Terms of Service

Important: Section 20 contains a binding arbitration agreement, jury-trial waiver, and class-action waiver. Please read it carefully.

1. Agreement to These Terms

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and Data Fabrica SA LLC, a Virginia limited liability company doing business as AutoBear (“AutoBear,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). These Terms govern your access to and use of getautobear.com, AutoBear reports, Bear Score™, Buy / Negotiate / Walk verdicts, Mama Bear chat, account features, downloadable reports, and related products and services (collectively, the “Service”).

By accessing or using the Service, purchasing a report or report bundle, creating an account, or affirmatively accepting these Terms at checkout or elsewhere in the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy and Refund Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service. You must be at least 18 years old and legally capable of entering a binding contract to use the Service.

2. What AutoBear Is — and Is Not

AutoBear is an informational vehicle-research and decision-support service. The Service combines data from government, licensed third-party, marketplace, and other sources with AutoBear models and analytical methods to help consumers evaluate used vehicles.

AutoBear is not:

• a dealer, broker, seller, lender, insurer, warranty provider, mechanic, inspection service, appraiser, or party to any vehicle transaction;
• a professional appraisal, certification, condition report, safety inspection, or guarantee of a vehicle’s value, condition, history, safety, reliability, availability, or suitability;
• an offer to buy, sell, finance, insure, repair, or warrant any vehicle;
• a substitute for a test drive, independent mechanical inspection, title review, professional appraisal, or advice from a qualified legal, tax, financial, insurance, or automotive professional.

3. Bear Score™, Verdicts, Estimates, and Negotiation Guidance

Bear Score™, Buy / Negotiate / Walk verdicts, estimated values, local market comparisons, dealer-cost estimates, target prices, negotiation ranges, scripts, fee estimates, out-the-door totals, ownership-cost projections, reliability observations, and similar outputs are analytical opinions and statistical estimates based on the information available to AutoBear when the output is generated.

They are not factual certifications, appraisals, warranties, promises, or guarantees. In particular:

• a “Buy” verdict does not mean a vehicle is safe, mechanically sound, defect-free, accurately represented by the seller, or appropriate for every buyer;
• a “Negotiate” verdict does not mean a seller will accept any suggested price or term;
• a “Walk” verdict does not establish that a vehicle is defective, unsafe, misrepresented, or objectively unsuitable;
• an estimated value is not a promise that a vehicle can be bought, sold, traded, financed, or insured at that amount;
• a negotiation target or script is not a promise that a dealer or seller will accept, consider, or respond favorably to it;
• taxes, title fees, registration charges, dealer fees, financing terms, insurance costs, repair costs, depreciation, and total-cost-of-ownership estimates may differ materially from actual amounts.

You alone decide whether to buy, decline, keep, sell, finance, insure, repair, or negotiate for a vehicle and what price and terms to accept. Following any score, verdict, estimate, checklist, script, or suggestion is voluntary and at your own risk.

4. Vehicle History and Third-Party Records

AutoBear may obtain, display, summarize, analyze, or link to vehicle-history information supplied by third-party data providers, government databases, NMVTIS-related sources, vehicle manufacturers, listing providers, insurers, auction or salvage sources, and other data sources.

AutoBear does not independently create or independently verify every underlying record. Third-party records may be incomplete, inaccurate, delayed, duplicated, incorrectly associated with a vehicle, or unavailable. Accidents, repairs, title events, odometer discrepancies, ownership changes, thefts, liens, recalls, service history, damage, flood exposure, salvage activity, or other events may exist even when they do not appear in an AutoBear report or in an underlying third-party source.

An absence of reported problems does not establish that a vehicle has no problems.

Where AutoBear provides access to or summarizes an underlying third-party report or source record, that source may be subject to additional terms, restrictions, attribution requirements, and disclaimers imposed by the data provider. If an AutoBear summary differs from an underlying source record, you should review and independently verify the underlying source information before relying on it.

5. No Physical Inspection; Hidden or Unreported Defects

AutoBear does not physically inspect vehicles. We do not determine whether a vehicle is mechanically sound, structurally sound, properly repaired, safe, roadworthy, free from hidden defects, or suitable for a particular person or use.

A vehicle may have mechanical, electrical, structural, cosmetic, title, safety, flood, accident, repair, odometer, ownership, lien, recall, or other issues that are not visible in the data available to AutoBear. Always conduct an appropriate test drive and obtain an independent pre-purchase inspection from a qualified professional before purchasing a used vehicle.

6. Data Sources, Timing, and Accuracy

The Service relies on data from third parties and public sources, which may include NHTSA, EPA, state and federal databases, licensed vehicle-history providers, vehicle-listing aggregators, valuation or market-data providers, manufacturers, and published tax or fee schedules. These sources can contain errors, omissions, delays, stale information, or coverage gaps and may change or discontinue data without notice.

VIN decoding may occasionally misidentify trim, equipment, drivetrain, options, model details, or other vehicle characteristics. Market values may reflect asking prices or modeled values rather than completed sale prices. Recall, complaint, safety, title, history, fee, tax, and ownership-cost information may change after a report is generated.

Reports are snapshots based on information reasonably available when generated. Unless expressly stated otherwise, AutoBear has no obligation to update a purchased report after delivery. Later accidents, title events, recalls, price changes, listings, repairs, ownership events, government records, or other information may not appear in an earlier report.

All data and estimates are provided “as is” and may be incomplete, inaccurate, or out of date.

7. Your Information and Assumptions

Report quality depends in part on the information and assumptions supplied by you. You are responsible for checking the accuracy of the VIN, mileage, asking price, ZIP code or location, vehicle configuration, financing assumptions, intended use, and any other information you submit or select.

AutoBear is not responsible for errors, omissions, misleading outputs, or transaction outcomes caused or materially affected by inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, or misleading information supplied by you, a seller, a dealer, a listing, or another third party.

8. Mama Bear and Other AI Features

Mama Bear and other AI-enabled features use artificial-intelligence technology. AI responses can be inaccurate, incomplete, inconsistent, outdated, unsupported, or wrong. They may misunderstand your question, omit important context, or conflict with information contained elsewhere in the Service.

AI responses are informational research assistance only. They are not inspections, appraisals, certifications, professional advice, warranties, guarantees, or factual representations about a vehicle. Never rely solely on an AI response when making a purchase, safety, mechanical, legal, financial, insurance, tax, or repair decision. Verify material information using the underlying source and, where appropriate, a qualified professional.

9. Not Professional Advice; No Professional Relationship

Nothing in the Service is legal, tax, accounting, financial, insurance, mechanical, engineering, or other professional advice. No attorney-client, fiduciary, mechanic-customer, appraiser-client, broker-client, or similar professional relationship is created by your use of the Service.

Tax, title, registration, documentation, and fee figures are estimates and may vary by state, locality, seller, vehicle, transaction, and personal circumstances. Verify exact amounts with the relevant government agency, seller, lender, insurer, or qualified professional before signing or paying anything.

10. Fair Credit Reporting Act and Permitted Use

AutoBear is not a consumer reporting agency, and AutoBear reports are not intended to be consumer reports for purposes of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (“FCRA”). You may not use the Service to determine any person’s eligibility for credit, insurance, employment, housing, government benefits, or any other purpose regulated by the FCRA or similar law.

11. Accounts and Security

Account registration may be required for certain features, including saving report history or managing report credits. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your credentials and for activity occurring under your account. Provide accurate account information and promptly notify us of suspected unauthorized use.

We may suspend, restrict, or terminate access if we reasonably believe an account is being used fraudulently, unlawfully, in violation of these Terms, or in a manner that threatens the Service or other users.

12. Purchases, Report Credits, Delivery, and Refunds

Prices are shown at checkout and charged in U.S. dollars through our payment processor. Reports and report credits are digital products. A report is generally delivered or made available promptly after a successful purchase and completion of required processing.

If AutoBear offers multi-report bundles or prepaid report credits, those credits are personal to the purchaser, may not be resold or transferred except as expressly permitted by AutoBear, and are subject to the purchase terms shown at checkout. Refund eligibility is governed by the AutoBear Refund Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

We may cancel or refuse a transaction when reasonably necessary to address suspected fraud, payment disputes, technical errors, misuse, legal restrictions, or data-provider restrictions.

13. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• scrape, crawl, spider, bulk-download, harvest, or access the Service or its data by automated means except as expressly authorized by AutoBear;
• resell, sublicense, redistribute, publish, commercially exploit, or create a competing database or service from AutoBear reports, data, scores, or content;
• reverse engineer, decompile, probe, circumvent, disable, or interfere with the Service, security controls, rate limits, access controls, or technical restrictions;
• use the Service for an unlawful, fraudulent, deceptive, harassing, infringing, or abusive purpose;
• misrepresent AutoBear estimates, Bear Score™, verdicts, or reports as appraisals, certifications, inspections, warranties, guarantees, or official government records;
• use the Service to make decisions regulated by the FCRA or to violate the rights of any person or third party.

You may share a report you purchased with a seller, co-buyer, family member, mechanic, attorney, financial advisor, or other person assisting with your personal vehicle purchase, provided the report is not resold or commercially redistributed.

14. Intellectual Property

The Service, including the AutoBear name and logo, Bear Score™, report design, software, models, selection and arrangement of content, original text, graphics, and other AutoBear-created materials, is owned by AutoBear or its licensors and is protected by intellectual-property and other laws.

Subject to these Terms, AutoBear grants you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to access the Service and use purchased reports for your own non-commercial vehicle research. No ownership rights are transferred to you.

15. Third-Party Services and Links

The Service may contain data, content, links, reports, or functionality provided by third parties. AutoBear does not control third-party services and is not responsible for their availability, security, accuracy, practices, terms, or content. Your use of a third-party service may be subject to that provider’s separate terms and privacy practices.

16. Errors, Corrections, and Report Remedy

If you believe an AutoBear report contains a material error, contact us promptly at support@getautobear.com and identify the affected report and the alleged error. We may request information reasonably necessary to investigate.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, AutoBear’s obligation for a verified material error in AutoBear-generated content will be, at AutoBear’s option, to correct or re-perform the affected report or refund the amount paid for that specific report. This provision does not require AutoBear to alter or correct records maintained by government agencies, vehicle-history providers, sellers, listing services, manufacturers, or other third parties.

Nothing in this Section limits any non-waivable right or remedy you may have under applicable law.

17. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Service is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, express, implied, statutory, or otherwise.

Without limiting the foregoing, AutoBear disclaims implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement, accuracy, completeness, availability, and any warranties arising from course of dealing or usage of trade. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or current; that any data source will be available; or that any report, estimate, score, verdict, recommendation, AI response, or third-party record will be accurate, complete, timely, or suitable for your circumstances.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain warranty exclusions. To the extent an exclusion is not permitted, the affected warranty is limited to the minimum extent and duration permitted by law.

18. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, AutoBear, Data Fabrica SA LLC, and their members, officers, employees, contractors, licensors, data providers, and suppliers will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of money, savings, profits, business opportunity, data, or goodwill, arising from or relating to the Service or any vehicle transaction.

This exclusion includes, without limitation, losses associated with the purchase price paid for a vehicle; alleged overpayment or lost savings; a transaction you enter into or decline; diminished value; financing or insurance terms; taxes or fees; inspection, repair, towing, storage, transportation, rental, registration, or ownership costs; vehicle defects; inaccurate, incomplete, delayed, or missing history information; negotiation outcomes; and reliance on any report, estimate, Bear Score™, verdict, checklist, script, recommendation, or Mama Bear response.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, AutoBear will not be liable for damages arising under contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, statute, or any other legal theory to the extent such liability can lawfully be disclaimed or limited.

If AutoBear is found liable for any claim arising from or relating to the Service, AutoBear’s total aggregate liability for all claims will not exceed the amount you actually paid AutoBear for the specific report or service giving rise to the claim.

The same limit applies to the total liability of AutoBear’s data providers, licensors, and suppliers for claims arising from or relating to information included in an AutoBear report.

These limitations apply even if AutoBear was advised that damages were possible and even if a stated remedy fails of its essential purpose. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under applicable law.

19. Indemnification

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless AutoBear, Data Fabrica SA LLC, and their members, officers, employees, contractors, licensors, and suppliers from third-party claims, damages, liabilities, losses, and reasonable costs and attorneys’ fees arising from your misuse of the Service, your violation of these Terms, your violation of law or third-party rights, or your unauthorized commercial use or redistribution of AutoBear content.

This Section does not require a consumer to indemnify AutoBear for AutoBear’s own unlawful conduct or to the extent prohibited by applicable law.

20. Dispute Resolution; Binding Individual Arbitration

Please read this section carefully. It affects your legal rights, including your right to a jury trial and your ability to participate in a class action.

20.1 Informal Resolution First

Before filing a lawsuit or arbitration demand, the party raising the dispute must send the other party a written notice describing the dispute and requested relief. Notices to AutoBear must be sent to support@getautobear.comwith the subject line “Legal Dispute Notice.” The parties will attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute informally for at least 60 days after receipt of the notice. This requirement does not prevent either party from seeking temporary emergency relief when legally appropriate or from filing a qualifying small-claims matter.

20.2 Agreement to Arbitrate

Except for disputes that qualify for small-claims court and disputes that applicable law does not permit to be arbitrated, you and AutoBear agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms, the Service, a report, or the relationship between you and AutoBear will be resolved by binding individual arbitration rather than in court.

The Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this arbitration agreement. Arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its applicable Consumer Arbitration Rules, as modified by these Terms. The arbitrator may award the same individualized remedies that a court could award to the extent permitted by law.

20.3 Individual Proceedings; Class-Action Waiver

You and AutoBear agree that disputes will be brought only in an individual capacity and not as a plaintiff, claimant, or class member in any purported class, collective, consolidated, coordinated, representative, or private-attorney-general proceeding, to the extent permitted by law.

The arbitrator may not consolidate the claims of different persons or preside over any class, collective, or representative proceeding unless both parties expressly agree in writing after the dispute arises.

20.4 Jury-Trial Waiver

To the extent a dispute is resolved in arbitration, you and AutoBear waive the right to a trial by jury. For any dispute that proceeds in court rather than arbitration, each party also waives a jury trial to the maximum extent permitted by law.

20.5 Small Claims

Either party may bring an individual claim in a court of competent jurisdiction that qualifies as a small-claims matter, provided the claim remains individual and is not removed, transferred, or appealed into a non-small-claims forum except as permitted by law.

20.6 Arbitration Opt-Out

You may opt out of the arbitration agreement in this Section by sending an email to support@getautobear.com within 30 days after you first accept these Terms. Your notice must include your name, the email address associated with your AutoBear purchase or account, and a clear statement that you are opting out of the arbitration agreement. Opting out of arbitration does not opt you out of the remainder of these Terms.

20.7 Severability of Arbitration Terms

If a court determines that a particular restriction in this Section is unenforceable as to a specific claim or requested remedy, that claim or remedy will proceed in court after all arbitrable claims are resolved, unless applicable law requires otherwise. The remainder of this Section will remain in effect to the fullest extent permitted by law.

20.8 Claims Involving Our Data Providers

This arbitration agreement, including the class-action and jury-trial waivers, also covers any claim you bring against AutoBear’s data providers, licensors, or suppliers that arises from or relates to the Service or information included in an AutoBear report. They are intended third-party beneficiaries of this Section 20 and of Section 18, and may enforce them.

21. Governing Law and Venue

Except to the extent federal law controls, these Terms are governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any court proceeding permitted under these Terms that is not subject to arbitration must be brought in a state or federal court with lawful jurisdiction in Virginia, except where applicable consumer law requires a different forum or venue.

22. Changes to the Service or These Terms

We may modify the Service and may update these Terms from time to time. The “Last updated” date above identifies the most recent version. Material changes will be posted through the Service or otherwise communicated when required by law. Changes apply prospectively from their effective date unless applicable law permits otherwise.

If you do not agree to updated Terms, stop using the Service. For a purchase completed before a material change takes effect, the version accepted in connection with that purchase will govern that transaction to the extent required by law.

23. Suspension and Termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. We may suspend or terminate access when reasonably necessary to enforce these Terms, protect users or third parties, address fraud or security threats, comply with law or data-provider requirements, or discontinue part of the Service. Sections that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including provisions concerning intellectual property, disclaimers, liability limitations, dispute resolution, and governing law.

24. General Terms

These Terms, together with policies incorporated by reference, constitute the agreement between you and AutoBear concerning the Service unless we expressly agree otherwise in writing. If any non-arbitration provision is held unenforceable, it will be enforced to the maximum extent permitted and the remaining provisions will remain in effect.

AutoBear’s failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of that provision. You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. AutoBear may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, sale of assets, or transfer of the Service, subject to applicable law.

Headings are for convenience only and do not limit the meaning of these Terms. Words such as “including” mean “including without limitation.” Electronic communications and electronic acceptance satisfy any writing or signature requirement to the extent permitted by law.

25. Contact

Questions about these Terms or a report may be sent to:
AutoBear / Data Fabrica SA LLC
Email: support@getautobear.com
Website: getautobear.com