Fee Check
Destination charge vs dealer prep
Destination is the factory freight already on the new-car sticker; a separate dealer-prep line can be duplicate billing for the same readiness work.
Printed on worksheets as: Destination Charge · Freight Charge · Dealer Prep · Dealer Handling
- Who sets it
- The dealer
- Required by law
- No
- Typical amount
- No honest figure to give: it varies by store. The number on your sheet is the number.
- Whose money
- The dealer's own price for this. The dealer may decline to remove it, and you may decline the deal; either way it belongs in the out-the-door total you compare between stores.
The one question to ask
“Destination is already on the window sticker - what exactly does this separate dealer-prep line cover?”
What it is
The destination (freight) charge is set by the manufacturer and printed on the new-vehicle Monroney window sticker. It covers shipping the car from the factory to the dealer. Dealer prep or handling is a separate store charge for cleaning, inspecting, and readying the car for delivery. On many new cars the manufacturer already reimburses the dealer for predelivery inspection through the destination/freight system, so a second prep line can cover work that was already paid. Ask what specific tasks the prep line covers and whether any of that work is already included in destination. Destination itself is usually non-negotiable because it is a factory line; prep is a dealer line and should be explained clearly on the worksheet.
Source
DrivrShield glossary synthesis; complements existing destination-charge and dealer-prep entries without duplicating finance-reserve · as of September 1, 2026
Fee Check explains what a line is; it doesn’t grade your deal or name a price. Rules change: the date above is when this entry was last checked against its source.
The next step
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