CARFAX terminates automotive policy lobbying activity

CARFAX has terminated its lobbying activity, according to Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) reports filed this year, most recently on Sept. 2.

Legis1 reports the company’s in-house lobbying activity as “an 18-year effort to shape federal policy on vehicle recalls and data access.” CARFAX is a subsidiary of S&P Global.

The highest reported lobbying quarter spend was $69,000 in Q4 2012.

“After filing zero substantive lobbying activity for all of 2020 and all of 2025, CARFAX resumed lobbying in the first quarter of 2026 on auto recalls,” the Legis1 article states. “That brief reactivation lasted only months before the company decided to end its in-house operation entirely.”

However, the Q1-Q3 2026 LDA reports show no spending. Spending has dwindled to nothing in most quarters since 2017. The last time lobbying spend occurred was in Q4 2021 and Q1 2022, both at $6,000.

According to Legis1, CARFAX has previously lobbied on the definition of “personal information” and the Driver Privacy Act of 2015. The article states that the point of the definition lobbying was “to ensure it did not include vehicle identification numbers (VINs) as they relate to recall and vehicle research.” The Driver Privacy Act of 2015 didn’t make it out of committee.

Other bills CARFAX has lobbied on include the AV START Act and the FAST Act (Pub. L. 114-94); the first bill on autonomous vehicles and the latter on recalls. Congress didn’t pass either bill.

“CARFAX’s decision to exit lobbying comes amid active congressional interest in regulating used-car dealers’ treatment of recalled vehicles,” the Legis1 article states. “In September 2025, Sen. Richard Blumenthal and others introduced the Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act, which would prohibit used-car dealers from selling, leasing, or loaning vehicles with open safety recalls until defects are fixed. The bill was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee. This legislation directly addresses issues CARFAX has long advocated for.

“With legislation like the Used Car Safety Recall Repair Act, CARFAX’s exit from direct advocacy means the company will no longer maintain its own in-house voice in those discussions. The termination closes a chapter for a company that spent nearly two decades building relationships on Capitol Hill around vehicle data, recalls, and automotive policy.”

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