Companies Cars.com Inc.
Cars.com (CARS): executive pay, fiscal 2025
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CEO pay, last three years
- $5,000,005FY2025
CEO total pay was $5,000,005 in fiscal 2025; the brief holds no earlier figure for this CEO.
FY2025: salary $0 · bonus $0 · stock awards $5,000,005 · option awards $0
Executives and directors
Frequently asked questions
Answers are drawn only from the figures disclosed in this brief and cited to their location in the source filing. Where a figure required for an answer is not disclosed, that is stated rather than estimated.
Full detail
Every table from the filing. Open any section.
Summary compensation table
| Named executive officer | Salary | Bonus | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Pension / NQDC | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Vetter | $750,000 | $0 | $6,000,001 | $0 | $663,053 | $0 | $14,000 | $7,427,054 |
| Former Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Tobias Hartmann | 0 | 0 | 5,000,005 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5,000,005 |
| Chief Executive Officer | ||||||||
| Sonia Jain | 566,500 | 0 | 2,118,992 | 0 | 500,826 | 0 | 14,000 | 3,200,318 |
| Chief Financial Officer | ||||||||
| Lisa Gosselin | 384,375 | 0 | 1,875,018 | 0 | 339,814 | 0 | 15,918 | 2,615,125 |
| Chief Commercial Officer | ||||||||
| Angelique Strong Marks | 425,250 | 0 | 850,512 | 0 | 170,887 | 0 | 11,163 | 1,457,812 |
| Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary | ||||||||
| Doug Miller | 148,585 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1,140,955 | 1,289,540 |
| Former President and Chief Commercial Officer | ||||||||
| Matthew Crawford | 345,170 | 0 | 843,760 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 47,173 | 1,236,103 |
| Former Chief Product and Innovation Officer | ||||||||
A dash means the company reported no figure in that column; 0 means it reported zero. Figures are as printed in the filing, without adjustment.
Three-year trend — total compensation per named executive
| Named executive officer | FY2025 total | FY2024 total | FY2023 total | Δ FY2024→2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex Vetter | $7,427,054 | $9,531,072 | $7,183,222 | ↓ −2,104,018 |
| Tobias Hartmann | 5,000,005 | — | — | — |
| Sonia Jain | 3,200,318 | 3,163,959 | 2,997,045 | ↑ +36,359 |
| Lisa Gosselin | 2,615,125 | — | — | — |
| Angelique Strong Marks | 1,457,812 | 1,473,630 | 1,301,040 | ↓ −15,818 |
| Doug Miller | 1,289,540 | 2,397,428 | 2,606,122 | ↓ −1,107,888 |
| Matthew Crawford | 1,236,103 | 1,280,154 | — | ↓ −44,051 |
Prior-year totals as disclosed in the corresponding proxy; deltas are computed values with the derivation shown in the register.
Equity grants and outstanding awards
Grants of plan-based awards — fiscal year 2025
| Executive | Award | Grant date | Threshold | Target | Granted | Maximum | Grant-date fair value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Crawford | RSU | 2025-03-21 | — | — | 36,244 | — | $421,880 |
| Sonia Jain | PSU | 2025-03-21 | 26,548 | 91,022 | — | 182,044 | 1,059,496 |
| Tobias Hartmann | RSU | 2025-12-22 | — | — | 233,827 | — | 3,000,000 |
| Lisa Gosselin | RSU | 2025-03-21 | — | — | 93,429 | — | 1,087,514 |
| Matthew Crawford | PSU | 2025-03-21 | 10,571 | 36,244 | — | 72,488 | 421,880 |
| Alex Vetter | PSU | 2025-03-21 | 75,172 | 257,732 | — | 515,464 | 3,000,000 |
| Angelique Strong Marks | RSU | 2025-03-21 | — | — | 73,068 | — | 850,512 |
| Alex Vetter | RSU | 2025-03-21 | — | — | 257,732 | — | 3,000,000 |
| Sonia Jain | RSU | 2025-03-21 | — | — | 91,022 | — | 1,059,496 |
| Lisa Gosselin | PSU | 2025-03-21 | 19,733 | 67,655 | — | 135,310 | 787,504 |
| Tobias Hartmann | PSU | 2025-12-22 | 51,962 | 155,885 | — | 155,885 | 2,000,005 |
Vehicle mix — grant-date fair value by award type
| Named executive officer | Time-vested (RSU) | Performance-vested (PSU) | Options / SARs | % performance-vested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Crawford | $421,880 | $421,880 | $0 | 50.0% |
| Sonia Jain | 1,059,496 | 1,059,496 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Tobias Hartmann | 3,000,000 | 2,000,005 | 0 | 40.0% |
| Lisa Gosselin | 1,087,514 | 787,504 | 0 | 42.0% |
| Alex Vetter | 3,000,000 | 3,000,000 | 0 | 50.0% |
| Angelique Strong Marks | 850,512 | 0 | 0 | 0.0% |
% performance-vested = PSU grant-date fair value ÷ (RSU + PSU + Options), a computed value with the derivation shown in the register.
Outstanding equity awards at fiscal year-end 2025
| Executive | Award | Shares unvested | Exercise price | Market value unvested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angelique Strong Marks | RSU | 13,946 | — | $170,141 |
| Doug Miller | RSU | 15,179 | — | 185,184 |
| Sonia Jain | RSU | 18,089 | — | 220,686 |
| Lisa Gosselin | RSU | 25,774 | — | 314,443 |
| Doug Miller | RSU | 29,516 | — | 360,095 |
| Sonia Jain | RSU | 40,093 | — | 489,131 |
| Doug Miller | PSU | 45,538 | — | 555,564 |
| Angelique Strong Marks | RSU | 48,712 | — | 594,286 |
| Sonia Jain | PSU | 54,266 | — | 662,045 |
| Alex Vetter | RSU | 55,657 | — | 679,015 |
| Sonia Jain | PSU | 60,139 | — | 733,696 |
| Lisa Gosselin | RSU | 67,655 | — | 825,391 |
| Lisa Gosselin | PSU | 67,655 | — | 825,391 |
| Angelique Strong Marks | RSU | 73,068 | — | 891,430 |
| Sonia Jain | RSU | 91,022 | — | 1,110,468 |
| Sonia Jain | PSU | 91,022 | — | 1,110,468 |
| Alex Vetter | PSU | 112,297 | — | 1,370,023 |
| Alex Vetter | RSU | 118,064 | — | 1,440,381 |
| Tobias Hartmann | PSU | 155,885 | — | 1,901,797 |
| Alex Vetter | PSU | 166,971 | — | 2,037,046 |
| Alex Vetter | PSU | 177,096 | — | 2,160,571 |
| Tobias Hartmann | RSU | 233,827 | — | 2,852,689 |
| Alex Vetter | RSU | 257,732 | — | 3,144,330 |
| Alex Vetter | PSU | 257,732 | — | 3,144,330 |
| Alex Vetter | Option | 263,119 | 15.07 | — |
| Alex Vetter | Option | 290,994 | 15.17 | — |
| Alex Vetter | Option | 513,228 | 5.4 | — |
Director compensation
| Director | Cash fees | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | All other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott ForbesIndependent · Board Chair · Compensation Committee (Chair) · ESG Committee | $95,000 | $264,991 | $0 | — | $0 | $359,991 |
| Jill GreenthalIndependent · ESG Committee (Chair) · Audit Committee | 95,000 | 189,996 | 0 | — | 0 | 284,996 |
| Donald A. McGovern JrIndependent · Audit Committee (Chair) · Compensation Committee | 95,000 | 189,996 | 0 | — | 0 | 284,996 |
| Jerri DeVardIndependent · Compensation Committee · ESG Committee | 75,000 | 189,996 | 0 | — | 0 | 264,996 |
| Jenell R. RossIndependent · Audit Committee · ESG Committee | 75,000 | 189,996 | 0 | — | 0 | 264,996 |
| Greg RevelleIndependent · Compensation Committee · ESG Committee | 75,000 | 189,996 | 0 | — | 0 | 264,996 |
| Thomas HaleIndependent · Audit Committee · ESG Committee | 75,000 | 189,996 | 0 | — | 0 | 264,996 |
| Bryan WienerIndependent · Audit Committee · ESG Committee | 75,000 | 189,996 | 0 | — | 0 | 264,996 |
| Michael KellyIndependent · Audit Committee · Compensation Committee | 75,000 | 189,996 | 0 | — | 0 | 264,996 |
| Bala SubramanianIndependent · Audit Committee · Compensation Committee | 75,000 | 189,996 | 0 | — | 0 | 264,996 |
| Tobias HartmannEmployee director · Partial-year service · Newly elected | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
| Alex VetterEmployee director · Not standing for re-election · Departed during FY | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 |
Board fee structure and ownership guideline
| Annual cash retainer | $75,000 |
|---|---|
| Annual equity retainer | $180,000 |
| Per board meeting fee | — |
| Committee chair fees (audit / comp / nom-gov) | 20,000 / 20,000 / 20,000 |
| Stock ownership guideline | $225,000 |
Total cost of the board
| Component | FY2025 |
|---|---|
| Cash retainers and fees | $810,000 |
| Equity awards (grant-date value) | $1,974,955 |
| All other compensation | $0 |
| Total cost of the board | $2,784,955 |
Computed as the sum of the director compensation table rows above; inputs and formula shown in the register.
Peer group, and who names Cars.com as a peer
Companies that benchmark against CARS
21 companies name CARS as a compensation peer
The list of companies that name CARS as a peer is temporarily unavailable — recheck shortly.
Disclosed peer group — fiscal year 2025
The compensation peer group as the company disclosed it in its own proxy — the reference set behind the percentile above.
Peer reciprocity
Of the companies Cars.com Inc. names as compensation peers, which name it back in their own disclosed peer groups. A peer set the market reciprocates reads differently from one selected in a single direction.
Reciprocity shown where the peer’s own current proxy has been read — each mark is cited in the register to that peer’s filing. A dash means the peer’s current proxy was read and names no reciprocal group including Cars.com Inc..
Chief executive pay against the peer group
Most recent fiscal-year chief executive compensation at each disclosed peer, taken from that company’s own proxy statement.
| Rank | Company | FY | Chief executive | Salary | Stock awards | Option awards | Non-equity incentive | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cars.com Inc. | 2025 | Tobias Hartmann | $0 | $5,000,005 | $0 | $0 | $5,000,005 |
| — | Vivid Seats Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | Yelp Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | ACV Auctions Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | CarGurus Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | EverCommerce Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | Gogo Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | Iridium Communications Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | Magnite Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | Openlane Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | QuinStreet Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | Shutterstock Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | TechTarget Holdings Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | TripAdvisor Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | TrueCar Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | Upwork Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
| — | Ziff Davis Inc. | — | — | — | — | — | — | not in coverage universe |
Each peer’s compensation is from its most recently filed proxy; fiscal years differ by company. Each peer’s figures come from its own filings; the subject company is highlighted. Peers whose chief executive compensation is outside our coverage universe are stated as such, never left blank.
Incentive design against the same peers
| Company | Annual incentive payout | Long-term vehicle mix | PSU measures include TSR | Compensation consultant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cars.com Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| ACV Auctions Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| CarGurus Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| EverCommerce Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Gogo Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Iridium Communications Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Magnite Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Openlane Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| QuinStreet Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Shutterstock Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| TechTarget Holdings Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| TripAdvisor Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| TrueCar Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Upwork Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Vivid Seats Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Yelp Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Ziff Davis Inc. | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed | not disclosed |
Read from each company’s Compensation Discussion and Analysis: annual incentive payout as a percentage of target, the disclosed long-term vehicle mix, whether performance-share measures include a total shareholder return component, and the retained compensation consultant. “Not disclosed” appears only where the company’s filing does not state the item.
Say-on-pay history and pay ratio
| Meeting year | Meeting date | For | Against | Abstain | Support | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-03 | 39,715,300 | 2,645,887 | 671,152 | 93.75% | Passed |
| 2025 | 2025-04-07 | 48,531,056 | 1,080,534 | 467,735 | 97.82% | Passed |
| 2024 | 2024-06-05 | 53,944,963 | 798,787 | 48,960 | 98.54% | Passed |
| 2023 | 2023-06-07 | 55,574,779 | 3,483,466 | 55,490 | 94.1% | Passed |
| 2022 | 2022-06-08 | 51,684,261 | 4,987,134 | 2,563,027 | 87.25% | Passed |
| 2021 | 2021-06-09 | 24,731,475 | 29,447,701 | 756,132 | 45.02% | Failed |
Rows are labeled by annual-meeting year, with the meeting date beside each; the vote held in a given year acts on the prior fiscal year’s compensation.
Say-on-pay — history, company’s computation
| Meeting year | Meeting date | Approval — company’s computation |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2026-06-03 | 93.75%a |
| 2025 | 2025-04-07 | 97.82%b |
| 2024 | 2024-06-05 | 98.54%c |
a. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “What items are being voted upon, how does the Board recommend I vote, and what are the standards for determining whether any item has been approved? Item of Business Board Recommendation Voting Approval Standard Effect of Abstention Effect of Broker Non-Vote Election of Directors (Page 19 ) "FOR" More votes "For" than "Against" No Effect No Effect Ratification of Appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as our Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for the fiscal year 2026 (Page 64 ) "FOR" Majority of shares present and entitled to vote Vote "Against" Not Applicable Advisory Approval of Executive Officer Compensation (Say on Pay) (Page 68 ) "FOR" Majority of shares present and entitled to vote Vote "Against" No Effect 13.”.
b. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “What items are being voted upon, how does the Board recommend I vote, and what are the standards for determining whether any item has been approved? Item of Business Board Recommendation Voting Approval Standard Effect of Abstention Effect of Broker Non-Vote Election of Directors (Page 19 ) "FOR" More votes "For" than "Against" No Effect No Effect Ratification of Appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for the fiscal year 2024 (Page 61 ) "FOR" Majority of shares present and entitled to vote Vote "Against" Not Applicable Advisory Approval of Executive Compensation (Say on Pay) (Page 65 ) "FOR" Majority of shares present and entitled to vote Vote "Against" No Effect 13.”.
c. Approved under the standard stated in the filing — “What items are being voted upon, how does the Board recommend I vote, and what are the standards for determining whether any item has been approved? Item of Business Board Recommendation Voting Approval Standard Effect of Abstention Effect of Broker Non-Vote Election of Directors (Page 19 ) "FOR" More votes "For" than "Against" No Effect No Effect Ratification of Appointment of Ernst & Young LLP as Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm for the fiscal year 2024 (Page 61 ) "FOR" Majority of shares present and entitled to vote Vote "Against" Not Applicable Advisory Approval of Executive Compensation (Say on Pay) (Page 65 ) "FOR" Majority of shares present and entitled to vote Vote "Against" No Effect 13.”.
Approval percentages are the company’s own reported computations under its own stated standard, not recomputed by Velarion. Where a company does not state a standard, none is assumed.
CEO pay ratio
| Ratio (CEO : median employee) | 65 : 1 |
|---|---|
| CEO total compensation | $7,427,053 |
| Median employee compensation | $114,524 |
Insider trades since the proxy
Equity transactions since the proxy statement are temporarily unavailable — recheck shortly.
Sources (38 citations)
Each figure is listed with the filing it comes from, where it appears in that filing, and the value as printed. Any figure can be independently confirmed against the source.
- Section 01, Alex Vetter. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “2025 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE”. As printed: 7,427,054. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Tobias Hartmann. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Named Executive Officer Compensation” · page 45. As printed: 5,000,005. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Sonia Jain. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “2025 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE”. As printed: 3,200,318. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Lisa Gosselin. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “2025 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE”. As printed: 2,615,125. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Angelique Strong Marks. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “2025 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE”. As printed: 1,457,812. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Doug Miller. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “2025 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE”. As printed: 1,289,540. View filing ↗
- Section 01, Matthew Crawford. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “2025 SUMMARY COMPENSATION TABLE”. As printed: 1,236,103. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Matthew Crawford RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Sonia Jain PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Tobias Hartmann RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Lisa Gosselin RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Matthew Crawford PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Alex Vetter PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Angelique Strong Marks RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Alex Vetter RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Sonia Jain RSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Lisa Gosselin PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 03, Tobias Hartmann PSU. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Executive Compensation” · grants of plan-based awards table. View filing ↗
- Section 07, pay ratio. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “CEO Pay Ratio”. As printed: 65 : 1. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Scott Forbes. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 359,991. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Jill Greenthal. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 284,996. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Donald A. McGovern Jr. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 284,996. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Jerri DeVard. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 264,996. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Jenell R. Ross. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 264,996. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Greg Revelle. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 264,996. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Thomas Hale. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 264,996. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Bryan Wiener. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 264,996. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Michael Kelly. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 264,996. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Bala Subramanian. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 264,996. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Tobias Hartmann. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 08, Alex Vetter. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. Section “Director Compensation”. As printed: 0. View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2026 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2026-06-05. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 93.75% (votes for as printed: 39,715,300). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2025 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2025-06-06. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 97.82% (votes for as printed: 48,531,056). View filing ↗
- Section 06, 2024 vote. Form 8-K, filed 2024-06-11. Item 5.07 · say-on-pay result. As reported: 98.54% (votes for as printed: 53,944,963). View filing ↗
- Section 01 trend, Δ column (computed). Computed. Δ = current-FY total − prior-FY total per named officer.
- Section 03b vehicle mix (computed). Computed. RSU / PSU / Options grant-date fair values summed per officer from the grants table; % performance-vested = PSU ÷ (RSU+PSU+Options).
- Section 09b board cost (computed). Computed. Cash 810,000 + equity 1,974,955 + all other 0 = 2,784,955, summed across the director compensation table rows.
- Cars.com Inc. (subject), Section 10b CEO total. DEF 14A, filed 2026-04-17. CEO total compensation as printed in Cars.com Inc.'s own proxy. As printed: 5,000,005. View filing ↗