentional. If we named dealers, people would flock to the ones with good reported prices and avoid the others — but a single reported deal doesn't tell the whole story, because prices change weekly based on inventory, incentives, and regional competition. More importantly, the fair price isn't specific to one dealership; it belongs to the market. The benchmark we give you is just as valid at one dealership as another. The goal isn't to send everyone to the same dealership — it's to give every buyer the same information so they can get a fair deal anywhere they choose.

Question 3

OTD vs MSRP — what's the difference?

Accepted Answer

Out-the-door (OTD) is the total you actually pay to drive the car home: the negotiated vehicle price, all taxes, registration, documentation fees, and any dealer add-ons that made it onto the bill. It is not MSRP, and it's the only number FairDrives uses. MSRP is a starting point, not a destination — in hot markets some dealers charge above MSRP (a 'market adjustment'), and in slower periods buyers negotiate below it. The gap between MSRP and OTD is your negotiating territory.

Question 4

Why don't you show invoice price or dealer cost?

Accepted Answer

Invoice price data is estimated and often inaccurate — manufacturers change it constantly through holdbacks, incentives, and regional programs. We only show what buyers actually paid, verified by a real document. That's more useful and more honest than an estimate of what a dealer paid.

Question 5

How do you know the data hasn't been manipulated by dealers?

Accepted Answer

Every submission gets a second look — we flag statistical outliers from time to time, and the community can downvote anything that smells off or looks too good to be true. Reports that don't hold up get filtered out of the fair-price calculation.

Question 6

Do you accept used car prices?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Select 'Used' when submitting. Used car pricing is more variable than new because condition, mileage, and history significantly affect value. We show used prices separately from new and always display the mileage and year so you can compare accurately.

Question 7

What is a dealer markup or ADM?

Accepted Answer

ADM stands for Additional Dealer Markup — an amount the dealer adds on top of MSRP, sometimes called a 'market adjustment.' It's completely legal. During high-demand periods some dealers add $2,000–$10,000+ over MSRP. FairDrives helps you see whether the markup you're being quoted is typical or excessive for your market right now.

Question 8

What are dealer add-ons and why do they matter?

Accepted Answer

Add-ons are extra products or services dealers bundle into the sale — paint protection, fabric sealant, nitrogen tires, window tint, alarm systems, wheel locks. Some are optional; some dealers present them as mandatory. They can add $500–$3,000+ to your final bill. FairDrives submissions record which add-ons were included and whether they were presented as mandatory — so you can see which ones are common in your region and which ones to push back on. We track the add-on names, not the dollar amount of each.

Question 9

What is the difference between a finance price and a cash price?

Accepted Answer

The OTD price should be the same whether you pay cash or finance — the total cost of the vehicle before any financing charges. It gets complicated because dealers sometimes offer a lower price for financing (they earn commission from the lender) or a higher price for cash. Always negotiate the OTD price first, before discussing payment method.

Question 10

What does "verified" mean on a submission?

Accepted Answer

A verified submission means the buyer uploaded their actual purchase agreement — the signed document from their transaction — and our team reviewed it to confirm the OTD price, vehicle details, and date match what was submitted.

Question 11

Do I have to have bought a car recently to submit?

Accepted Answer

No. If you bought a car in the last 12 months and still have your purchase agreement, your submission is valuable. Older deals carry less weight in the current benchmark but still contribute to the overall dataset.

Question 12

What if I got an unusually good or bad deal — should I still submit?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely — especially then. Outlier deals are some of the most useful data points. A great deal shows buyers what's achievable; a bad deal flags a market that's trending high. Both are real and both help the community.

Question 13

Can I submit a deal for a leased car?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Select 'Lease' as your payment type. For leases, the most useful number is the capitalised cost — the negotiated price of the car before the lease structure is applied. Include your monthly payment, lease term, and annual kilometre allowance as well.

Question 14

What if I negotiated entirely online or out of province?

Accepted Answer

Submit it the same way — just select the region where the dealership is located, not where you live. Out-of-province and online deals are increasingly common and useful data points for other buyers considering the same approach.

Question 15

Will submitting my deal identify me to the dealer?

Accepted Answer

No. We never collect or display dealer names, so there is no way to cross-reference your submission back to a specific dealership transaction. Your submission shows only the vehicle, region, OTD price, and date.

Question 16

Who can see my submission?

Accepted Answer

All FairDrives users can see your submission in the results feed. It shows the vehicle, region, trim, OTD price, verified status, and date — nothing that identifies you personally. Your name, email, and account details are never visible to other users.

Question 17

Can I delete my submission?

Accepted Answer

Yes, at any time from your Account page under My reports. Deleted submissions are permanently removed within 30 days. Note that once a submission has been incorporated into the aggregate benchmark, the aggregate figure may not update immediately.

Question 18

Does FairDrives share my data with dealers?

Accepted Answer

Never. We do not share any individual or identifiable data with dealerships, manufacturers, or any automotive business. This is a core principle of FairDrives — our independence from the dealer industry is the whole point.

Question 19

Will FairDrives call me or give my contact to dealers?

Accepted Answer

Never. FairDrives is not a lead-generation service, and we are not in the business of sending buyers to dealers. We will never call, text, or email you with sales pitches, and we will never sell, share, or hand your phone number, email, or any contact details to a dealership, manufacturer, or any third party. Submitting a deal adds a price to the community dataset — that's all it does. No salesperson will ever contact you because you used FairDrives.

Question 20

Is FairDrives affiliated with any car manufacturer or dealer group?

Accepted Answer

No. FairDrives is completely independent. We do not accept advertising, referral fees, or funding from any dealership, manufacturer, or automotive business. Our only interest is accurate community data.

Question 21

What should I do if the price I see seems very different from what a dealer is quoting me?

Accepted Answer

First check how many verified submissions back the benchmark — if it's based on fewer than 5 deals, the data may not be representative yet. If the benchmark is well-supported and the dealer quote is significantly higher, you have a strong basis to negotiate. Show the dealer you've done your research and ask them to explain the gap.

Question 22

Does FairDrives guarantee I'll get the price I see?

Accepted Answer

No. FairDrives is a reference tool, not a price quote. The prices you see are community benchmarks — they show what real buyers have achieved, not what any dealer is obligated to offer you. Your result will depend on inventory, timing, your negotiation, and the specific dealer.

Everything you should know before you search.