CarGurus is a vehicle shopping app available on Google Play and the App Store that focuses on helping people find used and new cars from dealers and private sellers. Since its release, it has crossed 10 million installs on Google Play alone. The download is free, and there are no upfront costs to browse listings. The app does include ads and offers in-app purchases, mainly for premium dealer services or promotional placement, but regular buyers can use the core search tools without paying anything.

Once you install the app, you start by entering a make, model, price range, or ZIP code. The main screen then shows a list of nearby cars with photos, mileage, and a deal rating that tells you whether the price is fair compared to similar listings. Tapping a car opens a detailed page with vehicle history, dealer contact options, and a price analysis graph. I found the deal rating genuinely useful when comparing two similar sedans a few months ago. The search filters are responsive, and saving cars to a favorites list works without any lag. You can also contact sellers directly through the app, which keeps things simple.

Plenty of car listing apps exist, including Autotrader and Cars.com, but CarGurus stands out because of its deal rating system rather than just a massive inventory. Autotrader has a cleaner browsing layout in some ways, and Cars.com pushes more editorial content. What makes CarGurus different is the price transparency angle. The app tells you if a listing is overpriced, which most competitors either hide or charge for. The overall design is not as polished as some rivals, but the focus on pricing data is consistent. I noticed that after a week of use, I trusted the deal ratings more than the dealer descriptions.

• Deal rating badges appear right on each listing, showing instant price feedback. This saves time compared to manually checking market values on other sites.
• Price history graphs let you see how long a car has been listed and whether the seller has dropped the price. Autotrader does not offer this level of detail for free.
• Saving searches and getting alerts for new matches works well. I set one for a specific trim and got a notification within hours when a new car appeared.
• Dealer messaging is built in, so you can ask questions without leaving the app. Replies usually came back the same day during my testing.

• You can quickly filter out overpriced cars and focus on fair deals, which cuts down wasted trips to dealerships.
• The app works well for comparing similar models across multiple dealers in one view.
• Notifications for price drops on saved cars help you act before someone else buys them.
• Listing details usually include enough photos and specs to decide whether a car is worth a closer look.

• Some listings are outdated or already sold, especially from smaller dealers, so you still need to call ahead.
• The interface feels a bit cluttered on smaller phone screens, with ads taking up noticeable space.
• Deal ratings are helpful but not perfect; they do not always account for local market quirks or vehicle condition.
• Private seller listings are fewer in some regions, so selection depends heavily on where you live.