- A new study finds 71% of people who recently bought a car called themselves “highly satisfied” with the car shopping process.
- The numbers were higher for new car buyers than for used car buyers.
Fully 71% of people who bought a car from a dealership recently pronounced themselves “highly satisfied” with their experience.
Those who bought a new car were even more likely to be happy with shopping — 76% of new car buyers called themselves highly satisfied. That’s the highest satisfaction rate in the 16-year history of the study.
Cox Automotive, Kelley Blue Book’s parent company, surveyed 2,344 people for its annual Car Buyer Journey study. All respondents had bought a new or used car from a dealership in the 12 months ending last September.
They found buyers more satisfied with their experience than a similar group a year before.
Affordability pressures are reshaping buyer behavior. But a smoother dealership experience that includes completing much of the process online has car shoppers growing more satisfied with car dealers.
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Only 6% reported that their experience was worse than previous purchases.
Online Tools Helping; AI Starting to Impact Car Shopping
- 63% of shoppers said the ideal shopping experience includes some online steps and some in-person steps.
- Only 7% of respondents bought their car completely online.
- 25% of buyers used AI at some point in shopping.
Sixty-three percent of respondents agreed that their ideal shopping experience would include completing some steps online and some at the dealership.
Despite that, 53% still completed the entire process at the dealership. Buyers wanted more online experiences than the industry provides – 48% would like to apply for credit online, but just 33% did. Similarly, 40% want to select finance and insurance products online, but just 16% did.
Just 7% purchased a car entirely online, though 28% said they would like to.
AI tools made their first appearance in the study. A quarter of buyers said they engaged an AI tool in their shopping experience, and 59% of those were satisfied with it.
Third-party car research websites like this one were more trusted than dealership sites or answers generated by search engines, with 75% of shoppers using a website like Kelley Blue Book in making their decision.
Affordability Pressures Growing
- Survey respondents increasingly view car ownership as a significant cost burden.
- Wealthier households make up a growing proportion of new car shoppers.
Even those who recently bought a new car think today’s cars are too expensive. Sixty-two percent agreed that “owning or leasing a vehicle is becoming too expensive.”
The cost of the car itself takes most of the blame – 70% of respondents cited the purchase price as a problem, while 60% thought fuel prices were too high and 57% said the same of insurance.
Last month, the price of the average new car stretched to $50,326. That price included significant discounts. Sticker prices averaged $52,627 before incentives.
A record 42% of new cars went to households earning $150,000 or more. Twenty-one percent went to those with more than $250,000 in household income.
Tariffs played a role in that — 56% of shoppers said they opposed new, higher tariffs. As news of impending tariffs came last year, 24% of buyers said they accelerated their purchase to avoid tariff-related price increases. Those who bought early were more likely to be satisfied with their purchase.
