Car dealer bait and switch: what to do

The FTC says a low advertised price is misleading when the dealer doesn't honor it. For example, you arrive and learn the car isn't available at that price, or was never on the lot.

In March 2026, the FTC warned 97 dealership groups that an advertised price must be the total price, including every required fee. Its letters list pricing practices the FTC calls illegal, including:

• An advertised price that leaves out required fees.
• A price that counts rebates or discounts not everyone can get.
• A price that leaves out an extra down payment you'd have to make.
• A price you get only if you use dealer financing.
• Requiring add-ons that aren't in the advertised price.
• Advertising cars that aren't available or don't exist.

Show the dealer the ad and ask them to sell the car at that price, in writing. If they won't, walk away. The FTC asks you to report dealers that aren't honest about their ads.

If you do buy, compare the contract with the price the dealer sent you before you sign. If they don't match, ask why, and be ready to leave. See which dealer fees you have to pay.

Cars do sell, and listings can lag behind. An honest mistake comes with a clear answer. Be more suspicious if the dealer confirmed the exact car and price, can't say when it sold, keeps advertising it, or pushes you toward pricier cars.

The FTC's bait-advertising guides list more signs that an ad wasn't a real offer:

• Refusing to show you or sell you the advertised car on the ad's terms.
• Running down the advertised car, its warranty, or its financing to steer you away from it.
• Not having enough of the advertised cars to meet expected demand, when the ad didn't say supply was limited.

The guides go further. If an ad gets you in the door by deception, the law is broken, even if the dealer tells you the truth once you're there.

Ask when the car sold, and ask for that answer by email or text. Then ask whether they'll honor the same price on a truly comparable car, in writing, with its VIN. If not, leave.

• Screenshot the whole ad: the VIN, stock number, price, mileage, conditions, fine print, web address, and date, not just the headline.
• Ask the dealer to confirm by email or text that the exact car is on the lot, with its out-the-door price and any required add-ons. A “yes” over the phone is hard to prove later.
• Keep every message, and write down who you talked to and when.

The FTC suggests asking the dealer to confirm the car is on the lot and send the out-the-door price in writing before you leave home. Here's how to ask for an out-the-door price.

In California, for example, a dealer:

• Must sell an advertised car at or below its advertised total price while it's unsold, even if you never saw the ad. Taxes, registration, the doc fee, and a few other charges can be added on top. Exception: the ad said the price was good only until a set time, and that time has passed.
• Can't advertise a car that isn't actually for sale at the dealership, or available to it from the manufacturer, when the ad runs.
• Must take down an ad for a car within 48 hours after it's sold.
• Under the CARS Act (since October 1, 2026), can't mislead you about whether a car is available at the total price it gave you.

For your state's rules, ask your state consumer protection office. For California, see what the CARS Act says about total prices.

You don't have to prove anything in the showroom. Save the evidence and report it:

• To the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
• To your state consumer protection office. USAGov names it as a place to complain about deceptive car ads and dealers.
• In California, see where to report a dealer.

Include the ad, the dealer's written confirmation, your timeline, and the names of the people you dealt with.