# CarGurus Top Dealer Awards: How to Qualify as a Car Dealer

> CarGurus Top Dealer Awards score last year's data: Top Rated needs a 4.5 average from 5+ US reviews, and fewer than 10% of dealers won in 2026.

URL: https://a21social.com/us/blog/cargurus-top-dealer-awards
Author: A21 Social
Published: 2026-11-05

## Summary

CarGurus Top Dealer Awards judge the previous calendar year. Top Rated needs a 4.5+ average from 5+ US reviews. Top Value and Top Digital go to the top 100 dealers by Good/Great deal share and Digital Deal activity. Ask every buyer for a review, disclose fees, and use A21 Social to post your listings as videos.

## Key facts

- CarGurus announced its 2026 Top Dealer Award winners on August 11, 2026, and fewer than 10% of dealerships on CarGurus earned one.
- Top Rated Dealer 2026 required an average of at least 4.5 out of 5 from at least 5 verified US reviews submitted in 2025.
- Top Value goes to the top 100 dealers per region by share of inventory rated Good or Great; Top Digital goes to the top 100 US dealers by Digital Deal activity.
- Cars.com Dealer of the Year 2026 required at least 25 reviews in 2025, at least 1 in each quarter, and an average rating above 4.0.
- Nearly 90% of 2026 Cars.com honorees respond to reviews, compared with 52% of non-winning dealerships.

To win one of the CarGurus Top Dealer Awards next year, treat the full calendar year as your scorecard: collect [at least 5 verified US reviews averaging 4.5 or higher](https://www.stocktitan.net/news/CARG/car-gurus-names-2026-top-dealer-award-4gwgb29at3yt.html) for Top Rated, keep as many cars as possible rated Good or Great for Top Value, and open more inventory to Digital Deal for Top Digital. To keep your listings posting as social videos around that badge, our recommendation is A21 Social, from [$49 a month](/us/pricing). A21 Social publishes this guide.

| Step | What to do | Counts toward |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Treat January 1 to December 31, 2026 as the scoring year | All CarGurus and Cars.com awards |
| 2 | Ask every buyer for a review, every week | CarGurus Top Rated ([4.5+ from 5+ US reviews](https://www.stocktitan.net/news/CARG/car-gurus-names-2026-top-dealer-award-4gwgb29at3yt.html)) and Cars.com ([25+ reviews, 1+ per quarter](https://help.dealerrater.com/kb/guide/en/2026-cars-com-dealer-awards-faq-8G7iQeSb9M/Steps/2938859)) |
| 3 | Reply to every review | Cars.com PowerScore (response rate) |
| 4 | Price used cars into Good or Great Deal range, with fees disclosed | CarGurus Top Value (top 100 per region) |
| 5 | Open more inventory to Digital Deal | CarGurus Top Digital (top 100 US dealers) |
| 6 | Post the badge in listing videos and social posts after you win | Shopper trust on your own channels |

## What you need before you start

You need the current rules for each award, your own 2026 numbers from each platform, and one person who owns review requests every week. Start with the rules, because CarGurus and Cars.com score different things.

A CarGurus Top Dealer Award is a yearly badge CarGurus gives dealers in the US, UK and Canada based on the previous year's reviews, deal ratings and online-sales activity, as [Auto Remarketing reported](https://www.autoremarketing.com/ar/retail/cargurus-spotlights-top-dealer-awards-for-us-uk-and-canada/). CarGurus President and COO Sam Zales called the awards "another trusted signal" for shoppers deciding where to buy.

The 2026 round was the program's [12th year, announced August 11, 2026](https://www.stocktitan.net/news/CARG/car-gurus-names-2026-top-dealer-award-4gwgb29at3yt.html). Fewer than 10% of dealerships on CarGurus earned an award, so a badge sets you apart on the site.

### CarGurus Top Dealer vs Cars.com Dealer of the Year

Both programs judge the previous calendar year. Most of their other 2026 rules differ.

| Field | CarGurus Top Dealer (2026) | Cars.com Dealer of the Year (2026) |
|---|---|---|
| Data year | 2025 | 2025 |
| Announced | August 11, 2026 | [March 18, 2026](https://investor.cars.com/2026-03-18-Cars-com-Announces-Its-2026-Dealer-of-the-Year-Awards) |
| Review minimum | 5 verified reviews (US), 4 in Canada and the UK, for Top Rated | [25 reviews](https://help.dealerrater.com/kb/guide/en/2026-cars-com-dealer-awards-faq-8G7iQeSb9M/Steps/2938859) on Cars.com or DealerRater, at least 1 in each quarter |
| Rating minimum | At least 4.5 out of 5 (Top Rated) | Above 4.0 out of 5.0 |
| Other factors | Share of inventory rated Good or Great (Top Value); Digital Deal engagement and share of inventory available online (Top Digital) | PowerScore; at least 1 Sales (New) review in the award category |
| Winners | Fewer than 10% of CarGurus dealers; top 100 for Top Value (per region) and Top Digital (US) | 8 regional winners plus national brand winners |

PowerScore is the score Cars.com uses to rank award candidates. It is built from your average star rating, your total number of reviews and your response rate on reviews received during the scoring year. Dealer of the Year is awarded at the regional level, the national level by brand, and the state or province level by brand.

Cars.com also gives Consumer Satisfaction Awards to the top 15% of US franchise dealers regardless of make, plus set shares of used-car and Canadian dealers. If you sell new cars, the same review routine works for both programs.

### The numbers to pull from your own accounts

Before step 1, write down where you stand today:

- Verified reviews received on CarGurus since January 1, 2026, and your average rating
- Reviews per quarter on Cars.com and DealerRater, plus your response rate
- Share of your used listings rated Good or Great on CarGurus, and how many show No Rating
- How many of your units are set up for Digital Deal

If you are still deciding which marketplace deserves more of your budget, our [CarGurus vs Cars.com comparison](/us/blog/cargurus-vs-cars-com-dealers) covers cost and leads.

## How to qualify for the CarGurus Top Dealer Awards: step by step

To qualify for the CarGurus Top Dealer Awards, collect reviews steadily all year, price your used cars into Good or Great Deal range with fees shown, and open inventory to Digital Deal. The same review habits also count toward the Cars.com awards.

### 1. Mark December 31, 2026 as your deadline for next year's numbers

CarGurus's 2026 awards used [verified customer reviews submitted in 2025](https://www.stocktitan.net/news/CARG/car-gurus-names-2026-top-dealer-award-4gwgb29at3yt.html), and the 2025 awards used [2024 data](https://www.autoremarketing.com/ar/retail/cargurus-selects-2025-top-dealer-award-winners). Cars.com counts reviews from the previous calendar year too. If both programs keep that pattern, January 1 to December 31, 2026 decides next year's badges, and you have the rest of November and December to close gaps. The window after that opens January 1, 2027.

### 2. Pull your 2026 review count, rating and response rate today

Compare what you wrote down with the bars: 5 reviews at 4.5 or higher for CarGurus Top Rated, and [25 reviews with at least 1 in each quarter](https://help.dealerrater.com/kb/guide/en/2026-cars-com-dealer-awards-faq-8G7iQeSb9M/Steps/2938859) and an average above 4.0 for Cars.com. If a 2026 quarter passed with no Cars.com or DealerRater review, you can't meet the quarterly rule for 2026. In that case, spend the next 8 weeks on CarGurus Top Rated and start 2027 with a review in every quarter.

### 3. Ask every buyer for a review in the week they take delivery

Send the same request, with the same links, to every customer who bought a car that week. The [FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/consumer-reviews-testimonials-rule-questions-answers), in effect since October 21, 2024, bars compensation or incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment. FTC staff also note that asking only satisfied customers could violate the FTC Act, which is why this routine asks every buyer. The weekly routine in the next section shows who sends what, and when.

### 4. Reply to every review, positive or negative

Response rate is one of the 3 inputs to PowerScore, and [nearly 90% of 2026 Cars.com honorees respond to reviews, compared with 52% of non-winning dealerships](https://investor.cars.com/2026-03-18-Cars-com-Announces-Its-2026-Dealer-of-the-Year-Awards). Answer each review on Cars.com and DealerRater, and reply on CarGurus wherever your account lets you. Keep replies to negative reviews factual, because the FTC rule also bars suppressing reviews through intimidation or groundless legal threats.

### 5. Price used cars into Good or Great Deal range with fees disclosed

Top Value goes to the top 100 dealers per region with the highest share of the year's inventory rated Good or Great. Since its July 14, 2026 deadline, CarGurus has given used listings without disclosed fees a No Rating designation, as our [guide to dealer fees on listing sites](/us/blog/autotrader-dealer-fees-included) explains. A No Rating listing does not count as Good or Great, so every used car with hidden fees pulls your share down.

### 6. Open more of your inventory to Digital Deal

Top Digital goes to the top 100 US dealerships, ranked on shopper engagement through CarGurus' Digital Deal and the share of their inventory available for online transactions. Ask your CarGurus account rep which of your units are eligible and how to enable them. The share counts across the whole year, so each month you wait lowers your average.

### 7. Put the badge in your listing videos and social posts once you win

CarGurus says winners are identified with [Top Dealer badging on the CarGurus site and in-store signage](https://www.stocktitan.net/news/CARG/car-gurus-names-2026-top-dealer-award-4gwgb29at3yt.html). We found no published CarGurus rules on badge size or placement in videos, so ask your rep before using it in paid ads. Cars.com Consumer Satisfaction winners get [high-resolution graphics, social media post templates, a press release template and window clings, typically mailed by early April](https://help.dealerrater.com/kb/guide/en/consumer-satisfaction-award-SApE5cOP1I/Steps/1590496).

Pin one announcement post with the badge on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, then mention the award in the caption of your car videos. Any price in those posts must be the full price, since the FTC's September 15, 2026 FAQs cover prices shown on social media, as our [Instagram caption templates guide](/us/blog/car-dealership-instagram-captions) notes.

## How long does it take and what does it cost?

Qualifying takes a full calendar year of steady reviews and listings, and results arrive months after the year closes. None of the CarGurus, Auto Remarketing or Cars.com sources we read mentions an entry fee, so your real cost is staff time plus the tools you use.

Here is the timeline from the last two rounds:

| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| January 1 to December 31 | Scoring year for both programs |
| End of each quarter | Cars.com rule: at least 1 review in the quarter |
| March | Cars.com announced its 2026 winners on [March 18, 2026](https://investor.cars.com/2026-03-18-Cars-com-Announces-Its-2026-Dealer-of-the-Year-Awards) |
| Early April | Cars.com Consumer Satisfaction window clings typically arrive ([DealerRater](https://help.dealerrater.com/kb/guide/en/consumer-satisfaction-award-SApE5cOP1I/Steps/1590496)) |
| August | CarGurus announced on [August 6, 2025](https://www.autoremarketing.com/ar/retail/cargurus-selects-2025-top-dealer-award-winners) and [August 11, 2026](https://www.stocktitan.net/news/CARG/car-gurus-names-2026-top-dealer-award-4gwgb29at3yt.html) |

### A weekly review-request routine

Run the same cycle every week of the year, with one person in charge of it. A missed week is easier to spot than a missed quarter.

| Day | Task | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Export last week's delivered buyers | Your CRM or DMS |
| Tuesday | Send every buyer the same review request with links to CarGurus, Cars.com and DealerRater, with no reward tied to a rating | Text and email |
| Wednesday | Reply to every new review | Cars.com, DealerRater, CarGurus |
| Thursday | Check deal ratings and fee disclosure on aging used units | Your CarGurus listings |
| Friday | Post one delivery or review clip on your social channels | Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube |

### What the video side costs

If you post to social by hand, that is where most of the weekly time goes. A21 Social costs [$49 (Starter), $129 (Pro) or $199 (Enterprise) a month](/us/pricing), plus applicable sales tax.

## Who should do this?

Every franchise or independent dealer listing on CarGurus can go for Top Rated, because the US bar is [5 verified reviews at 4.5 or higher](https://www.stocktitan.net/news/CARG/car-gurus-names-2026-top-dealer-award-4gwgb29at3yt.html) a year. Top Value and Top Digital are top-100 races, and the Cars.com awards need 25 reviews spread over every quarter, so they suit stores with steady volume.

Winning in more than one category happens. In 2025, [3 dealers won all three CarGurus awards](https://www.autoremarketing.com/ar/retail/cargurus-selects-2025-top-dealer-award-winners): AutoTrust USA in Miramar, Florida, Prime Rides Autohaus in Wilmington, Illinois, and World Star Auto Sales in Woodside, New York. 45 US dealers won multiple categories that year.

Franchise stores have an extra reason to run the routine. The Cars.com Consumer Satisfaction Award reaches the top 15% of US franchise dealers, and Dealer of the Year also needs at least 1 Sales (New) review in the award category ([DealerRater FAQ](https://help.dealerrater.com/kb/guide/en/2026-cars-com-dealer-awards-faq-8G7iQeSb9M/Steps/2938859)).

### Who on your team does the work, and which tool to use

Give the review routine to one person, usually a BDC rep or sales manager, and have the GM or owner write replies to negative reviews. Pricing and fee disclosure stay with whoever prices your used cars. Digital Deal setup is a one-time call with your CarGurus rep, followed by a monthly check.

Keeping your social channels full takes the most time, and without it the badge post sits alone. For that job we recommend [A21 Social](/us). It reads your listings from Cars.com and CarGurus, uses AI to turn each car's photos and details into a short vertical video, and posts it automatically to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube. Nobody on your team films or edits.

Know the limits before you sign up. A21 Social imports listings from Cars.com and CarGurus only, so it won't pick up cars listed only on Autotrader or other sites. It also does not post to Facebook Marketplace. You post the badge announcement and pin it yourself, and A21 Social keeps every car in stock posting as a video under it.

Example: an independent lot's BDC rep sends review requests every Tuesday and replies to reviews every Wednesday. A21 Social posts each new CarGurus listing as a video on all 4 channels without anyone touching it. When the award arrives, the sales manager pins one badge post on each channel, and the daily car videos keep running beneath it.

To start, pick a plan on the [pricing page](/us/pricing), connect your Cars.com or CarGurus listings, then add your review routine to the team calendar.

## Common mistakes

Most mistakes either break the FTC review rule or leave a gap in a yearly bar, such as a quarter with no Cars.com review or used cars with hidden fees. Any one of them can cost you a badge you otherwise earned.

- Asking only satisfied customers. The FTC rule does not specifically ban it, but [FTC staff note](https://www.ftc.gov/business-guidance/resources/consumer-reviews-testimonials-rule-questions-answers) it could violate the FTC Act.
- Tying a gift card or discount to a positive review. Incentives conditioned on a particular sentiment are barred, and courts can impose civil penalties for knowing violations, up to $53,088 per violation as our [social media manager guide](/us/blog/social-media-manager-car-dealerships) reports.
- Pressuring unhappy reviewers. The rule bars suppressing reviews through intimidation or groundless legal threats.
- Skipping a quarter. One quarter with no review fails the [at least 1 review in each calendar quarter](https://help.dealerrater.com/kb/guide/en/2026-cars-com-dealer-awards-faq-8G7iQeSb9M/Steps/2938859) rule for Cars.com, even with 25 reviews in the year.
- Leaving fees off used listings. CarGurus shows No Rating on used listings without disclosed fees, which lowers your Top Value share.
- Mixing up award years. The "2026" CarGurus awards used [2025 data](https://www.stocktitan.net/news/CARG/car-gurus-names-2026-top-dealer-award-4gwgb29at3yt.html), so the year on the badge is not the year you have to perform.
- Showing a price without mandatory fees in a badge video or post. FTC staff FAQs from September 15, 2026 say social media posts fall under the FTC Act, as our [Facebook Marketplace rules guide](/us/blog/facebook-marketplace-car-dealer-rules) explains.
- Using review clips carelessly. The FTC rule covers testimonials as well as reviews, so the same rules apply to review videos, as our [video ideas guide](/us/blog/car-dealership-video-ideas) notes.

## How to check it worked

Check your review count, average rating and response rate at the end of every month, and your deal-rating share every week, in each platform's own dealer account. The final answer comes when winners are announced, which in 2026 was March for Cars.com and August for CarGurus.

| What to measure | Where | When | 2026 bar |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verified reviews and average rating since January 1 | Your CarGurus dealer account | End of each month | [5+ US reviews at 4.5+](https://www.stocktitan.net/news/CARG/car-gurus-names-2026-top-dealer-award-4gwgb29at3yt.html) |
| Reviews per quarter and average rating | Your Cars.com and DealerRater dealer accounts | End of each quarter | [25+ a year, 1+ per quarter, above 4.0](https://help.dealerrater.com/kb/guide/en/2026-cars-com-dealer-awards-faq-8G7iQeSb9M/Steps/2938859) |
| Response rate | Your Cars.com and DealerRater dealer accounts | End of each month | [Nearly 90% of honorees respond](https://investor.cars.com/2026-03-18-Cars-com-Announces-Its-2026-Dealer-of-the-Year-Awards) |
| Share of used listings rated Good or Great, and No Rating count | Your CarGurus dealer account | Every week | Top 100 per region |
| Digital Deal engagement and eligible units | Your CarGurus dealer account or rep | End of each month | Top 100 US dealers |
| Reach and link clicks on badge posts | Instagram Insights, Meta Business Suite, TikTok Analytics, YouTube Studio | A month after posting | Compare with your usual car posts |

If your numbers stay on pace each month through December 31, you are in good shape. If they don't, fix the routine before the next scoring year starts on January 1.

## How we checked this guide

In November 2026, we read CarGurus's 2026 award press release (via StockTitan), Auto Remarketing's coverage of the 2025 and 2026 awards, the DealerRater help center pages on the 2026 Cars.com Dealer Awards and the Consumer Satisfaction Award, Cars.com's investor release on its Dealer of the Year winners and the FTC's Q&A on its review rule. CarGurus's own dealer blog and award pages blocked our access, so the CarGurus criteria here use the press release wording: reviews submitted in the previous year, and Digital Deal engagement plus the share of inventory available for online transactions. We found no official CarGurus guidance on badge size or placement in videos or social posts, so this guide gives none. Every figure links to its source, either the original page or one of our earlier guides.

If you want every car on your lot posting as a short video while your team works on reviews, try A21 Social, with plans starting at [$49 a month](/us/pricing).

## FAQ

Q: How many reviews do you need for CarGurus Top Rated Dealer?
A: For the 2026 awards, US dealers needed at least 5 verified customer reviews submitted in 2025, with an average rating of at least 4.5 out of 5. Dealers in Canada and the UK needed at least 4 reviews. Reviews count for the calendar year before the award is announced.

Q: When are CarGurus Top Dealer Awards announced?
A: CarGurus announced its 2026 winners on August 11, 2026, and its 2025 winners on August 6, 2025. Both rounds used data from the previous calendar year. If CarGurus keeps that pattern, your 2026 reviews and listings decide the next round.

Q: What is CarGurus Top Value Dealer?
A: Top Value Dealer goes to the top 100 dealers per region with the highest share of their inventory rated Good or Great by CarGurus deal ratings over the previous year. For the 2026 awards, CarGurus measured 2025 inventory. Used listings without disclosed fees now get a No Rating designation, which does not count as Good or Great.

Q: What is CarGurus Top Digital Dealer?
A: Top Digital Dealer goes to the top 100 US dealerships based on shopper engagement through CarGurus Digital Deal and the share of their inventory available for online transactions. For the 2026 awards, CarGurus used 2025 inventory. Your CarGurus account rep can tell you which of your units are set up for Digital Deal.

Q: Can I use the CarGurus Top Dealer badge in my ads?
A: CarGurus says winners are identified with Top Dealer badging on the CarGurus site and with in-store signage. We found no published CarGurus rules on badge size or placement in videos, social posts or paid ads. Ask your CarGurus account rep before you put the badge in an ad.

Q: What are the Cars.com Dealer of the Year requirements?
A: For the 2026 Cars.com Dealer Awards, a dealer needed at least 25 reviews on Cars.com or DealerRater in the previous calendar year, at least 1 review in each quarter of that year, and an average rating above 4.0. Dealer of the Year also required at least 1 Sales (New) review in the award category. Cars.com announced its 2026 Dealer of the Year winners on March 18, 2026.

Q: How is DealerRater PowerScore calculated?
A: PowerScore weighs a dealership's average star rating, its total number of reviews and its response rate on reviews received during the scoring year. For the 2026 awards, that year was 2025. Cars.com uses PowerScore to rank Dealer of the Year candidates at regional, national brand and state or province brand levels.

Q: Is it legal to ask only happy customers for reviews under FTC rules?
A: The FTC Consumer Reviews and Testimonials Rule, in effect since October 21, 2024, does not specifically ban asking only satisfied customers for reviews. FTC staff note that the practice could still violate the FTC Act. The rule does bar incentives conditioned on a review expressing a particular sentiment.

Q: Who won CarGurus Top Dealer 2025?
A: CarGurus announced its 2025 Top Dealer Awards on August 6, 2025, using 2024 data. Three dealers won all three awards: AutoTrust USA in Miramar, Florida, Prime Rides Autohaus in Wilmington, Illinois, and World Star Auto Sales in Woodside, New York. 45 US dealers won more than one category.