What can legally be added to the advertised price of a vehicle?

The legally permissible addition to the advertised price of a vehicle is typically associated with various legitimate costs incurred in the sale process. Dealer profit and handling charges are designed to cover the dealership’s operational expenses and can be added to the advertised price as they represent the dealership's markup and fees for processing the sale.

When a consumer sees an advertised price, that figure is often a base price. However, additional costs incurred by the dealer, such as dealership markups for profit and handling charges that are customary within the industry, can be added legally to reflect the total amount the consumer will ultimately need to pay. This transparency is important as dealerships may have different structures of additional fees that they are legally allowed to include based on their business operations.

Options that involve financing fees and sales tax pertain to separate transactions and obligations that arise after the vehicle's price has been established, rather than being legitimate additions to the vehicle's advertised price. Similarly, while delivery charges may be an additional cost, they are generally specified separately and not uniformly considered a standard addition to the advertised price like profit and handling charges, which have greater acceptance across various transactions in the automotive industry.