Costco Auto Program offers Costco members prearranged dealer pricing. The Model Black is not a broker: participating dealerships publish their prices up front.
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.
Costco Auto Program and The Model Black both start from a price that is set in advance rather than haggled over. Costco Auto Program (costcoauto.com) has offered prearranged pricing to Costco members for more than 35 years: registered members are connected with an Approved Dealer near their ZIP code, see their prearranged price on the program's Price Sheet, and can stack manufacturer incentives on top. It is operated by Affinity Auto Programs, Inc., an independent company that is not an affiliate of Costco Wholesale, and a participation fee is paid by the dealers in the program (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026). The Model Black is launching in Arizona. Where a participating dealership serves your area, it shows that dealership's 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. It is not a broker: the dealership sells or leases the car and completes the purchase directly with you.
| Costco Auto Program | The Model Black | |
|---|---|---|
| Model | Member car-buying program operated by Affinity Auto Programs, Inc., an independent company that is not an affiliate of Costco Wholesale (costcoauto.com, as of September 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 | Costco members who register with the program; prearranged pricing is non-transferable (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | Launching in Arizona. Whether a car can be delivered to you depends on its dealership. |
| Who sells the car | The participating franchised dealer; Costco and its affiliates do not sell automobiles or negotiate individual transactions (costcoauto.com, as of September 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 | A price prearranged with the participating franchised dealer, with any manufacturer incentives stacked on top of the Costco member price (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | Each participating dealership's own published savings, price, and any market adjustment |
| Where you see the price | On the program's Price Sheet for the vehicle you select, after it connects you with an Approved Dealer near your ZIP code, per its how-it-works video (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | On the vehicle page, before you talk to anyone: finance, lease (monthly, one-pay, deposits), and cash with taxes and fees for your city |
| Ways to buy | New and pre-owned vehicles, to buy or lease, with a finance calculator on its site (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | New cars from participating dealerships, each priced as finance, lease (monthly, one-pay, multiple security deposits), and cash |
| What it costs | Prearranged pricing is for registered Costco members; a participation fee is paid by the dealers in the program (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | Creating an account to see pricing is complimentary. A membership covers you and your household at the same address for every purchase during its term and includes an introduction to the participating dealership you choose, so you can complete your purchase directly with them. Pricing for White Level and Black Level, and the full list of what each level includes, are coming soon. |
| Help along the way | An Authorized Contact at the Approved Dealer, and representatives by phone Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and weekends 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026) | The AI Concierge answers your questions: what a term or product means and what happens next. A person on our team answers email, and the dealership works with you directly |
Its site says Costco Auto Program is operated by Affinity Auto Programs, Inc., an independent company that is not an affiliate of Costco Wholesale Corporation, that Costco and its affiliates do not sell automobiles or negotiate individual transactions, and that vehicles are offered at a price prearranged with the participating franchised dealer (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026). On The Model Black, the participating dealership sells or leases the car and completes the purchase directly with you.
For Costco Auto Program, yes: its prearranged pricing is intended only for Costco members who register with the program, and it is non-transferable (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026). The Model Black asks for no outside membership. Creating an account to see pricing is complimentary, and a membership covers you and your household at the same address for every purchase during its term and includes an introduction to the participating dealership you choose. Pricing for White Level and Black Level, and the full list of what each level includes, are coming soon.
Per its how-it-works video, the program connects you with an Approved Dealer, and you view the Costco Auto Program Price Sheet for your selected vehicle to see your prearranged price, with any manufacturer incentives stacked on top (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026). On The Model Black, the participating dealership's savings and price are on the vehicle page, priced as a loan, a lease, and a cash purchase for your city, before you talk to anyone.
Its site lists 15% off parts, service, and accessories at participating service centers, up to $500 per visit, with exclusions (costcoauto.com, as of September 2026). The Model Black prices new cars from participating dealerships.