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Observed 2026-10-22 · California dealer sources

California Dealer Price Brief

Car Dogs observed 2,805 active listings across 19 configured California dealer sources on 2026-10-22. 771 had reconciled itemized pricing; 1,131 included dealer-posted document and electronic filing fees.

Collected 2026-10-22 07:00:13 UTC. Refreshed on the first enabled Autopilot run each Pacific day; not real-time.

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Observed listings

2,805

Dealer sources

19

New listings

1,950

Itemized listings

771

By brand

New-car comparisons include doc and electronic filing fees; tax and DMV are additional. Negative percentages mean above MSRP. — means fewer than five eligible comparisons.
By brandSampleBelow MSRPDays observedItemizedPosted fees
Toyota651—11.20/651178/651
Ford609-0.2%11153/609254/609
Chevrolet2140.1%9.592/214143/214
GMC193—36.50/19321/193
Kia159-0.4%25.3131/159139/159
Honda158—9.50/1584/158
Cadillac146-0.2%13.297/146138/146
Mazda145-0.3%16.883/1450/145
Lincoln1200.1%1799/120105/120
Jeep108-0.2%6.171/10873/108
Lexus69—15.80/691/69
RAM55-0.4%5.841/5542/55
Hyundai35—8.20/352/35
Nissan18—12.10/180/18
Buick16—180/166/16
Dodge15—8.13/153/15
BMW14—14.50/142/14
Volkswagen13—13.50/130/13
BrightDrop11—8.40/1111/11
Mercedes-Benz10—110/102/10
Audi9—13.50/91/9
Acura6—11.80/61/6
Subaru6—12.70/60/6
Chrysler5—6.31/51/5

By body style

New-car comparisons include doc and electronic filing fees; tax and DMV are additional. Negative percentages mean above MSRP. — means fewer than five eligible comparisons.
By body styleSampleBelow MSRPDays observedItemizedPosted fees
SUV13450%14.8503/1345596/1345
Truck - Crew Cab558-0.5%16159/558216/558
Sedan338-0.3%12.472/338136/338
Unknown214—5.52/21461/214
Truck - Extended Cab78—16.70/789/78
Minivan56-0.3%1311/5616/56
Hatchback52-0.4%14.87/5211/52
Coupe430.5%12.55/4319/43
Crossover22—18.10/2222/22
Cargo Van18—10.43/184/18
Van17—10.73/174/17
Convertible17—14.84/172/17
4 Door11—140/1110/11
Truck - Regular Cab7—19.51/72/7
eAWD 4006—6.80/66/6
eAWD 6005—10.20/55/5

Captured advertised accessories

Average totals only among reconciled listings with positive accessory amounts. These products are already in the advertised price, not extra charges added here.

Ford

$2,630 average

107 itemized listings with accessories

Chevrolet

$23,670 average

5 itemized listings with accessories

RAM

$567 average

15 itemized listings with accessories

Observed price examples

New cars only. Differences can reflect discounts, installed equipment and dealer fees—not solely a dealer markup. No conditional rebates deducted.

2026 Chevrolet Equinox ACTIV

$35,588 vs $41,110 MSRP

Doc and electronic filing fees included; unposted fees estimated. Plus tax and DMV.

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-21. Confirm with seller.

2026 Chevrolet Colorado Z71

$46,888 vs $51,655 MSRP

Doc and electronic filing fees included; unposted fees estimated. Plus tax and DMV.

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-21. Confirm with seller.

2026 Chevrolet Colorado Z71

$48,025 vs $51,655 MSRP

Doc and electronic filing fees included; unposted fees estimated. Plus tax and DMV.

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-21. Confirm with seller.

2026 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 LT Trail Boss

$82,107 vs $66,990 MSRP

Doc and electronic filing fees included; unposted fees estimated. Plus tax and DMV.

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-20. Confirm with seller.

2025 Ford F-250SD XL

$64,076 vs $52,460 MSRP

Doc and electronic filing fees included; unposted fees estimated. Plus tax and DMV.

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-20. Confirm with seller.

2026 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD LT

$98,346 vs $81,229 MSRP

Doc and electronic filing fees included; unposted fees estimated. Plus tax and DMV.

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-20. Confirm with seller.

Methodology & limitations

Active listings at Car Dogs' configured California dealer sources, observed within 48 hours of collection. One row per VIN (or listing ID when VIN is unavailable). Not a census, sales data, or dealer-confirmed offer. New-car discount comparisons use a captured, reconciled itemized price and MSRP; conditional incentives are excluded. Published dealer fees are added once. Missing fees use labeled estimates. Discounts above 35% are excluded from comparisons pending review. Groups require at least five listings. Days observed means time since Car Dogs first saw a listing, not its true time on the lot. Itemization measures captured data—not absence of undisclosed fees or legal compliance. Reconciled itemization and comparisons currently cover sources whose parser supplies a reconciliation flag (DealerOn); Dealer.com and Dealer Inspire listings may count in the overall sample but not these subsets. Those subsets are not representative of all listed dealers.

Accessory averages include only itemized listings with a positive published accessory total—not all cars. Missing data is never counted as zero hidden fees. No customer quotes, credit details or chat records are used.

Car Dogs is not the seller. Partner dealers may pay a flat referral fee following an introduction and purchase. Full disclosures

Ready-to-share brief & recording script

Car Dogs observed 2,805 active listings across 19 configured California dealer sources on 2026-10-22. 771 had reconciled itemized pricing; 1,131 included dealer-posted document and electronic filing fees. 2026 Chevrolet Equinox ACTIV: captured fee-inclusive price $35,588 versus MSRP $41,110 (13.4% below). This is a listing observation, not a confirmed offer. Sources and methodology: https://cardogs.org/research/2026-10-22 Car Dogs is an independent research and referral service. Partner dealers may pay a flat referral fee after an introduction and purchase.

OPEN: What does a dealer headline actually include? EVIDENCE: Car Dogs observed 2,805 active listings across 19 configured California dealer sources on 2026-10-22. 771 had reconciled itemized pricing; 1,131 included dealer-posted document and electronic filing fees. EXAMPLE: 2026 Chevrolet Equinox ACTIV: captured fee-inclusive price $35,588 versus MSRP $41,110 (13.4% below). This is a listing observation, not a confirmed offer. EXPLAIN: MSRP is a factory reference for new cars—not a used-car valuation. Our comparison includes document and electronic filing fees, but excludes tax and DMV. LIMIT: These are observed listings, not sales or a guarantee that no other fees exist. Confirm the itemized out-the-door offer with the seller. CLOSE: The dated sources and method are at cardogs.org/research/2026-10-22.

Dated archive

For reporters & creators

Nicholas Velez has spent more than 15 years inside car dealerships — the service lane, the internet department, the sales desk and the finance office — and built Car Dogs so shoppers finally get the inside answer for free.