Benchmarks, 2026 edition
The numbers behind dealership performance.
Answer rates, lead response, CRM use, website tracking and advertising: the figures from Pasch Group research that dealers and vendors quote most, each with its source, so you can check them and cite them.
Phones and calls
Calls are still where many sales and most service visits start, and where many of them are lost.
30%
of service calls to dealerships go unanswered
Proactive Dealer Solutions data, in Pasch Group’s Brooke.ai review2023
67%
of Google Ads hard conversions were phone calls
Dealer eProcess data, in Pasch Group’s Google SEM report2021
12.84%
of about one million Google search calls to dealers were sales opportunities
InteractiveTel analysis, in Pasch Group’s Google SEM report2021 · About 1 million calls
20% to 2%
dropped calls at a Honda and Acura dealer group after adding voice AI
Digital Voice Assistants report, Pasch Group2025 · Dealer interview
90%
of dealers interviewed named after-hours coverage as AI’s clearest value
AI and Dealership Staff, Pasch Group2026 · Structured dealer interviews, June to August 2026
Leads and follow-up
How fast and how well a store follows up decides how many leads ever turn into conversations.
Up to 80%
lower connection rate when the first response to a lead takes 30 minutes or more
45% vs 6%
average response rate for texts versus email, in studies the book cites
2x
the show rate for confirmed appointments compared with unconfirmed ones
Over 60%
of one dealer’s new and CPO purchases from CRM leads came after day eight
The Road to Sold, Glenn Pasch2025 · One dealer’s CRM data
12.4%
of qualified leads were never entered into the CRM
19% vs 3%
contact-rate gain where workflows were redesigned around AI, against stores where they weren’t
AI and Dealership Staff, Pasch Group2026 · Structured dealer interviews, June to August 2026
CRM and customer data
Most stores hold far more customer data than they use, and much of it is out of date.
5.1 / 10
average dealer rating of the AI built into their CRM
Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind, Pasch Group2026 · 463 dealership leaders, December 2025 to January 2026
16%
of dealers surveyed use their CRM in the service department
Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind, Pasch Group2026 · 463 dealership leaders
14%
of franchise dealers surveyed planned to shop for a new CRM at NADA 2026
Dealership CRMs Must Evolve or Get Left Behind, Pasch Group2026 · 463 dealership leaders
14.5%
of dealer CRM data is engaged by the dealership in a given year, on average
Under 3%
of active customers the average dealer renews each year
Absolute Results data, in Pasch Group’s CDP report2023 · 150+ dealers
40%
of vehicle transactions in a DMS with 10+ years of history are likely no longer owned by the customer on file
25% to 35%
possible lift in Google and Meta match rates after cleaning DMS data
Websites and tracking
Dealer websites carry more tools, tags and data-sharing than most stores realize.
4 to 30
Google Tag Manager containers found on dealer websites, against a target of under 5
How Many Vendors Are Accessing Your 1st Party Data?, Pasch Group2025 · Tag audits of dealer websites
53
tags and scripts loading on one Stellantis dealer’s website
How Many Vendors Are Accessing Your 1st Party Data?, Pasch Group2025
10 of 25
advertising scripts on that site kept tracking after the shopper opted out
How Many Vendors Are Accessing Your 1st Party Data?, Pasch Group2025
3 to 6
software products on most dealer websites capture parts of the shopping journey
Under 2%
of all website traffic converts to a lead form
20.6% to 104.9%
rise in form leads at stores that added payment and credit buttons, July 2025
CTA strategy review, Pasch Group with TradePending (now Protomiq) data2025
Advertising
Spend is easy to count. Proving what it sold is harder.
98%
of dealers answering say display or online video swapped in for streaming TV is a different product
The Streaming Accountability Gap, Pasch Group2026 · 74 quality-screened dealer responses
64%
of dealers answering had been frustrated by streaming reports listing unfamiliar channels
The Streaming Accountability Gap, Pasch Group2026 · 74 quality-screened dealer responses
5 to 10x
more expensive to generate a sales opportunity with Google search ads than dealers think
100%
of vehicle listing ad clicks would fire a simple VDP-view key event, which wastes bidding signal
AI and staffing
What happens to people and process when stores add AI.
0
dealers interviewed cut staff to make room for AI; headcount changed only through attrition
AI and Dealership Staff, Pasch Group2026 · Structured dealer interviews
80%
hit preventable CRM breakdowns during their AI rollout
AI and Dealership Staff, Pasch Group2026 · Structured dealer interviews
9 to 2
BDC staff at one eight-rooftop group after adding voice AI
Digital Voice Assistants report, Pasch Group2025 · Dealer interview
How we compiled this
Every figure comes from published Pasch Group research: our own dealer surveys, interviews, website audits and reviews, and data from partners that we cited in those reports. Partner data is shown as reported; we haven’t adjusted it.
Each benchmark shows its source, year and, where it applies, the sample. Some come from a single dealer or a single study, and they’re labeled that way. Read them as signposts, not industry averages.
We update this page each year. The 2027 edition will add results from the 2027 Automotive CRM Research Report survey.
Can I cite these benchmarks?
Yes. Use the Copy citation button on any figure: it copies the figure, its original source and a link to that figure on this page. Please credit Pasch Group and link back.
How often is this updated?
Once a year, plus whenever a new Pasch Group report adds a figure worth tracking.
Why are some figures several years old?
Some studies haven’t been repeated since. We show every figure’s year so you can judge how much weight to give it, and we replace figures as newer research comes out.
Go deeper
More tools
- PhonesMissed-call revenue calculatorThe sales gross and service revenue lost to unanswered calls, and what each point of answer rate is worth.Open the tool
- PhonesBDC staffing calculatorHow many agents your busiest hour needs to answer calls fast, using the Erlang C model call centers staff with.Open the tool
- AdvertisingCost per sale calculatorCost per lead and cost per car sold for every ad source, side by side.Open the tool
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