Editorial Board
Stop Protecting New-Car Dealers
State laws that prevented automakers from selling vehicles directly to consumers once made sense. Not anymore.
Too few options.
Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
Americans can buy almost anything online. Why not new cars?
In much of the US, would-be buyers must still visit a dealership. States protect these middlemen with statutes that prohibit manufacturers from selling directly to consumers, thereby limiting choice, raising prices and worsening inflation, not to mention inflicting endless hassles on harried customers. Overturning these anticompetitive measures would be common sense.