Consumer Reports Build & Buy runs on TrueCar's dealer network and site. The Model Black is not a broker: participating dealerships set and publish their prices.
The Model Black is not a licensed motor vehicle dealer or broker and does not act as a broker in any way. Participating dealerships sell and lease every vehicle and complete each purchase directly with you.
The Consumer Reports Build & Buy Car Buying Service is provided to Consumer Reports users by TrueCar.com, which operates its dealer network and its website, and neither Consumer Reports nor TrueCar brokers, sells, or leases motor vehicles (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026). Shoppers see what others paid and get upfront price offers on specific vehicles on the lot before heading to the dealership (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026). The Model Black is launching in Arizona. Where a participating dealership serves your area, it shows that dealership's new cars as a loan, a lease (monthly, one-pay, or with deposits), and a cash purchase, with the taxes and fees for your city, before you talk to anyone. The Model Black is not a broker, and it does not negotiate: the dealership sells or leases the car and completes the purchase directly with you.
| Consumer Reports Build & Buy | The Model Black | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | A car buying service provided to Consumer Reports users by TrueCar.com, which operates its dealer network and website (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026) | New-car buying platform, not a broker; the dealership publishes the price, The Model Black prices it three ways, and the dealership sells the car to you directly |
| Who can use it | Consumer Reports users; its member savings require a Digital or All Access Membership, and the service may not be available in every location (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026) | Launching in Arizona. Whether a car can be delivered to you depends on its dealership. |
| Who sells the car | A TrueCar Certified Dealer, which confirms availability from in-stock inventory; neither Consumer Reports nor TrueCar brokers, sells, or leases motor vehicles (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026) | The participating dealership, which sells or leases the car and completes the purchase directly with you; The Model Black does not negotiate |
| Where the price comes from | Each dealer sets its own pricing (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026) | Each participating dealership's own published savings, price, and any market adjustment |
| Where you see the price | Upfront price offers on specific vehicles on the lot, and what others paid, before heading to the dealership (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026) | Before you talk to anyone: finance, lease (monthly, one-pay, deposits), and cash with taxes and fees for your city |
| What it costs | The service page lists no fee for shoppers; Consumer Reports collects a fee from TrueCar for vehicles purchased from a TrueCar dealer and says it has no financial relationship with any dealer (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026) | Creating an account is complimentary and opens a dealership's full pricing on 3 cars every 30 days. White and Gold memberships open every car's full pricing: White is $99 (introductory price through December 31, 2026, then $389) for 30 days and Gold is $649 (introductory price through December 31, 2026, then $949) for 3 years, each a one-time payment that never renews. Black is coming soon. Anyone 18 or older with an account can ask a dealership about a car or send it a deal at no charge. |
TrueCar.com provides the service to Consumer Reports users and operates its dealer network and its website (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026). Consumer Reports collects a fee from TrueCar for vehicles purchased from a TrueCar dealer, and says it has no financial relationship with any dealer (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026).
Consumer Reports offers it to its users, and its member savings require a Digital or All Access Membership (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026). The service may not be available in every location (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026). The Model Black takes no outside membership: creating an account is complimentary.
The service page lists no fee for shoppers to use it, and its member savings require a Digital or All Access Membership (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026). Consumer Reports collects a fee from TrueCar for vehicles purchased from a TrueCar dealer (consumerreports.org, as of October 2026).
Yes. Nothing stops a shopper from using Consumer Reports Build & Buy and also checking a participating dealership's published price for a new car on The Model Black.