CarGurus Adds AI-Powered Search Experience to Car Shopping Platform

CarGurus has added an artificial intelligence-powered search experience to its online platform for buying and selling new and used vehicles.

This search experience allows consumers to use conversational language to discover vehicles that meet their needs, compare models, and refine the search results, the company said in a Monday (June 9) press release.

CarGuru’s Vice President, Product Ben Kasdon said in the release that this feature allows consumers to “shop in ways that weren’t possible before by having an open dialogue right on our site.”

One sample prompt included in the press release is: “I have three kids under 3. Help me find a car with high safety and reliability ratings.”

Other examples included intuitive prompts seeking cars with room for tall drivers; SUVs with a specific combination of reliability, technology and price; and all-wheel drive vehicles for any terrain.

“No matter what phase of the journey they’re in, shoppers can now search on their own terms to uncover their best match more efficiently and with greater confidence,” Kasdon said.

In an early pilot program, shoppers using the AI search feature spent more time on the site than those using traditional search methods, Kasdon said.

PYMNTS reported in February that CarGurus was bullish on the potential impact of AI on the car-buying experience.

In 2024, CarGurus launched more than 30,000 personalized car comparison pages, offering recommendations based on users’ search history, and found that this AI-driven approach increased conversion by 10% during its testing phase.

“With a 14% increase in direct traffic year over year and 30% of our leads coming from our app, it’s essential that we continuously improve the experience across our owned channels,” CarGurus CEO Jason Trevisan said during a February earnings call. “To support this, we introduced cross-platform syncing, allowing consumer activity to seamlessly transition between desktop, mobile web and the app.”

Across the retail industry, generative AI tools are playing a role in shopping by helping consumers find products and deals more efficiently, PYMNTS reported in December.

Retailers reported significant traffic growth from AI-powered searches, marking a shift from traditional search engines and highlighting AI’s role in driving online retail engagement.