Autotrader for business

Car marketplace.

Automotive · autotrader.com

Claim or add your listing Visit autotrader.com

Cost to list: Paid; Paying is required to list
Approval: Not stated
Link type: Nofollow link; Checked on a live listing
Shows up in searches for: 1 business type; Best #4, car dealers
Popularity: Tranco #5,368; #204 of 1,712 directory sites
Countries: United States

Checked Oct 20, 2026 · 3 sources

Is Autotrader worth it?

Our reading of the measured data, not a score.

Secondary

A secondary listing, with little measured reach in Google.

Autotrader made Google's top 10 in 1 of the 4 buyer searches we ran for the 1 business type it accepts. You have to pay to be listed. Profile links are reported nofollow, so list for customers, not for SEO links.

What works

Showed up in Google for car dealers, as high as #4
Busier than most directory sites: #204 of 1,712 by Tranco

Watch out for

You have to pay to be listed
Nofollow links: list for customers, not for SEO
Homepage returned "page unavailable" title to curl (bot protection likely)

Measured fit, by business type

How often Autotrader made Google's top 10 in our US buyer searches for the types it accepts.

Car dealers 1/4

Some · best #4

See every search result →

Where Autotrader shows up when people search

We ran 399 real buyer searches (Google US, desktop) for 100 business types on Oct 20, 2026 and recorded which directories made the organic top 10. Local packs and ads are not counted.

Autotrader accepts 1 business type we measure. Here is every one, with what Google showed instead, so you can see where a listing would and wouldn't be found.

Car dealers

1/4

Autotrader ranked as high as #4 in 1 of these searches. Directories of any kind held 19% of the top-10 spots.

Directories

Yelp 2/4, CARFAX 1/4, Cars.com 1/4

Other sites

reddit.com, facebook.com, hatfieldusedcars.com

Searches: “used car dealer columbus oh”, “best car dealerships in las vegas”, “used car dealer richmond”, “top rated car dealerships atlanta ga” result

Bars show the searches where it made the organic top 10. "Directories" lists the tracked directories that did rank for the same searches, with their hit count. How we measure

What Autotrader costs and who can list

As stated on Autotrader's own pages or reported by a named source. Checked Oct 20, 2026.

Who can list: Car dealers

Census audience: car dealers · United States
Pricing: Paid

Private sellers: listing fee $9, $29 or $49 based on asking price; Private Seller Exchange adds 0.99% seller protection fee (min $99) at sale. Dealer pricing not published.
Approval: Not stated. Private-seller ads are self-serve; dealer listings via Autotrader/Cox Automotive (no public dealer sign-up page found; /dealers returns 404).
Link attribute: Nofollow link. We checked a live listing on Oct 20, 2026: autotrader.com/car-dealers/san-francisco-ca/74297387/ever-cars-co.
Note: Dealer page primary 'Visit Dealer Website' CTA rel='nofollow noopener' (UTM-tagged); a secondary 'Visit dealer website' anchor has no rel.
Sources: autotrader.com/sell-my-car
autotrader.com/car-dealers/san-francisco-ca/74297387/ever-cars-co
autotrader.com

Prices and rules change; the linked pages are the authority.

How to add your business to Autotrader

1
Prepare your details
- Business name, address and phone written exactly as on your Google Business Profile and website
- Primary category, plus the services you actually offer
- Opening hours, service area and website URL
- Real photos: storefront or vehicle, team, finished work
- Access to the business phone or email, in case it verifies ownership
- A way to ask real customers for reviews (never buy them)
Our standard checklist for this kind of site (industry directory), not a list published by Autotrader.
2

Open the claim page
autotrader.com/sell-my-car
3

Approval: not stated

Private-seller ads are self-serve; dealer listings via Autotrader/Cox Automotive (no public dealer sign-up page found; /dealers returns 404).
4

Check the watch-outs

3 things to know before you claim.

Autotrader alternatives

Ranked by the same evidence: Google top-10 appearances for the business types Autotrader serves, then audience fit, then Tranco popularity.

Questions about Autotrader

Is Autotrader worth it for a business?

A secondary listing, with little measured reach in Google. Autotrader made Google's top 10 in 1 of the 4 buyer searches we ran for the 1 business type it accepts. You have to pay to be listed. Profile links are reported nofollow, so list for customers, not for SEO links. This is our reading of the measured data.

How much does a Autotrader listing cost?

Paid. What we found: Private sellers: listing fee $9, $29 or $49 based on asking price; Private Seller Exchange adds 0.99% seller protection fee (min $99) at sale. Dealer pricing not published.. Checked Oct 20, 2026.

Is a link from Autotrader dofollow?

Nofollow link, as reported in our census.

How do I add my business to Autotrader?

Start at autotrader.com/sell-my-car. Approval: not stated (Private-seller ads are self-serve; dealer listings via Autotrader/Cox Automotive (no public dealer sign-up page found; /dealers returns 404).). Have your details ready first (see "How to list" above).

What are the best Autotrader alternatives?

Ranked by the same evidence: Yelp, CARFAX, and Cars.com. The full list of 8 is above, with the searches each one appeared in.

Run Autotrader?

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