People who have won a car on The Price Is Right share what really happens once they switch cameras off as one winner got something totally different

Winning a car on The Price Is Right is one of the biggest moments on daytime TV.

A contestant guesses correctly, the crowd erupts, and a brand-new vehicle rolls into view under studio lights.

For viewers at home, it looks like the kind of win where you grab the keys and head straight out the door.

But past winners say what happens next is a lot more complicated.

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What really happens to a Price Is Right car winner after filming ends

First things first – you don’t drive the car out of the studio. 

Not even close.

Past winners say that once taping wraps, you’re ushered into a paperwork phase.

You fill out forms detailing exactly what you won, and then the fun word shows up: taxes. 

Because the show films in California, state income tax applies, and that’s before federal taxes are added on top. 

One former contestant explained that California takes around seven percent before you even receive your prizes, and federal tax can push the total much higher depending on your situation.

In other words, that “free” car comes with a bill.

Winners have to pay what they owe – typically with a certified check – before the prize is released. 

Only then can they arrange to collect the vehicle from a local dealership. 

It’s less victory lap, more admin day.

For bigger showcase prizes, the numbers can be hefty enough to bump someone into a higher tax bracket. 

Some contestants have even turned down parts of their winnings to avoid a financial headache. 

So while the crowd is chanting and the lights are flashing, a Price Is Right car winner is also signing up for a crash course in tax planning.

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One lucky winner drove home something totally different

Then there’s the twist no one sees coming.

TikTok creator Kate Steinberg won a Nissan Versa playing Money Game. 

Months later, however, she filmed herself picking up a completely different car – a white Toyota RAV4 – and proudly showed it off online.

How? 

Winners can choose to keep the exact model displayed on stage, or they can use its value as credit toward another vehicle. 

That’s what she did. 

She kept the prize value but swapped the car for something that better suited her life.

There is a limit, though. 

Cars can’t simply be exchanged for cash. 

The flexibility applies to vehicle choice, not a payout. 

Still, it’s a surprising amount of wiggle room for a show that looks so locked-in from the couch.

On screen, it’s all screaming and spinning platforms. 

Off screen, being a Price Is Right car winner means paperwork, tax forms, and sometimes walking away with a completely different set of keys than the ones you first celebrated.

@itskatesteinberg The Price Is Right making dreams come true 😭 #millennial #fyp ♬ original sound – Kate Steinberg

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