CHICAGO, April 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Cars.com, the premier online resource for buying and selling new and used cars, announced today that it has been ranked Highest Third-Party Automotive Website by J.D. Power and Associates.  The inaugural study, conducted with more than 4,000 used- and new-car purchase intenders, measures the usefulness of third-party automotive websites during the new- and used-vehicle shopping process by examining four key measures (in order of importance): information/content; navigation; appearance; and speed.  Among the 21 sites evaluated, Cars.com ranked highest overall and also led in areas of navigation, information/content and speed.

"Delivering the very best consumer shopping experience has always been our number one priority at Cars.com, so I'm thrilled to see shoppers in this study recognize the experience we've worked so hard to create," said Mitch Golub, President of Cars.com.  "With the number of choices and considerations, buying a car can be overwhelming.  Our goal is to help shoppers easily navigate all aspects of the research process and equip them with the content and information they need to confidently move toward purchase."

"Results of the Third-Party Automotive Website Evaluation Study(SM) follow changes we launched to Cars.com at the start of 2013 designed to improve the experience. While we are constantly evolving the site, we started the year with a major refresh, including an updated look and feel, easier browsing and faster load times."

According to J.D. Power and Associates, sites with higher satisfaction saw corresponding advocacy and loyalty rates, indicating a connection between satisfaction and the likelihood visitors will return to a site throughout their shopping process - ultimately translating into increased exposure for advertisers. 

"We've been 'consumer-first' from the start, but it benefits our manufacturer and dealer advertisers as well," Golub said.   "Our success in meeting the needs of shoppers throughout the various stages of their purchase process means we're able to offer advertisers not only a high-quality, in-market audience, but also a powerful environment for influencing decisions at key moments throughout the consumer journey."

For more details about the study, J.D. Power and Associates' press release can be accessed here.

ABOUT CARS.COM

Cars.com is an award-winning online destination for car shoppers that offers information from consumers and experts to help buyers formulate opinions on what to buy, where to buy and how much to pay for a car. Cars.com offers thousands of new and used vehicle listings, consumer reviews, side-by-side comparison tools, photo galleries, videos, unbiased editorial content and many other tools. Cars.com puts millions of car buyers in control of their shopping process with the information they need to make confident buying decisions. Launched in June 1998, Cars.com is a division of Classified Ventures LLC, which is owned by leading media companies, including A.H. Belo (NYSE: AHC), Gannett Co., Inc. (NYSE: GCI), The McClatchy Company (NYSE: MNI), Tribune Company and The Washington Post Company (NYSE: WPO).

SOURCE Cars.com