What is .cars?
.cars entered the DNS root zone on May 2, 2015, 11 years ago. It came out of ICANN's New gTLD Program, the 2012 application round that grew the root from 22 generic TLDs to well over a thousand.
XYZ.COM LLC operates a large portfolio of 35 TLDs, including .audio, .auto, .autos, .baby and .beauty.
On the technical side, .cars is served by 4 authoritative name servers, every one of them reachable over IPv6. It is also DNSSEC-signed: the root zone carries a DS record for .cars, which lets validating resolvers check its answers cryptographically. Registration data is published over RDAP and WHOIS (the WHOIS server is whois.nic.cars).
Same registry, other endings
34 other TLDs share this operator.
.cars FAQ
What does .cars mean?
.cars is a generic top-level domain named for the word "cars". It doesn't belong to any country.
What country is .cars?
None. .cars is a generic top-level domain, so it isn't tied to any country.
Who owns the .cars domain extension?
XYZ.COM LLC operates .cars as its registry, under a registry agreement with ICANN.
When was .cars created?
.cars was delegated to the DNS root zone on May 2, 2015.
Is .cars a valid domain?
Yes. .cars is an active top-level domain in the DNS root zone, delegated in 2015, so .cars addresses work in every browser.
Can I buy a .cars domain?
.cars names are sold through ICANN-accredited registrars. Some gTLDs restrict who can register, so read XYZ.COM LLC's policy if you're unsure.
Is .cars DNSSEC-signed?
Yes, the root zone holds a DS record for .cars.
Sources
Data from IANA root zone version 2026102000. Last changed August 12, 2025. Spotted something wrong? Tell us.
