Car Cupid is free to use, and we make money through affiliate commission. This page explains exactly how that works, because you should be able to see how a site that recommends things is paid.
The short version
Many of the links on this site are affiliate links. If you click one and go on to buy something, the partner may pay us a commission. You pay nothing extra — the price is exactly the same as it would be if you had typed the address into your browser yourself.
Who we have affiliate relationships with
We currently earn commission through the eBay Partner Network, which covers listings on eBay and eBay Motors, and through Awin, an affiliate network that connects us with individual retailers. Our Awin partners currently include EV Cable Shop, a UK supplier of electric vehicle charging cables, linked from our guide to buying a used electric car. We may add further partners over time, and this page will be kept up to date as those arrangements change.
Where a link to a partner is not an affiliate link, we earn nothing at all from your click.
Where affiliate links appear
- Search results: links that take you through to partner marketplaces
- Live eBay listings: the listings shown directly on our pages
- Guides: some articles contain affiliate links, marked in context
How this affects what you see — honestly
We would rather be straightforward about this than hide behind a claim that money never influences anything.
What our commercial relationship does affect: eBay listings appear directly on the site, with photos and prices, while other platforms are reached through a one-tap search. That is a consequence of our eBay integration, and eBay is a partner we earn from. It means eBay stock is more visible on Car Cupid than other platforms’ stock, and you should factor that in.
What it does not affect: we do not accept payment to rank a particular car, dealer or platform above another. Within our search, the five platforms are presented equally and in a consistent order. Listings within our eBay results are filtered and sorted on the criteria you set — not on what pays best. Our guides are written independently, and no partner sees or approves them before publication.
What we do not do: we do not write positive coverage in exchange for commission, we do not accept payment for editorial content, and we do not remove criticism of a company because we have a commercial relationship with them.
Why we use affiliate links at all
The alternatives are advertising, charging users, or selling data. Affiliate commission lets the site stay free, stay free of ads, and avoid collecting personal information about you — which is why we chose it. If we recommend something badly and you have a poor experience, we lose the only thing we have, which is your willingness to come back.
Cookies and affiliate tracking
Affiliate commission is tracked using cookies set by our partners. These are not set unless you accept cookies through the banner on our site, and you can change your mind at any time using the Cookie Settings link in the footer. Full detail is in our Privacy Policy.
If you reject cookies, the site works exactly the same. You may simply find that a purchase is not attributed to us.
Advertising standards
This disclosure is provided in line with the UK Code of Non-broadcast Advertising and Direct & Promotional Marketing (the CAP Code), which requires commercial relationships of this kind to be made clear.
Questions
If anything here is unclear, or you think we have not been transparent enough somewhere on the site, email info@carcupid.co.uk.