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Observed 2026-10-19 · California dealer sources

California Dealer Price Brief

Car Dogs observed 7,225 active listings across 38 configured California dealer sources on 2026-10-19. 992 had reconciled itemized pricing; 2,862 included dealer-posted document and electronic filing fees.

Collected 2026-10-19 20:00:08 UTC. Refreshed on the first enabled Autopilot run each Pacific day; not real-time.

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Observed listings

7,225

Dealer sources

38

New listings

5,051

Itemized listings

992

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
Toyota1623—6.70/1623531/1623
Ford1235-0.3%7.1368/1235734/1235
Honda950—9.70/95041/950
LEXUS512—12.10/512464/512
GMC410-2%29.67/41019/410
Hyundai354—12.40/354206/354
Chevrolet3331.6%6.573/333149/333
Kia219-0.4%1969/219187/219
Jeep202-0.2%4.1135/202149/202
Lexus198—6.60/1981/198
Nissan183—140/18312/183
Mercedes-Benz175—20.40/17523/175
Cadillac146-0.4%10.375/14673/146
Mazda1401.9%13.8110/1407/140
Lincoln1070.1%14.894/10796/107
BMW103—100/10340/103
RAM73-0.4%3.455/7357/73
Buick44—28.50/444/44
Audi26—9.80/267/26
Volkswagen26—8.90/264/26
Dodge24-0.2%5.75/2410/24
Acura18—8.80/183/18
Porsche17—10.70/177/17
Subaru14—8.10/144/14
Tesla13—90/136/13
Chrysler12—71/123/12
BrightDrop12—70/1210/12
Ram10—11.40/104/10
Volvo7—130/72/7
Land Rover7—5.70/72/7
Genesis7—12.40/76/7
POLESTAR5—10.50/50/5

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
SUV35070.3%10.8592/35071498/3507
Truck - Crew Cab1222-0.2%10.5251/1222443/1222
Sedan1106-0.3%10.865/1106342/1106
Unknown381-3.7%5.35/381260/381
Hatchback173-0.6%8.95/17316/173
Truck - Extended Cab162—10.40/16216/162
Coupe1391.5%7.831/13966/139
Truck93—14.70/9339/93
Van89—6.13/8911/89
Minivan70—9.60/7024/70
Convertible501.3%14.98/509/50
4 Door42—13.40/4236/42
Truck - Regular Cab40-0.3%22.29/4020/40
Crossover37—11.93/3730/37
Cargo Van35-2.7%7.613/3522/35
Van/Minivan15—16.20/159/15
2500 Regular Wheelbase7—34.24/71/7
Other7—13.90/70/7
2D Standard Cab/Chassis6—20/60/6
eAWD 4006—4.40/66/6
Select6—7.10/61/6
XtraCab6—15.90/60/6

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

$2,576 average

287 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.

2024 Ford Escape PHEV

$34,117 vs $49,610 MSRP

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

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-19. Confirm with seller.

2023 Ford Escape PHEV

$34,117 vs $48,615 MSRP

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

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-19. Confirm with seller.

2024 Ford Bronco Sport Outer Banks

$32,117 vs $37,625 MSRP

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

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-18. Confirm with seller.

2025 Ford F-250SD XL UTILITY BODY

$64,076 vs $52,460 MSRP

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

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-19. Confirm with seller.

2026 Ford Transit-250

$62,616 vs $56,000 MSRP

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

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-19. Confirm with seller.

2026 Ford Maverick XL

$32,876 vs $30,255 MSRP

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

Dealer source

Price detail observed 2026-10-18. 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 7,225 active listings across 38 configured California dealer sources on 2026-10-19. 992 had reconciled itemized pricing; 2,862 included dealer-posted document and electronic filing fees. 2024 Ford Escape PHEV: captured fee-inclusive price $34,117 versus MSRP $49,610 (31.2% below). This is a listing observation, not a confirmed offer. Sources and methodology: https://cardogs.org/research/2026-10-19 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 7,225 active listings across 38 configured California dealer sources on 2026-10-19. 992 had reconciled itemized pricing; 2,862 included dealer-posted document and electronic filing fees. EXAMPLE: 2024 Ford Escape PHEV: captured fee-inclusive price $34,117 versus MSRP $49,610 (31.2% 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/2026-10-19.