Hyundai Will Sell Cars on Amazon: What You Need to Know

Pick up a sleek Ioniq 5 N while you’re stocking up on paper towels.

us lifestyle automobile show ROBYN BECK

On November 16th, Amazon and Hyundai announced the details of a wide-ranging partnership. One big component of this tie-up: Hyundai will be the first automotive brand to sell vehicles on Amazon starting in 2024.

We don’t have a lot of details from the two brands yet. But here’s what we know so far about how that process will work.

So, you’ll be able to buy a Hyundai on Amazon?

Yes. Buyers will be able to search Amazon for an available vehicle and purchase it online. The payment and financing will happen “within the Amazon experience” that customers are used to. It sounds like you’ll be able to place an Ioniq 5 in a cart and buy it, though it’s not clear whether you can put it on your Amazon Prime Visa and get all the points.

Does that mean you won’t have to deal with a Hyundai dealer?

No. Direct car sales remain illegal in several states. Hyundai is selling this as “another way for dealers to build awareness of their selection and offer convenience to their customers.” And you will still need to arrange vehicle pickup or delivery with the local dealer.

However, there should be more transparency and less stress than the conventional purchase method. If dealers are selling cars on Amazon, pricing will need to be more straightforward than it is now. Online inventory will need to be kept up date. And you may just be able to uncheck a box to get out of paying for things like a needless wheel/tire insurance package.

What happens if you want to lease or trade in your vehicle?

Hyundai and Amazon have not addressed that yet. But we expect more complicated purchases will still need to be conducted with the dealer personally.

Is buying cars on Amazon the future?

Hyundai is the first brand to sign up for this with Amazon. But we expect more will sign up. And it could end up being quite popular.

We’ve seen an explosion in popularity of buying used cars sight unseen with websites like Bring a Trailer. Buyers should theoretically feel more at ease buying a new car online than a used car. Some buyers will still want to see/test drive a new vehicle in person. But others should enjoy the reprieve from dealing with pushy sales associates.

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