Terms of Service

1. Who we are

Carmano (“Carmano,” “we,” “us”) operates the Carmano website and platform (the “Service”) at this domain. By creating an account, purchasing a plan, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, don't use the Service.

2. What Carmano is — and isn't

Carmano is a research and communication service. We identify dealers matching your criteria, request written pricing on your behalf, normalize and compare the offers we receive, and relay your pricing requests and preferences back to dealers so you don't have to do it yourself. Carmano is not a licensed dealer, broker, or lender, and does not act as your agent, purchasing agent, sales representative, legal representative, fiduciary, or authorized representative in any vehicle purchase. Using the Service does not create a fiduciary, agency, brokerage, partnership, or representative relationship between you and Carmano. By using the Service, you authorize Carmano to communicate with dealers on your behalf solely to request pricing, relay your preferences, and follow up — this authorization is limited to facilitating the Service and does not make Carmano your legal representative or agent for any purpose. We never sell you a vehicle, never take possession of or title to any vehicle, and are never a party to the purchase agreement, financing agreement, or any other contract between you and a dealer. Any transaction you complete is solely between you and that dealer, on their terms. The optional live-specialist add-on described in Section 3 is not available in every state.

3. Plans, pricing, and payment

Carmano offers tiered, fixed-price plans, each active for 30 days from activation:

• Single Brand ($49) — Search one brand — as many vehicles or dealers as you like within it.
• Compare 3 Brands ($99) — Compare up to 3 different brands side by side.
• Compare 5 Brands ($199) — Compare up to 5 different brands side by side. Includes one live-specialist negotiation round at no extra charge.

Optional add-ons: an AI-run best-and-final negotiation round ($29.99), or a live Carmano specialist who personally calls and emails dealers on your behalf ($99, included free on Tier 3). Plan and add-on fees pay for our agent's work and are separate from, and never applied toward, any dealer's price for a vehicle. We do not receive commissions, referral fees, or any other payment from dealers for your business — our only revenue is what you pay us directly.

Payments are processed by Stripe. We do not store your full card number. All prices are in U.S. dollars.

4. Refund guarantee

This guarantee applies to single-search (Single Brand) plans. If fewer than three dealers respond to your search with a quote by the time your 30-day plan window closes, you're entitled to a full refund of your plan fee, plus a report of the closest alternatives we found. Contact us or use the in-app chat to request it once your plan has expired. Add-on negotiation fees are refundable only if the corresponding negotiation round never actually started.

Multi-search plans (Compare 3 Brands and Compare 5 Brands) cover several brand searches under one payment, so this automated guarantee doesn't apply the same way. If dealer response rates on one of those plans fall short, contact us — we review those situations directly.

5. The AI layer

Carmano uses AI to draft dealer outreach, negotiation messages, and vehicle/report summaries on your behalf, and to power the in-app shopping assistant. Every dealer-facing email discloses that it was prepared by an AI agent on behalf of a verified customer. AI-generated pricing figures are always computed by deterministic, auditable logic — never guessed or fabricated by the AI model — and every report is clearly labeled when it reflects demo or illustrative data rather than a real quote.

6. Your account

You're responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for all activity under your account. You must provide accurate information — a search built on inaccurate criteria (budget, must- haves, trade-in details) may produce inaccurate results, and dealers may decline to honor a quote based on incorrect information you provided. You can delete your account at any time from Settings; see our Privacy Policy for what happens to your data when you do.

7. Dealer Network partners

Dealerships may join the Carmano Dealer Network free of charge to receive Buyer Opportunities from verified Carmano customers. Partner status can be suspended or removed for conduct that violates a customer's trust (a disputed or dishonored quote, for example) — see our dispute process, applied through the platform. Partner participation does not affect how highly a dealer is matched or ranked; matching is based only on brand, location, and verification status.

8. No warranty on third-party information

Vehicle pricing, availability, history reports, and dealer-provided information originate from third parties (dealers, public vehicle-history and recall databases) and can change or be incomplete. Carmano makes reasonable efforts to normalize and present this information accurately but does not guarantee its accuracy, and is not responsible for a dealer failing to honor a quote, misrepresenting a vehicle, or any defect in a vehicle you purchase. Always verify pricing, financing terms, and vehicle condition directly with the dealer before signing anything.

9. Prohibited use

You may not use the Service to impersonate someone else, submit false vehicle or trade-in information, harass a dealer or Carmano staff, attempt to circumvent plan limits or pricing, or interfere with the Service's normal operation. We may suspend or terminate an account that violates these Terms.

10. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Carmano is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Service, including any dispute, financial loss, or dissatisfaction arising from a transaction with a dealer. Our total liability for any claim relating to the Service is limited to the amount you paid Carmano in the 12 months before the claim arose.

11. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms as the Service evolves. We'll update the “Last updated” date above; continued use of the Service after a change means you accept the updated Terms.

12. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Reach us through the in-app chat, or write to Carmano, Inc. at the mailing address in our Privacy Policy.