When it comes to getting your garage outfitted with a new vehicle, the options available to you might just seem a little overwhelming. With options ranging from SUVs to sporty roadsters, and with prices anywhere from bargain to top-of-the-line, the sheer number of choices in front of the average new car buyer can be intimidating. However, on easy metric makes finding the best deal for your budget easy and enticing: incentives.

New car incentives can be the cost-saving, make-or-break deals that help tip the balance between a deal made for your wallet and something a little too pricey. Whether you’re a first-time new car buyer or an experienced driver looking to trade up to something with a bit more street presence, incentives can help take the edge off when it comes to paying that first - and last - new car payment. 

Here’s a look at some of the most important information to keep in mind around incentives, and how to make these easy savings work for you.

What are New Car Incentives? 

Although it might seem like that great deal from the dealer down the road is the best option, often times these “surface-level” discounts are hidden behind fees you may not want to pay. That’s why manufacturer-subsidized incentives are often the best way to go - they ensure you’re actually getting the bargain you came for, and not some runaround from a salesman trying to get inventory off the lot.

These manufacturer-subsidized incentives are directly funded by the vehicle’s manufacturer, meaning the discounts are guaranteed from the moment they leave the factory. Big-name manufacturers often create and support deals like this for a variety of reasons, but mainly to help two important parties in the process: the dealer destined to make the sale, and - most importantly - the buyer looking forward to cruising into the future from behind the wheel of a great new vehicle.

Plus, the benefits of saving on a vehicle make great word-of-mouth advertising for the manufacturer, and so incentives tend to increase sales while boosting reputation - a win-win for any manufacturer looking to make a good impression. Plus, you can be sure, no matter where you buy your new vehicle, these incentives will be there to ease that purchase price.

Incentives like these often go by many names, like bonus cash, rebates, 0% financing, and even lease-specific deals. Whether the incentive is subtracted from the cost of the car at the time of purchase or later as a rebate, or if it comes over time as reduced or zero-percent interest for the life of your payment plan, manufacturer-subsidized incentives provide one easy and reliable way to save big on that great new vehicle you’ve had your eye on.

How to Find the Latest Incentives 

Often times, a new car buyer will already have created a beneficial relationship with a specific local dealer - perhaps a trusted neighborhood sales person or a dealer with whom you’ve had positive prior experience. These trusted dealers can often be your best source for finding and  taking advantage of quality incentives for the purchase of your new vehicle.

In most cases, finding these great incentives is as easy as checking the website of the dealer you’d usually buy from, or checking in with them in person for a list of available incentives. The dealer will often provide a list of available offers, including rebates, interest reductions, or bonus cash on the day of sale. Often, dealer incentives will be listed among the inventory of available vehicles, or in a specific incentive list kept by the dealer for customers to peruse at their own leisure.

On top of that, many manufacturers also list incentives for vehicles on various third-party automotive websites, including popular destinations for new car buyers like Edmunds and Kelley Blue Book. In these cases, most buyers can simply browse for their preferred new vehicle on either of these sites, where they may or may not find a healthy list of incentives there to take advantage of.

Simply mention these manufacturer incentives to your dealer prior to sale or, if necessary, follow up with the manufacturer directly for more information on how to take advantage of incentives for your new car purchase.

How to Tell Whether Incentives are Worth It

For most new car buyers, the offer of cost-saving incentives for a new vehicle can be the tipping point when trying to decide if a vehicle purchase is worth the investment. Given enough of a discount, a good enough financing deal, or the option to save in the long run with lease offers, a buyer who would have otherwise been turned off by a new vehicle’s price may find themselves taking a closer look and, possibly, making the purchase. 

But buyers should also maintain a healthy level of skepticism - not every incentive is there solely to save you money. Many times, manufacturers or dealers will offer high-level incentives simply to move unsold inventory, creating better and better deals on old units right before the next model year is released to get vehicles out the door and make room for new ones. In these cases, buyers may end up taking incentives only to pay more than if they had simply waited a few months for the price to drop naturally.

The better an incentive seems, the more likely there may be some rationale behind it. If an incentive is particularly too-good-to-be-true, for instance, it may be a sign that the vehicle in question is being replaced by a completely redesigned model. In this case, the buyer may want to do a bit more research on just why the vehicle is being offered at such a great deal, and whether or not it’s a better idea to simply wait it out for the next new model to come along.

In many cases, however, incentives offered on new vehicles are there to do exactly what they’re advertised to do: save you money on an excellent new vehicle. These can be cases where manufacturers are simply looking to boost sales on a particular brand of new vehicles, which can be among the most advantageous incentives for new vehicle buyers. In these cases, it’s important to understand exactly why a manufacturer may be offering a particular incentive, and why that deal isn’t actually too good to be true.

Ready To Find Your Ideal Incentive?

Smart new car buyers know that the secret to saving big while still getting an amazing new vehicle is to find the right incentive to make the purchase worth the money. In most instances, these incentives can help save you money through bonus cash offers or ebates after purchase, or with healthy financing deals like 0% interest for the life of your loan or amazing lease deals designed to get you behind the wheel with smaller monthly payments.

When you’re ready to find your great next new car, keep your eyes peeled for fantastic incentives from the manufacturer, your trusted neighborhood dealer, or through third-party automotive sources like Edmunds or Kelley Blue Book. By taking advantage of incentives like these, you can find yourself enjoying your new car on a budget that will make you happy for miles to come.

Are you ready to start saving on your new car with incentives?