Americans More Satisfied with Car Buying Today

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Car Buying is Getting Better!

Cox Automotive is the world's largest automotive services and technology provider. Each year Cox produces its Car Buyers Journey Study in which the company surveys thousands of car buyers and discovered that last year overall satisfaction was at an all-time high.

Highlights of this survey shows that 69 percent of consumers who recently purchased a vehicle were highly satisfied with the overall car shopping and buying process, up from 61 percent in 2022. When talking about the dealer experience, 79 percent of new vehicle buyers said they were highly satisfied with the dealership. Interestingly, 71 percent of consumers say they plan on using an omnichannel approach when buying their next car. In other words, they will likely shop and compare cars online, spending less time at the dealerships.

This type of online shopping combines researching the vehicle you are interested in by doing online searches for the make and model of car, reading or watching road test videos and reviews of vehicles in order to choose the right one for you and your family. Such online shopping also lets you find the exact color, trim level, and accessories you desire, narrowing your search to just a few cars before test driving them at the dealerships.

There are also changes to the way consumers are using such omnichannel shopping to handle the entire car buying process, from finding the right car, to trading in their current car, and even handling the paperwork process, and getting a car loan without ever leaving the house.
According to the Cox Study, overall car buying satisfaction has increased significantly over the previous few years. According to the survey, this is attributed to improved auto inventory at dealerships, the return of discounting, and the fact that more dealerships have embraced the omnichannel approach to car buying, where you spend less time at the dealership for a more efficient, timesaving buying experience.

Taking the "Curse" off of Dealerships


In the past, many consumers have disliked spending time at auto dealerships. They would prefer spending an evening with an insurance salesman to hanging out at a car lot. Simply driving into a dealer lot could give you the feeling that the sales vultures were descending on you and would begin pressuring you to buy. The fact that every aspect of the buying process was negotiable didn't help. Thankfully, people are more satisfied with the buying experience at dealerships now than ever before.

According to the latest Cox Car Buyers Journey Study, the percentage of new car buyers who are highly satisfied with the overall car buying experience has increased to 73 percent and electric car shoppers report an 80 percent satisfaction level with the entire process. In fact, the satisfaction level among new car buyers is at an all-time high. 
Positive feedback includes such details as 77 percent of those in the study were satisfied with their interactions with the sales team; 79 percent approved the vehicle delivery and pickup process; and 82 percent were highly satisfied with the test drive experience. An astounding 79 percent of new car buyers in the study say they were highly satisfied with the entire car buying experience provided by their local dealership.

The Affordability Factor

Some 49 percent of recent car buyers in the survey admit to paying more than they expected for their recent purchase, but that is down from 54 percent in 2022. Dissatisfaction with the price paid for used cars was higher as they are holding their value. However, inventory levels have been rising over the last few years and that's causing automakers and dealerships to increase incentives for buying. Cox says that lower prices and the sense that consumers are getting a good deal has helped to improve overall satisfaction. Buyers in the survey looked at two vehicles on average and visited two dealerships. Nearly 80 percent of those surveyed said they visited a third-party website such as Kelley Blue Book or Auto Trader.

Buying Online

Of those surveyed, 43 percent said they combined online shopping and purchasing with in-person appearances at dealerships. Around 50 percent of buyers handled the entire process at the dealer. Only 7 percent of new car buyers handled the entire transaction online back in 2023. When asked how they would prefer to handle their next vehicle purchase, 71 percent said they would prefer the omnichannel combination of online and in-dealer purchasing in order to spend less time at the dealership. When it comes to buying entirely online, 21 percent said they intend to buy their next car without setting foot in a dealership.

When it comes to EV buyers, 69 percent of electric car owners in the survey said they chose the omnichannel approach and 16 percent said they handled the entire transaction completely online.
It was cited that one of the reasons the overall shopping experience improved in their most recent survey is that the time required to purchase a car online has shortened by more than an hour. The idea is that the less time it takes you to handle an online omnichannel car purchase, the more likely you are to follow through and the higher your level of satisfaction with the process.

According to the survey, on average:
  • New car buyers spent 11 hours and 45 minutes to complete the entire process online from beginning to end, saving over 80 minutes over the previous year
  • New EV buyers saved the most time, spending less than 11 hours in the process. As we all know, time is money, and those EV owners were the most satisfied with the time it took to make a purchase.

Vanessa Ton, Cox Automotive senior manager of Market and Consumer Research says, "Year after year, our studies suggest that consumers are not pursuing an entirely digital experience. Rather, we believe car buyers want a seamless experience where they start the process at home, shop, fill out any required forms, and then go to the dealership, test drive a car, complete the deal, and learn about their new purchase. Dealerships that fully embrace an omnichannel approach are the most successful, as the process becomes more efficient for everyone involved and delivers happier buyers as well."

Let Lithia Help
No matter how you prefer to shop for your next vehicle, let Lithia Motors help. With over 75 years of experience and over 300 dealerships to choose from, including complete online buying through Driveway, we have the car, truck, SUV or EV to fit your needs and take customer satisfaction to a whole new level.Â