Evidence — Our Research
Anecdote isn’t enough.
Data changes policy.
We're building the empirical foundation for what consumers already know. Our ongoing research documents gender-based and race-based price discrimination in automotive sales — rigorously, reproducibly, and publicly.
Our Approach
Correspondence
Audit Studies.
Correspondence audit studies are a gold-standard method in discrimination research. We send identically scripted inquiries to dealerships — differing only in signals of race, gender, or age — and document the responses.
This methodology has been used to document discrimination in housing, employment, and lending. We're applying it to automotive retail, one of the largest consumer purchases most Americans make.
Our studies are conducted in collaboration with faculty researchers at UCLA and follow IRB protocols for human subjects research.
Because what you can measure, you can prove. And what you can prove, you can change.
Active Studies
What We're
Working On Now.
Study 01 — Active Enrollment | UCLA Communication Studies | Est. Publication 2026
Gender-Based Price Discrimination in California Automotive Retail: A Correspondence Audit
Our primary study examines whether dealerships quote systematically different prices to prospective buyers based on perceived gender. Using matched pairs of identical buyer inquiries — controlling for vehicle model, condition, location, and bargaining script — we are measuring initial price quotes, response rates, time-to-response, and financing terms across a sample of California dealerships.
Research questions: Do female-presenting buyers receive higher initial price quotes than male-presenting buyers for identical vehicles? Do dealerships respond differently based on perceived buyer gender?
Study 02 — Data Collection | UCLA Communication Studies | Est. Publication 2026–27
Intersectionality in Automotive Pricing: Race, Gender, and the Compounding Discount Gap
Building on our primary study, this investigation examines whether race and gender interact to produce compounding disadvantages in dealership interactions. Our methodology employs matched testers signaling different race-gender combinations using standardized names, profile photographs, and communication patterns.
The Evidence Base
What the Research
Already Shows.
Ayres & Siegelman (1995) — Key Findings
$1,100
Higher average quotes for Black male buyers vs. white male buyers — identical cars, identical scripts.
$410
Higher average quotes for Black women vs. white men.
$92
Higher average quotes for white women vs. white men.
Morning Consult for Caribou (2022) — Key Findings
48%
Of Gen Z women report feeling discouraged about visiting a dealership due to gender-based discrimination.
13%
Longer negotiations documented for "minority" testers in field experiments.
4%
Of dealership visits included explicit racist or sexist comments from staff.
References
Sources &
Citations.
Peer-Reviewed Study
Ayres, I., & Siegelman, P. (1995). Race and gender discrimination in bargaining for a new car. The American Economic Review, 85(3), 304–321.
Source of the $1,100 / $410 / $92 figures and the 13% longer negotiation finding. 306 paired audits at Chicago-area dealerships.
Survey Report
Morning Consult for Caribou. (2022, April 14). Survey: Gen Z women worry about sexism at the car dealership. Caribou Industry Insights.
Source of the 48% Gen Z women figure. N = 2,200 U.S. adults, conducted March 24–25, 2022.
Get Involved
Want to
Participate?
Our correspondence audit studies require volunteer testers — people willing to submit standardized inquiries to dealerships as part of a structured research protocol. All participation is remote, anonymous, and involves no financial commitment.
If you’re interested in participating in our research, contact us through the form below. We'll reach out with details about study protocols, IRB protections, and how your participation contributes to publishable, policy-relevant research.
Express Interest in Participating