Google’s New Vehicle Ads now allow car dealerships to advertise their available vehicles online. This ad format helps dealerships showcase both new and used cars to potential buyers. By uploading a vehicle inventory to Google Merchant Center and using Performance Max campaigns in Google Ads, dealerships can connect with people searching for cars.
If you want to participate, there are specific rules and requirements to follow. Below is an easy-to-understand breakdown.
Key Requirements for Vehicle Ads Participation
To advertise using Google’s Vehicle Ads, dealerships must meet these conditions:
- Only passenger vehicles are allowed. This means vehicles like trucks and cars can be listed. However, specialty vehicles such as motorcycles, boats, farm vehicles, and race cars are not supported.
- The vehicles must be for sale or lease only—subscription-based offers are not allowed.
- Vehicle auctions are not supported, meaning you can’t list auction-based pricing.
- Vehicle parts, accessories, and services cannot be advertised.
- Each vehicle must have a clean title—meaning it cannot have a record of salvage, liens, or similar defects.
- The seller must have a valid dealership license—a simple driver’s license or sales receipt won’t be enough. Dealerships can apply for verification by filling out this form.
- Only direct dealerships can participate—brokers are not allowed.
- Large-scale vehicle sellers, such as aggregators & OEMs, must verify that they upload vehicle listings only from licensed dealerships.
- Online vehicle delivery is not currently supported.
- A brick-and-mortar dealership is required—customers must be able to visit a physical location to review or purchase a vehicle.
- Only one account per state—dealerships can only list vehicles within a single state under one Merchant Center account.
- Image requirements are strict—dealerships must follow specific image specifications when advertising vehicles. Learn more about image guidelines here.
Google Ads Policy Exceptions for Vehicle Ads
Google usually has specific Shopping Ad rules, but some of these do not apply for vehicle ads:
- Used Vehicles Can Be Advertised – Normally, Shopping Ads limit what items can be promoted, but light passenger cars and trucks are eligible.
- Checkout Not Required – Usually, Shopping Ads must lead customers to an online checkout page. However, for Vehicle Ads, the transaction can happen in person.
- No Online Payment Needed – Unlike regular Shopping Ads, dealers don’t need to accept online payment.
- No Shipping Information Needed – Since cars must be picked up in person, sellers don’t need to list shipping details.
Beta Features for Vehicle Ads
Google is currently testing new beta features, including:
- Online Vehicle Delivery: Some advertisers may be able to list vehicles for online purchase with delivery options.
- Multi-State Vehicle Selling: Normally, dealers can only list cars in one state per Google Merchant Center account, but some businesses may be allowed to advertise in multiple states within a single account.
Important: These beta features are not available to everyone. Google is still experimenting with them and may change or limit access at any time. If you’re interested, you can apply to join by submitting this form.
For more details, please refer to the original article on Google’s Support Page.