True Motion Auto earns a commission on some purchases made through links to retailers, insurers, lenders and dealership marketplaces — at no extra cost to you. This complies with FTC 16 CFR Part 255 disclosure requirements. Affiliate relationships never determine which products we recommend or how we rate them; commercial and editorial decisions are made by separate teams.
At a glance
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Do links cost you more? | No — commission is paid by the retailer/partner, not added to your price. |
| Does it affect ratings? | No — editorial scoring is set before any affiliate relationship is considered. |
| Which links are affiliate? | Marked with an asterisk (*) or "affiliate link" label near the link. |
| Who approves partners? | Compliance & Monetization team, independent of editorial staff. |
| Legal basis | FTC 16 CFR Part 255 (Endorsement Guides) and equivalent regional ad rules. |
How this works
Some links on True Motion Auto — to accessory retailers, insurance comparison tools, financing partners, and dealership marketplaces — are affiliate links. If you click through and complete a purchase or application, we may earn a commission from the retailer or partner. This is a standard model used across independent review publishers, and it's how we fund full-time editorial, testing and fact-checking without a hard paywall.
What this doesn't change
- Product rankings and "best of" picks are set by editorial criteria agreed before any partner relationship is discussed.
- We do not accept payment in exchange for a positive review, higher ranking, or removal of a negative point.
- A brand's advertising or affiliate spend has no bearing on whether we cover a recall, defect or complaint about their vehicles.
- Affiliate revenue is tracked separately from editorial performance metrics, so writers are not incentivized by click-through commission.
How affiliate links are marked
Where a link is affiliate, we mark it with an asterisk or an inline "affiliate link" label the first time it appears in an article, and this disclosure page is linked from the footer of every page on the site. This follows FTC guidance that disclosures must be "clear and conspicuous" — placed where a reasonable reader will actually see them, not buried in a hard-to-find policy page alone.
Who decides what we link to
Editorial staff choose which products and services are worth mentioning based on merit. Our Compliance & Monetization team separately vets which of those merchants have an affiliate program worth joining, and negotiates the commercial terms. The two processes run independently: editorial doesn't know commission rates while writing, and Compliance can't add a product to an article that editorial hasn't already decided to cover.
If you click an affiliate link and buy something, you don't pay more, and we're transparent about the arrangement. If you'd rather avoid affiliate links entirely, most articles also name non-affiliate alternatives or the manufacturer's own site.
Sponsored content vs. affiliate links
Affiliate links are different from sponsored content. Affiliate links are ordinary editorial recommendations that happen to carry a commission; sponsored content is paid-for placement, always labeled "Sponsored" or "Partner Content," and covered separately in our Sponsored Content Policy.
Frequently asked questions
Does clicking an affiliate link cost me more money?
Can advertisers pay to change a review score?
How do I know which links are affiliate links?
Is this disclosure legally required?
Sources & further reading
- Federal Trade Commission — 16 CFR Part 255, Endorsement Guides
- FTC — Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers
Figures, prices and policy details were current at the last-updated date above. Automotive pricing, incentives and regulations change frequently — verify time-sensitive details with the linked primary sources. Read our editorial policy and fact-checking standards.