The industry's highest designation, earned through real compliance.
CARE certifies that your facility meets a single, audited standard for quality, safety, and customer experience — jointly administered by the ARA and URG. Buyers know what they're getting. Sellers earn the trust to charge for it.
- ✓ Audited annual standard for quality and safety
- ✓ Active recall stop-sale enforcement
- ✓ Customer-validated KPIs and feedback
- ✓ Listed in the public CARE registry
What is CARE?
A real standard, not a logo.
CARE — Certified Automotive Recycler of Excellence — is a compliance program for automotive recycling facilities that goes beyond a self-attestation. Facilities pursuing CARE meet a single Quality Assurance Program (QAP) standard covering insurance, recall safety, parts grading, customer service, and continuous improvement.
Compliance is tracked continuously through this dashboard. Annual audits verify it. Both ARA and URG award the designation — and both can withdraw it. That's what makes it credible.
Why it matters
Trust from buyers
Collision shops, dealers, and trade buyers know exactly what a CARE-certified part means before they receive it.
Premium for sellers
Certified facilities can defend pricing on the strength of grading, traceability, and warranty practices.
Real recall safety
Layered nightly VIN wash, near-real-time stop-sale alerts, and pre-sale checks reduce risk for everyone.
Operational rigor
Quarterly KPI reviews, complaint tracking, and corrective actions become routine — not crisis-driven.
How certification works
Four steps, on a 12-month onboarding timeline.
-
1
CAR certification
Hold ARA Certified Automotive Recycler status as your foundation.
-
2
QAP compliance
Work through six QAP sections in the dashboard — upload evidence, designate a Quality Manager, track KPIs.
-
3
Audit
A URG-assigned auditor conducts the certification audit, virtual and on-site.
-
4
Designation
CARE designation is awarded jointly by ARA and URG. Annual audits maintain it.
Sign up for CARE
Tell us about your facility and a URG representative will follow up to walk you through enrollment.
- • Open to ARA & URG member facilities
- • 12-month onboarding timeline
- • Annual audits to maintain designation