Car buying satisfaction hits all-time high with AI shopping – USA Today
It appears car buyers, for the most part, have been happy with their buying experiences at dealerships despite continued concerns about affordability as the average transaction price for new cars tops $52,000.
That’s one of the main findings from the 16th annual Car Buyer Journey (CBJ) Study by Cox Automotive released Jan. 13. The study found that new technology combined with in-person dealership sales is giving buyers a seamless retail experience and is improving vehicle-buying satisfaction in the United States. The research was done in the fall of 2025. Cox surveyed 2,300 consumers who purchased a new or used vehicle in the previous 12 months.
The high car-buying satisfaction scores are because of the emergence of AI-powered platforms, a big reliance on third-party shopping sites for research and other integrated retail tools that all help to streamline the process for buyers. It has led to improved transparency and delivers a more personal experience, the study said.
Lori Wittman, president of Retail Solutions at Cox Automotive, said the overall satisfaction with the car-buying process reached record highs in 2025.
“Even with affordability top of mind, buyers know exactly what they need: efficiency, transparency and tools that actually help them easily navigate their vehicle purchase,” Wittman said in a statement. “When dealers deliver intelligent, seamless experiences, it works: 84% of shoppers who lean into AI-powered online tools report high satisfaction.”
President Donald Trump put a 25% tariff on all imported cars and auto parts in late March 2025. There was widespread worry among analysts that automakers would have no choice but to pass the extra cost they pay to import cars or parts from overseas suppliers on to consumers. For that reason, the Cox Automotive study found that 56% of shoppers indicated they were opposed to higher tariffs.
The fear of soaring car prices drove 34% of new-car buyers to accelerate their decision to get a new ride, the study found. It also found that 68% of those who bought ahead of tariffs said they were satisfied with the price they paid. That car-buying pull-ahead boosted auto sales in the first half of the year.
The study found that 81% of new-car shoppers expected tariffs to push prices higher, but most car companies had enough inventory on the ground that they were able to keep the cost of tariffs off new cars until late in the year.
As the Detroit Free Press reported in December as part of the USA TODAY Network, many carmakers started boosting the mandatory delivery fee listed on the window sticker to capture some of the added costs, instead of raising the actual manufacturer’s suggested retail price.
Another key theme last year was that consumers increasingly viewed vehicle ownership as a financial burden.
The study found 62% of buyers said leasing or owning a car was too expensive, listing high vehicle prices being the top concern. Kelley Blue Book estimates the average new-vehicle manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) peaked at over $52,600 in December. The cost of gasoline, auto insurance, maintenance and high interest rates added to the strain.
The research showed more consumers considered both new and used vehicles due to steep prices. Also more buyers considered leasing, rather than purchasing, as an option for a new car.
In 2025, two-thirds of buyers considered both new and used vehicles, up from 57% previously. Among new-vehicle shoppers, nearly a third considered leasing over buying, an all-time high, with leases typically shaving more than $100 per month off a payment.
Another trend last year was that only 29% of buyers started the shopping process knowing exactly what they want on a car, down from 37% five years ago. Yet satisfaction with selection is improving: 62% of buyers reported being highly satisfied, up from 36% during the inventory crunch of 2022.
Still, Cox Automotive found that shoppers who bought a new or used vehicle in the previous 12 months reported improving satisfaction, with three-fourths of new-vehicle buyers indicating they were highly satisfied with the process, an all-time high.
“Drivers of the improved scores include better vehicle selection, more efficient shopping processes and smoother dealership experiences,” the study said. “A clear sign that the car-buying experience is improving: 44% of new-vehicle buyers — an all-time high — and 41% of used-vehicle buyers said their most recent purchase was better than their previous one.”
The study found that only 6% of respondents reported a worse experience, the lowest score in five years. One respondent summed it up, writing: “It was seamless from online to dealership. I was able to complete most of it online, including getting a quicker approval.”
Overall, retail dealership satisfaction reached 76%, close to the record of 77% set in 2020. Used-vehicle buyer satisfaction scored 75%, just shy of its all-time high. New-vehicle buyer satisfaction remained steady at 81%, matching the record set in the previous study.
Cox Automotive said the results reinforced the idea that “mostly digital buyers” — those who completed more than 50% of the required process online — were the most satisfied.
Also, AI is helping the process. The study said AI usage was relatively modest among all vehicle buyers, but those who did use AI tools reported “higher satisfaction, greater trust in dealers, and a faster, easier process.” About 63% of car dealers said investing in AI tools will improve their long-term success.
Cox Automotive spokesman Mark Schirmer told the Free Press: “When we asked about AI, it was both AI-powered search engines — so like AI mode in Google — and new AI Chat machines like ChatGPT that can act like a coach or ‘in-the-know’ neighbor.”
Some other examples of AI assisted tools are websites that either help with personalized vehicle searches or with pricing and negotiation to find cars that fit your budget without hidden fees. In June 2025, car shopping website CarGurus announced its AI-powered search experience saying, “This innovation delivers a more personalized and intuitive car shopping experience, embedded directly into the CarGurus website.” It allowed buyers to do searches paired with “expert auto intelligence and real-time vehicle data” to research, compare and shop new and used cars in the U.S.
In the survey of 2,300 buyers, 53% completed all steps at the dealership, while only 7% bought completely online.
“When asked about their preference, 63% said an omnichannel approach would be ideal, compared to 28% who want ‘all online,’ ” the Cox Automotive report stated.
Jamie L. LaReau is the senior autos writer for USA Today Co. who covers Ford Motor Co. for the Detroit Free Press. Contact Jamie at jlareau@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @jlareauan. To sign up for our autos newsletter. Become a subscriber.
