If you’ve been wanting to buy a new Hyundai but you haven’t wanted to deal with one of their notoriously crappy dealers, Amazon just saved you a trip. The online retail giant has finally rolled out its online car buying tool for Hyundai that has been in the works for over a year.
Called Amazon Autos, the tool allows car buyers to purchase a brand-new Hyundai completely online. I know what you’re probably thinking: We’ve heard of tools like this before, and it’s not actually dealership-free. This time around, though, it appears to be legit — the only thing you have to do is go to the dealer to pick the car up.
Using Amazon Autos, you search for your Hyundai like you would anything else on Amazon. You can sort and filter models by things like price, color, trim, drivetrain and even seat material. Once you’ve settled on the model you want, you click on the car and are greeted with more info, including various photos of the car, details about its powertrain and equipment, a tool for payment estimates, available rebates and a breakdown of fees depending on your area. Amazon also threw something in called Price Clarity:
At Amazon Autos, we’re upfront with every cost, fee, and rate so you know exactly where your dollars go. Begin a purchase to see your custom price with eligible savings and rebates, plus add a trade-in you can use instantly. If things change, we offer the flexibility to cancel at any time before driving your new car off the lot.
This Price Clarity surprisingly extends to markups. Amazon Autos actually lists if a vehicle has a markup, though they call it “dealer adjustment.” Once you’re ready to buy the car, you can begin the purchase. A page appears that asks if you want to finance the car or pay in cash, then you confirm your address. You can then apply for financing and provide the necessary documents, add a trade-in and get its value and even pay for the down payment. Once you’re done, you schedule a pickup time for the car at the dealer. It really does seem that easy. Amazon is even throwing in a limited time incentive: If you purchase a new Hyundai using Amazon Autos before January 10 2025, you’ll receive a $2,500 gift card.
Fan Jin, global head of Amazon Autos, called the car buying tool convenient and easy. “With Amazon Autos, we’re bringing the simplicity and ease customers expect from Amazon to car shopping, one of their largest purchases, while offering dealers a new channel to connect with a broad audience,” she said.
Hyundai and Amazon first announced the online car buying partnership at the LA Auto Show in November 2023. Not a word was heard from either company for months after that. There was a car buying tool called Hyundai Evolve that was more of a digital showroom for new Hyundais, but you couldn’t buy a car with it. Things got so silent that many dealers started to question whether the online feature was actually coming, while others voiced their concerns about whether they would be able to work with multiple banks for loans and whether Amazon would collect customer data and use it to try and sell them more crap.
Another downside is that you still have to go into a dealership to pick up your car, a strange move considering how Hyundai and Amazon originally announced that cars would be able to be delivered to buyers. Some of the dealers participating do offer delivery service, though there’s no word on how that will work either.
Also keep in mind that Amazon Autos is still in a beta phase, and it’s only available to buyers in 48 cities/metropolitan areas. While Amazon is currently only offering the ability to purchase new Hyundais through the tool, the company says the service will expand to include more brands next year.
