You Can Now Buy a Car on Amazon

People in dozens of American cities can now buy the car of their choice on Amazon, as long as it is a new Hyundai. The online retail giant has launched its Amazon Autos service, just over a year after it was first announced, Wired reports. It is currently available in 48 cities—a full list can be seen in a company blog post—and while Hyundai is the only partner for now, Amazon says it plans to work with more automakers and dealerships in 2025.

• How it works. Amazon says customers "can search available vehicles from local participating dealers by model, trim, color, features and more—all in one place. Once customers select a vehicle, they can secure financing, e-sign paperwork, and complete their order with a few clicks." This is one Amazon buy that won't arrive in a cardboard box—customers will have to pick up their new car from a dealership.

• One "huge difference." Jonathan M. Gitlin at Ars Technica says there is a huge difference to the traditional dealership experience: There's no negotiation, no browbeating or asking you how much of a monthly payment you want to make, and no upselling paint protection or the like." Gitlin notes that there's no one-click option, "so no one should be in any danger of absent-mindedly buying a brand-new Palisade."
• Trade-ins. Amazon says customers can get a "firm trade-in value for their current vehicle by answering questions about the vehicle's condition," which can be applied to the price of their Amazon Autos buy. The company says the value is provided by an "independent third party." The valuations, Amazon says, are not negotiable.
• Pros and cons. Sherin Shibu at Entrepreneur checked out the new feature but decided against buying a vehicle. "Buying a car through Amazon Autos felt like shopping on Amazon, so I felt right at home," she writes. "Even though the car product category is new to Amazon, the familiar interface made the process easy to navigate." But she didn't like the lack of selection—the cheapest vehicle was $22,510, not including taxes and fees —or the lack of negotiating power. "While it can be less stressful to have the whole process online, it is also less personal," she writes. "And I can't help wondering if I'm getting the best deal online or if I would be better off going in person."

(More Amazon.com stories.)