SANTA MONICA, Calif., April 18, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Edmunds.com, the premier destination for car shopping, has received the "Highest Ranked Third-Party Automotive Web Site" according to J.D. Power's 2014 Third-Party Automotive Website Evaluation Study^SM. The study measured the responses of more than 3,300 in-market, new and used car shoppers who evaluated their satisfaction with the overall usefulness of 14 high-profile car Web sites*.

"We are dedicated to innovating ways to make car shopping and selling easier," said Avi Steinlauf, Edmunds.com CEO. "The J.D. Power award demonstrates that our culture of listening and reacting to our customers' needs has led to an unparalleled shopping experience on our site."

Since 2009, Edmunds.com has interviewed nearly 20,000 consumers in order to find ways to make car buying easier. One in two shoppers stated that "one-stop shopping" was a top unmet need, with nearly 70% interested in receiving an upfront price guarantee.

In response, Edmunds.com focused its efforts on expanding the breadth of their offering to include Edmunds.com Price Promise, the only service offered by a third party car shopping site that provides an upfront price on actual dealer inventory available on the lot. In 2013, Edmunds.com introduced a more streamlined Web site and put Price Promise front and center as a compliment to the comprehensive reviews, dealer ratings, pricing and shopping advice they already offered.

J.D. Power announced the accolade days before The Webby Awards recognized Edmunds.com for the Edmunds.com Mobile App and Edmunds.com Live Advice, a free advice hotline where car shoppers can ask questions via phone, e-mail, Twitter, online chat, Facebook, Instagram or Google+ and immediately get personalized advice from an expert.

* Edmunds.com received the highest numerical score in the proprietary J.D. Power 2014 Third-Party Automotive Website Evaluation Study^SM. Results based on responses from 3,381 responses, measuring 14 companies and measures third-party automotive website usefulness among new and used vehicle shoppers. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of owners surveyed from January 2014. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com.

About Edmunds.com, Inc.
Edmunds.com is a car-shopping Web site driven to make car buying easy. Almost 18 million visitors use our shopping tools every month to connect with over 9,500 dealer franchises across the U.S.  Shoppers can browse our inventory listings for available cars and trucks, and with Edmunds.com's Price Promise^SM, they can get an instant, upfront price on those same vehicles. Recently named by Maritz Research as one of the most trusted online consumer review sites—and the only automotive site listed in the top ten—Edmunds.com is also home to comprehensive car reviews, shopping tips, photos, videos and feature stories. Even when you're at the dealership, we're always by your side. Just call our free Live Advice Line at 1-855-782-4711 or use our acclaimed Edmunds.com iPhone and iPad apps or Edmunds.com Android App. We're based in Santa Monica, Calif., but you can connect with us from anywhere by following @Edmunds on Twitter or by becoming a fan of Edmunds.com on Facebook. You can also find us on Instagram, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Flipboard.

Contact:
Jeannine Fallon/Aaron Lewis/Stephanie Mar
Edmunds.com Corporate Communications
www.Edmunds.com
Media Hotline: 310-309-4900
pr@edmunds.com

SOURCE Edmunds.com