How we make money

CarOutlay is free to use and reader-supported. We don't charge you, run display ads that follow you around, or sell your data — because we don't collect it. Instead, when our guides or tools point you to a partner (for example, to compare auto insurance quotes or refinance rates), that's a clearly-labeled outbound link to the partner's own site, and we may earn a flat referral fee if you use it. It costs you nothing extra.

The rules we hold ourselves to

• We don't sell cars or earn dealer fees. No dealership, car brand, or manufacturer pays us anything. We have no financial relationship with any car seller.
• Flat referral fees only. We earn a flat amount for a click-out, not a percentage of any purchase, loan, or premium. Our calculator results are not influenced by which partner is paying more.
• We never rank partners by what they pay us. When we show more than one partner, they're ordered alphabetically or at random — never by fee. Our code has no "how much they pay" field.
• We don't take your information. Every partner link goes to the partner's own site. We host no quote form, no application, and collect no personal information. We can't sell or leak what we never have.
• Disclosure travels with every link. The advertising disclosure appears next to each monetized link, as the FTC requires.
• Money never changes our numbers. Our tool estimates, state fee data, and guide content are independent of any partner relationship.

Our partner categories

These are the categories we work with or plan to work with. Until a specific link is active, placeholder buttons point to this page. We add live links only after confirming the payout structure meets our rules.

• Endurance — An extended warranty can protect against unexpected repair costs once the manufacturer warranty expires.
• EverQuote — Auto insurance is one of the biggest ongoing costs of ownership. Compare quotes from multiple insurers — shop annually to avoid loyalty pricing.
• LendingTree — Refinancing an auto loan can lower your monthly payment or reduce total interest paid. Rates are compared on the partner's own site — we never rank by what a lender pays us.

What we are — and aren't

CarOutlay is an independent information publisher. We are not a dealer, lender, insurer, mechanic, or financial advisor. We don't sell cars, arrange loans, or give specific advice for your situation. Our tools produce estimates based on standard formulas and your inputs — always confirm actual fees with your state DMV, your insurer, and your lender before committing.