The math of getting ripped off.
The numbers behind the worst hour of car-buying — and what one clean report actually looks like.
What the average buyer overpays — without ever knowing.
Three figures, one public dataset of roughly 3 million add-on products, named below. Every figure traces to a source we can name. No invented scoring.
Average dealer markup on vin etching — a service that etches the VIN onto the glass, sold in the finance office after you have agreed on the car.
National Consumer Law Center · Auto Add-Ons Add Up · 2017
average dealer markup on service contracts
National Consumer Law Center, 2017
average dealer markup on gap
National Consumer Law Center, 2017
What you see vs. what’s real
2024 Honda CR-V EX-L · from our sample report
Three cars. Three verdicts.
What the product actually tells you • across the verdict range.
2023 Toyota Highlander XLE
Asked: $42,500 • Offered: $41,200
“Market value aligned, fees standard, APR competitive. Confident signing deal.”
2024 Honda CR-V EX-L
Asked: $35,500 • After Carlarity: $32,653
Saved: $2,847
“Doc fee inflated, APR 0.8% above tier, paint protection removed. Three levers.”
2023 Ford F-150 Lariat
Asked: $54,900 • Fair value: $48,200
“Price $6,700 above midpoint, 9.4% APR predatory for credit tier. Walk away.”
Illustrative examples. The deals, prices and savings shown are invented to show what a report says — none is a customer’s deal. Real customer reports remain private.
Buying a used car shouldn’t require a weekend of spreadsheets.
It shouldn’t require a friend in finance, three trips to different lots, or a stomach for confrontation. It should require a report.
Carlarity was built to close the information gap at the dealership desk, using the same data the dealer already has — VIN history, market comps, standard-rate lending, and a checklist of the things that quietly cost buyers money. We don’t get paid by dealers. We don’t sell cars. Every report is built for one person: the buyer.
— The Carlarity Team
Ready to see the math on your car?
Every figure in your report names its source. In-minutes turnaround. 30-day refund if it doesn’t help.