Cookie Policy

Effective Date: November 2026

Cars.com, DealerRater, and Cars Commerce and its related entities (collectively, “Company”, “our”, “we”, or “us”) take your privacy seriously and encourage you to understand our use of automated data collection mechanisms in connection with our websites including Cars.com, carscommerce.inc, dealerrater.com, and their related domains, platforms, social media channels, software applications, mobile applications, services, information, web postings, products and tools (collectively, “Service(s)” or "Websites"). As discussed in greater detail within this Cookie Policy, our collection of data through the use of these technologies helps us, among other things, to provide you with a positive experience and potential offerings when you browse our Websites.

We use cookies, Pixels and similar technologies as automatic data collection mechanisms that collect information, including in some instances personal information, from users of our Services. Third parties also place these tools on our Websites to collect and process information about our users for various purposes, including for security, for analytics, and to facilitate targeted advertising. Please carefully review the linked information associated with each tool, which is also set forth below.

By visiting our Websites, or otherwise using our Services, you consent to our use of cookies, Pixels and similar technologies as detailed in this Cookie Policy. Please visit our Cookie Chart below for further details about which cookies and Pixels we use in connection with our Services. Except for strictly necessary cookies, all technologies will expire after the associated period identified in the Cookie Chart. If you have any questions or concerns about our use of cookies, please send us an email at [email protected].

Certain analytics/advertising technologies described below may constitute a “sale” or “sharing” of personal information as defined under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) and other U.S. data privacy laws. We provide a “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” mechanism available here and honor applicable opt‑out preference signals (e.g., Global Privacy Control).

I. What kinds of technologies are used?

Cookies.

A cookie is a small text file that we store on your browser or the hard drive of your computer. They are used to make websites function and to collect information to facilitate more secure, efficient, and customized user experiences. Cookie use is standard for most websites.

We use four types of cookies in connection with our Services:

Pixels.

Pixels, tags, clear gifs, SDKs, JavaScript tags and similar technologies (collectively “Pixels”) are very small code or graphic images that helps use to analyze users' behavior in connection with our Websites and to measure the effectiveness of our Services and related advertising. We use Pixels on our Websites to collect information about users' use of our Services, such as which Website pages you view, which features or links you use, or other such actions you take relative to our Services. Types of information that Pixels may gather include the IP address of the device you use to access the Services, date and time information, immediate browsing history, approximate location and technical information about your device such as the browser type and operating system. Pixels can also allow us, or third parties, to place cookies on your device.

II. What is the purpose of these technologies?

We use cookies and Pixels in connection with our Services for the purposes of furthering security, customization, analytics, and advertising. We, or our service providers on our behalf, use the technologies described above for the following purposes.

Security.

Cookies support our Services' security features, helping to make your experience with our Services more secure. For instance, we can use cookie data to help identify malicious or illegal behavior.

Customization.

Cookies allow us to retain your preferred settings for our Services and deliver a customized experience to you, such as by saving your username and other profile information, previous searches, and information regarding your previously viewed products or services. By retaining this information, we can present you with information that is consistent with your prior use of our Services and likely interests.

Analytics and Performance

We want to provide you with information that interests you. Cookies allow us to determine which aspects of our Services are more (or less) popular with our users, including our websites, e-mails, job postings, advertisements, or other content. We can use that information to understand and improve upon our Services, as well as to develop new features to serve you better. Such usage information forms the basis for reports generated to provide us aggregated information about the utilization of our Services.

Advertising and Social Media.

Marketing cookies and Pixels permit more efficient delivery of advertisements to you including services and products in which you are more likely to be interested. They also help us track the effectiveness of our marketing efforts. Social media cookies and Pixels can track your browser activity across other sites and create a profile of things that are likely of interest to you.

III. Do third parties use these technologies relating to Company’s products and services?

Yes. Please note that, as identified in our Cookie Chart, third parties also use cookies in connection with our Services. These named third parties may include, for example, advertising networks and providers of external services like web traffic analysis services.