That $85 Doc Fee Belongs in the Advertised Price. Now the FTC Has Sued a Dealer Group Over It.

Update, October 12, 2026: The FTC has now brought a case. On October 8 it announced a settlement with Greenway Auto Group, a Florida dealer group it accused of charging buyers thousands over its advertised prices. The case details and a new step for signing day are added below.

If you’ve ever driven to a dealership for an advertised price and watched the number grow at the desk, you now have two documents to point at. On September 15 the Federal Trade Commission published pricing FAQs for auto dealers. The rule at the center runs one sentence: the advertised price has to be the actual price any consumer can walk in and pay.

Three weeks later, it showed what that looks like in court.

The case

According to the FTC’s complaint, Greenway’s Kia dealerships charged over 92% of buyers of cars it listed on CarGurus and Cars.com more than the advertised price between March 2023 and May 2026. The average was at least $3,354, and that’s before tax, title and registration.

One example from the complaint: a used 2017 Honda CR-V listed at $18,800. A couple drove over an hour to buy it. The price sheet said $23,539.85, after a $2,495 “recon” fee, a $995 “loyalty” fee, a $249.95 “Admin Fee,” an $899.95 “Dealer Fee” and a $99.95 “PTA Fee.”

The FTC sent Greenway a warning letter in March. Per the agency, Greenway answered by adding “false assurances of price transparency” to its websites. One listing in the complaint promises “transparent pricing” a few lines above a mandatory $2,295.95 package.

Greenway agreed to a stipulated order, which takes the force of law once a federal judge signs it. Its ads must show the actual price, excluding only government-required charges.

What the rule says

Only charges a government requires you to pay directly sit on top: tax, title, registration. The FTC’s example is the doc fee. A $40,000 vehicle with an $85 doc fee charged to every buyer has to be advertised at $40,085. If a dealer charges some buyers a bigger mandatory fee, the FAQs say advertising off the smaller one “misleads any shopper who would actually be required to pay the higher fee.”

The discount that costs money

FAQ 5 lets a dealer advertise $39,999 with a $2,000 discount for dealer financing, as long as the $39,999 is the most prominent number.

That’s a trade, and the dealer sets both sides. On a 72-month loan, take the discount and borrow $37,999 at 9%: you pay $49,317. Bring a credit union check and borrow $39,999 at 7%: you pay $49,100. Two points of rate beat $2,000 off.

Do this before you sign

Screenshot the listing. Get a credit union quote first, then run the all-in price through our auto loan calculator and compare total paid, not monthly payment. Our loans hub and best loan picks are the place to start.

Ask for the buyer’s order on paper before you sign. The complaint says Greenway closed deals on a dealer-controlled tablet and handed one buyer her documents on a thumb drive. She found out at home that she’d paid about $9,000 over the ad.

Read it against your screenshot. A recon, loyalty, prep or “protection” charge that wasn’t in the ad doesn’t belong there. Say so, and walk if they won’t take it off. Then report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov with the ad attached.

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