.auto Domain Names
35 registrars compared — cheapest from $1863.20 at Spaceship
Delegated in the 2012 new gTLD round, .auto was never meant to be a clever alternative to .com — it's a niche space for an industry that has long outgrown its generic roots.
| # | Registrar | Registration | Renewal | Transfer | 5-Year Cost | 10-Year Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spaceship Cheapest | $1863.20 | $2064.20 | $2064.20 | $10120.00 | $20441.00 | Visit |
| 2 | NameSilo | $1998.99 | $2199.00 | $1998.99 | $10794.99 | $21789.99 | Visit |
| 3 | Porkbun | $2060.25 | $2064.19 | $2064.19 | $10317.01 | $20637.96 | Visit |
| 4 | Namecheap | $2070.00 | $2950.00 | $2327.98 | $13870.00 | $28620.00 | Visit |
| 5 | Sav | $2080.20 | $2080.20 | $2080.20 | $10401.00 | $20802.00 | Visit |
| 6 | Dynadot | $2140.22 | $2140.22 | $2140.22 | $10701.10 | $21402.20 | Visit |
| 7 | Regery | $2189.99 | $2189.99 | $2189.99 | $10949.95 | $21899.90 | Visit |
| 8 | Above.com | $2200.22 | $2200.22 | $2200.22 | $11001.10 | $22002.20 | Visit |
| 9 | Truehost | $2200.22 | $2857.92 | $2600.26 | $13631.90 | $27921.50 | Visit |
| 10 | Gandi | $2214.19 | $3711.98 | $2203.39 | $17062.11 | $35622.01 | Visit |
| 11 | Gname | $2378.00 | $2378.00 | $2378.00 | $11890.00 | $23780.00 | Visit |
| 12 | eDomains | $2400.00 | $2400.00 | $2400.00 | $12000.00 | $24000.00 | Visit |
| 13 | Infomaniak | $2400.00 | $2400.00 | $2400.00 | $12000.00 | $24000.00 | Visit |
| 14 | Directnic | $2500.00 | $2500.00 | $2500.00 | $12500.00 | $25000.00 | Visit |
| 15 | DreamHost | $2500.00 | $2500.00 | $2500.00 | $12500.00 | $25000.00 | Visit |
| 16 | Internet.bs | $2500.00 | $2725.39 | $2646.00 | $13401.56 | $27028.51 | Visit |
| 17 | Squarespace | $2500.00 | $2500.00 | $2500.00 | $12500.00 | $25000.00 | Visit |
| 18 | Hover | $2500.19 | $2500.19 | $2500.19 | $12500.95 | $25001.90 | Visit |
| 19 | OVHcloud | $2506.00 | $2724.00 | $2506.00 | $13402.00 | $27022.00 | Visit |
| 20 | MrDomain | $2542.95 | $2542.95 | $2542.95 | $12714.75 | $25429.50 | Visit |
| 21 | Netim | $2605.00 | $2605.00 | $2118.50 | $13025.00 | $26050.00 | Visit |
| 22 | UK2 | $2639.98 | $2639.98 | $3074.00 | $13199.90 | $26399.80 | Visit |
| 23 | Hello.co | $2799.99 | $2799.99 | $2799.99 | $13999.95 | $27999.90 | Visit |
| 24 | OnlyDomains | $2823.99 | $3166.49 | $3166.49 | $15489.95 | $31322.40 | Visit |
| 25 | INWX | $2880.12 | $2880.12 | $2880.12 | $14400.60 | $28801.20 | Visit |
| 26 | Blacknight | $2886.00 | $2886.00 | $2886.00 | $14430.00 | $28860.00 | Visit |
| 27 | Marcaria | $2947.00 | $2947.00 | $2947.00 | $14735.00 | $29470.00 | Visit |
| 28 | Name.com | $2999.99 | $3799.99 | $2999.99 | $18199.95 | $37199.90 | Visit |
| 29 | Crazy Domains | $3001.50 | $3091.59 | $3001.50 | $15367.86 | $30825.81 | Visit |
| 30 | Regtons | $3209.00 | $3209.00 | $3209.00 | $16045.00 | $32090.00 | Visit |
| 31 | 101domain | $3299.18 | $3299.18 | $3299.18 | $16495.90 | $32991.80 | Visit |
| 32 | Cosmotown | $3299.18 | $3299.18 | $3299.18 | $16495.90 | $32991.80 | Visit |
| 33 | Moniker | $3440.99 | $3544.25 | $3440.99 | $17617.99 | $35339.24 | Visit |
| 34 | 123 Reg | $3959.98 | $3959.98 | $3959.98 | $19799.90 | $39599.80 | Visit |
| 35 | EuroDNS | $4392.82 | $4392.82 | $4392.82 | $21964.10 | $43928.20 | Visit |
Prices updated daily. Some registrars show promotional first-year prices. Always verify the final price on the registrar's website before purchasing.
A Latecomer to the Web's First Big Land Rush
When XYZ.COM LLC received the delegation for .auto on 2015-03-12, the domain was already a decade behind the automotive internet's first wave. The 2012 new gTLD program was a second chance for the industry, which had watched generic extensions like .com and .net swallow most of its online identity. .auto arrived with a specific audience in mind: dealers, manufacturers, parts suppliers, and enthusiasts who wanted a suffix that said exactly what they did. Unlike brand TLDs, which lock down a single company's name, .auto's IANA record marks it as an open space — anyone in the automotive world could claim a slice. The delegation round opened the door to hundreds of new suffixes, but few were as tightly mapped to a single vertical as this one.
Why the Registry Bet on a Single-Syllable Vertical
.auto is a textbook case of vertical-specific gTLDs — a category that ICANN's 2012 round made possible. The registry behind it, XYZ.COM LLC, didn't just want a generic string; it wanted a term that would be instantly recognizable in any language. 'Auto' works because it's short, global, and unambiguous. The WHOIS server (whois.nic.auto) and registry site (nic.auto) are the standard infrastructure, but the real bet was on semantic clarity. In a world where .com meant everything, .auto meant one thing. Whether that bet paid off depends on how many dealerships and car clubs actually made the switch — but the registry clearly saw value in owning the word itself. The same company ran a portfolio of other new gTLDs, including .xyz, .college, and .game, each a different play on a generic concept.
The Pricing Puzzle: Narrow Spread, Broad Appeal
You won't find wild price swings between registrars for .auto. The spread across the roughly 35 registrars that carry it is narrow, which suggests the registry keeps wholesale costs tight. Spaceship typically lists it at the low end, making it an affordable option even though it's positioned as a niche vertical. That narrow spread is a double-edged sword: it lowers the barrier to entry for a small used-car dealer, but it also means the domain doesn't carry the premium cachet of a limited-release suffix. Compare that to brand TLDs or geo-TLDs, where scarcity can push prices far apart. .auto sits in the mid-range — not a budget throwaway, not a luxury name. For a domain that's supposed to signal 'I'm in the car business,' the pricing keeps it accessible without making it feel cheap.
The Real Rival Isn't Another New gTLD
The registry behind .auto also operates .pics and .christmas, but those aren't competitors to .auto — they're proof that XYZ.COM LLC knows how to run niche namespaces. The real rival is .com, which still dominates because consumers default to it. But .auto offers something .com can't: instant category recognition. When a customer sees a .auto domain, they don't need to read the business name to know what it sells. That's a subtle advantage that compounds over time, especially for local shops competing against national chains. It's not a revolution — but in a crowded market, clarity is a quiet weapon.