The omnichannel buying experience for both EVs and ICE vehicles has raised car buyer satisfaction to its highest level ever, according to the latest research by Cox Automotive.
The study says that car buyer satisfaction with dealerships is currently at 81 percent, the highest figure ever recorded, while 42 percent of new car buyer respondents say that their 2024 purchase experience was better than previous experiences.
The overall car shopping experience was rated at 75 percent satisfaction overall during the year, the Car Buyer Journey study says. The car buyer satisfaction level was higher for EV models as opposed to ICE models, with 75 percent of ICE purchasers saying they were “highly satisfied” versus 82 percent of electric vehicle buyers.
The typical used car buyer lagged new car purchasers in satisfaction with the process. In fact, used car satisfaction fell during 2024, dropping from 69 percent in 2023 to 67 percent in the year just ended. Several factors believed to influence the decline include high financing costs, limited selection of used vehicles, and less use of digital and omnichannel tools. However, satisfaction is still higher than in any pre-COVID study.
Despite the finding that availability of digital and omnichannel buying information and tools has boosted car buyer satisfaction strongly, this did not mean the typical sale took place completely online. Instead, digital services smoothed and eased the buying process itself and complicated paperwork. This gave the buyers more time for in-person activities such as talking to sales staff and test-driving the vehicle they were interested in.
Cox research VP Isabelle Helms remarked on this fact, noting “it is a common misconception that most vehicle buyers today want a completely online car-buying process.” She also noted, however, that “auto dealers who embrace the latest technology and engage in a transparent, easy-to-navigate process have consistently delivered the highest levels of satisfaction.”
Helms expanded more on this dynamic by pointing out that “spending more time shopping and exploring products and deals can actually be enjoyable for consumers.” The digital sales process appears to remove a lot of “busywork” rather than substituting for physical showroom shopping.
Transparency and ease in moving through the process are the main determiners of car buyer satisfaction, and modern tools provide more of these desirable traits than previous methods. Helms said the results of the study – which had 2,300 participants – remind the auto sector “again just how important it is to have an efficient vehicle buying process.”
Comments
Say what? New-car buyer satisfaction is not at an all time high. Every single person I know that has bought a new car in the last year, every one single one of them has had to take their vehicle in for a recall or break-down, often times having to wait for parts that are on back-order.
Someone didn’t read the article first of all, so let me help you with that…
“The overall car shopping experience”, i.e. it means how the shopping and dealership experience went.
Second, so because of a few friends you know bought a car and had a few minor issues and recalls then it much be true for EVERYONE the entire process is rubbish, right? Anyone can play the internet and make up what they want to solidify their point of view, I will try! Every single person I know that bought a new car last year (and that is more than you know as I have a huge social media presence) has not had a single issue or break down.
See, my stats are bigger and hence my view is more correct than you…
“Every single person I know” isn’t evidence of anything
“The study says that car buyer satisfaction with dealerships is currently at 81 percent, the highest figure ever recorded, while 42 percent of new car buyer respondents say that their 2024 purchase experience was better than previous experiences”
Now I’m waiting for all the “stealerships” comments
Reality check: turns out most of the folks who rant about “stealerships” either aren’t buying new cars or are a very small minority. Most likely the former.
I call 🐐💩 on this article.