How the FTC's latest announcement impacts Virginia dealers. Plus: More events and knowledge for a successful spring season.
A Message from VADA President and CEO Don Hall
March 2026
In my more than 40 years in this business, one thing has remained constant: change in automotive retail moves at full speed, and the rules that govern our industry never let off the gas.
So as the General Assembly adjourned on Saturday, March 14 — typically giving us a brief chance to catch our breath from tracking daily legislative activity — the bigger development came the day before, when the Federal Trade Commission fired a warning shot to dealers across the country.
The message was clear: your advertised price must be the price a customer actually pays.
The FTC calls this the “offering price” — the total price a consumer expects to pay, excluding only government charges like taxes, tags, and registration. Everything else must be included. Yes, that means your processing fee.
If your advertised price doesn’t match the real transaction, the FTC considers that deceptive. And if you’re not compliant, you should expect real consequences. Warnings. Investigations. Penalties. Public enforcement.
Your reputation.
Don’t like it? Think calculating a true total price is too complicated?
It doesn’t matter. Compliance is not optional, and federal law supersedes Virginia’s current framework. While Virginia has historically required disclosure of the processing fee, it has not required that fee to be included in the advertised price. The FTC has now made clear that distinction no longer protects Virginia dealers.
This is a meaningful shift in how we do business in the Commonwealth. It will require adjustments — from how vehicles are priced and advertised, to how buyer’s orders are structured, to how your sales and F&I teams communicate with customers. It also means greater discipline across your website, third-party listings, and even social media, where inconsistent or inaccurate pricing can create risk.
And make no mistake: this is not just about advertising. The FTC is looking at the entire transaction — from the first impression online to the final paperwork in the showroom.
We should embrace that reality. The strongest dealers — those who build lasting businesses across generations — are the ones who operate with transparency, consistency, and trust. That’s not just good compliance. That’s good business.
To support our members, VADA has launched a dedicated FTC compliance resource center with practical guidance, FAQs, and updates as this evolves. I encourage every dealer and manager to take advantage of it and ensure your teams are aligned.
The bottom line is simple: Total price, or pay the price.
And that cost goes far beyond dollars. It’s your reputation, your operations, and your peace of mind.
On the General Assembly
The end of the General Assembly brought a number of changes to businesses across Virginia and some smaller updates specific to dealers. You can see those in our latest Capitol Briefs, led by our up-and-coming legislative leader and attorney Mimi Perka.
I want to thank Mimi and our EVP and general counsel Anne Gambardella for their hard work on our members' behalf over the last two months of the lawmaking session.
You may have seen them in their element if you attended our Feb. 25 Dealer Day at the Capitol, when nearly 100 dealers and employees traveled to Richmond to meet with lawmakers and share their perspective on the issues facing our industry. We met with all 140 lawmakers or their aides over a few hours that day to talk to them about the importance of the franchise system.
Those conversations matter. When lawmakers hear directly from the people who employ more than 60,000 people and serve their communities every day, it makes a difference. Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate and help strengthen our voice.
Dealers and dealership teams at this year's Dealer Day at the Capitol.
Investing in dealership leadership
I am big on learning opportunities — in fact, this month I wrapped up my year of learning at NADA Academy. I was not part of a particular class, but rather the folks at NADA allowed me to jump into sessions where I learned about operations at a much deeper level than ever before.
Over 48 years, NADA Academy has graduated 544 classes and boasts more than 13,500 alumni. These are owners, successors, and managers. As my instructor friend at the Academy, Mark Michalski, says: “The automotive industry doesn’t need more managers. It needs more leaders.”
We have our own educational opportunity on March 24 in Richmond: our Controller Workshop, designed specifically for controllers and accounting leaders. It will offer insight into financial management, compliance, and operational best practices that are essential to running a successful dealership.
We thank our partners at Vitu, Veramatic, and Merchant Advocate for bringing this program to our members at no cost…plus a free lunch to all who attend. If you have a controller or accounting professional on your team who could benefit from connecting with peers and learning from industry experts, I encourage you to register.
Looking ahead to convention
We are also looking forward to bringing the dealer community together again at the VADA Annual Convention, one of the most valuable and enjoyable events on our calendar each year.
We’re going to Virginia Beach this year and we have a lineup of some of the biggest names in retail automotive.
We’re also bringing in some of the industry’s media voices — Sam D’Arc aka the Car Dealership Guy, Jim Fitzpatrick of CBT News, and consultant and podcaster David Spisak to give us their insights about the trends shaping the future of automotive retail. It is also a chance to strengthen the relationships that make our association so effective.
If you have not yet made plans to attend, join us. Visit our dedicated Convention page.
Welcoming a new partner
Finally, I’m pleased to announce that Brown & Brown Dealer Services has joined VADA as a partner supporting our members.
I have personally met with this team and though they https://www.bbrown.com/us/bbds-vada/are a top 10 carrier in the world that operates with national scale, they work like a small business to provide local service and a full suite of tools built specifically for franchised automobile dealers like yours.
Brown & Brown brings deep experience in finance and insurance solutions designed specifically for automotive dealerships. Their team understands the challenges dealers face and offers programs and tools that can help strengthen dealership operations while enhancing the customer experience.
We are excited to welcome them and look forward to working together to bring additional value to VADA members.
VADA works best when dealers stay engaged — whether that means participating in advocacy, new learning, attending events, or connecting with fellow members across the Commonwealth. Thank you for your continued involvement and for everything you do to support the communities you serve.