Buying a car on Amazon?

It still blows my mind that this is a thing. Dropping $30-70K on a car from the same place you buy paper towels? Wild.

I opened the Amazon app last night and front and center was a Hyundai Ioniq 9 Sponsored Ad. So naturally, I had to dig in.

Search pages. Product pages. It all looked and felt just like shopping for sandals or snacks.

Right now, Hyundai Motor Company (현대자동차) is the only brand in the Amazon Autos beta, which was announced December 2024. Will it expand? Are people into it?

Honestly… yeah.

According to some real-life buyers in the forums, it’s smooth: upfront pricing, online financing, paperwork done before you even hit the dealership. One person said they were in and out in 30 minutes. 30 minutes?!?

And the reviews are mostly positive. Folks love the transparency. No awkward upselling, no surprise fees, no “let me talk to my manager” haggling games.

There are limitations, of course: you can’t test drive online, there’s no negotiating, and it’s only for new Hyundais in certain markets.

Still, Amazon is making car shopping feel refreshingly easy, and that’s the whole point. Based on what I could find, dealers are loving the visibility, but some are worried about losing their margin-padding extras.

Bottom line: if Amazon expands beyond Hyundai, other automakers will definitely feel the pressure.

Is it the future of car buying? TBD.