2025 Halftime Report: State of Dealer Reputation with Widewail | ASOTU Edge Webinar

The industry doesn’t stop, but halftime is a chance to look up at the scoreboard.

Widewail’s midyear analysis of 2.7M Google reviews shows where dealers are winning, where they’re falling behind, and what customers really think about auto retail right now.

Review Volume Is Exploding

Review counts are surging 21% year-over-year. Sales aren’t up that much, so what’s driving it?

Gen Z buyers.

Digital natives see reviews as standard currency, not optional feedback.

The “100 Club” of dealers pulling 100+ reviews a month is exploding, creating a new tier of “mega reputation” rooftops dominating search and customer confidence.

Negativity Season Is Back

Summer spikes bring a wave of negative reviews every year. Vacations overlap with peak showroom traffic, leaving dealers short-staffed when they need coverage most.

The result? Customers vent about rushed conversations and inattentive staff.

Last year staff-related negativity climbed 20%. This year is trending the same way unless leaders train and prep teams for summer surges.

Price Anxiety Is Creeping Back

Tariffs may dominate headlines, but reviews barely mention them. Instead, customers talk about pricing in code: “Did I get a deal? Did I overpay?”

Sales customers are reporting less positivity around price since mid-2024.

Service customers continue to feel pain as older vehicles rack up higher repair costs.

Price is becoming less about tariffs and more about perception.

EV Experience Gap Widens

EV buyers remain the toughest crowd.

Reviews show staff knowledge and helpfulness lag far behind ICE customer expectations.

Q1 looked promising, but Q2 gave all the gains back.

Negativity is rising on deal structure and staff professionalism, even as inventory improves.

EV customers want answers, not uncertainty, and they’re punishing dealers who aren’t prepared.

Brand Winners and Losers

Ford and Chevy have sold similar volumes this year, but reviews tell different stories. Ford customers describe personal, fixable pain points.

Chevy customers describe systemic service failures—cars not fixed on the first visit, poor communication, long waits.

Ford climbs in customer rankings while Chevy falls.

What Top Dealers Are Doing

Widewail spotlighted Northtown Automotive in Buffalo. Leadership assumed communication was their weakness.

The data revealed otherwise. Communication issues were 50% below industry average.

The real problem? Professionalism.

A 220% spike in negative mentions about staff behavior gave them clarity on where to invest training dollars.

The result: targeted fixes, not wasted energy.

Dealer Takeaways

1. Prepare for summer: Staff negativity peaks every Q2. Coverage and training matter more than incentives.

2. Price transparency is everything: Customers don’t mention tariffs—they mention anxiety. Education and clarity beat discounts.

3. Fix the EV gap: Knowledgeable staff and patient communication are non-negotiables with EV buyers.

4. Audit reputation data: Don’t assume. Let review analysis show where you’re actually weak.

The Bottom Line

Dealer reputation isn’t shaped by ad budgets, it’s written in reviews.

The halftime report shows more customers leaving feedback, more visibility in search, and higher stakes for service and sales alike.

The best stores will treat reviews as real-time coaching, not after-the-fact feedback.

The second half of 2025 belongs to the dealers who turn reviews into strategy.