Dealership customer service statistics on retention and satisfaction, with sources

Only 54% of owners of cars under two years old went back to the selling dealer for service, down from 72%, according to Cox Automotive's study published in April 2026. This page lists that figure and the other sourced customer service statistics on dealership service retention and satisfaction, each with its publisher, date, scope, and what it does and doesn't measure, so you can quote it in a meeting or an article without getting it wrong.

Where a widely shared number fails that test, it is in the section on numbers we checked and don't use.

Summary table

How to read it: each row is the statistic in the publisher's wording, its source and its month.

What it tells you: Cox Automotive is behind the bulk of these figures, so read its publisher's-interest lines.

Service retention

These figures describe whether customers come back to the store for service, and what that is worth. If you want the reasons behind the numbers, read why service customers leave without complaining.

What percentage of customers return to the dealership for service?

The statistic: Only 54% of owners of cars under two years old went back to the selling dealer for service, down from 72% (Cox Automotive).

• Source: Cox Automotive, "What Dealers Are Leaving in the Service Lane," drawn from the 2025 Cox Automotive Fixed Ops and Ownership Study (released April 2026 as the 2026 study), published 2026-04-09.
• What it means: the share of owners of newer vehicles who returned for service to the store where they bought the car.
• What it doesn't mean: it is not the dealer share of all service visits. Cox reports a separate dealer-share-of-visits figure for the same vehicle age; don't swap them.
• Publisher's interest: Cox Automotive sells service software to the dealers this study describes.
• Last checked: 2026-10-27, against the publisher's page.

Do customers who service at the dealer buy there again?

The statistic: 74% of buyers who return to the dealer for service are likely to buy from it again, against 44% of those who don't (Cox Automotive). Short form: 30 points more likely to buy again.

• Source: Cox Automotive Fixed Ops and Ownership Study page and its release, both published 2026-04-09.
• What it means: a 30-point gap in stated repurchase likelihood between people who came back for service in the past year and people who didn't.
• What it doesn't mean: it is not "74% more likely". That version turns a percentage-point gap into a percentage increase and circulates widely; it is wrong. It also doesn't prove that service causes repurchase. It is stated intent, and the groups may differ in other ways.
• Publisher's interest: as above.
• Last checked: 2026-10-27.

How much is a service customer worth?

The statistic: Losing a service customer can mean more than $12,000 in potential lifetime service spend (Cox Automotive estimate).

• Source: Cox Automotive release, 2026-04-09.
• What it means: a modelled estimate built from assumptions about the ownership period.
• What it doesn't mean: it is not a measured loss, and it doesn't mean each lost customer "costs you" that sum. Cox says it is based on ownership-period service assumptions; the release does not publish the model. Cox's own headline frames it as money left on the table; it is still a modelled estimate. For your own drive, your DMSDMS. Dealer management system: the dealership's core software for repair orders, parts, car deals and accounting. has the customer-payCustomer-pay. Work the customer pays for themselves, as opposed to warranty or internal work. and warranty RORO. Repair order: the work order a service advisor opens for a visit. It lists the work and closes when the customer pays and leaves. history to make a local version; see the fixed ops numbers worth tracking.
• Publisher's interest: as above.
• Last checked: 2026-10-27.

Customer service satisfaction statistics

How CSI relates to intent to return

The statistic: When dealer service satisfaction is 950 or higher, 86% of mass-market and 88% of premium customers say they definitely will return to the dealer for paid service (J.D. Power 2026 U.S. CSICSI. Customer satisfaction index: the manufacturer's score for a dealership, built from its own surveys of customers after sales and service visits. Study). Satisfaction is measured on a 1,000-point scale, among owners of 1–3-year-old vehicles.

• Source: J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, press release published 2026-03-12.
• What it means: stated intent to return among very satisfied owners of newer vehicles.
• What it doesn't mean: it is not your OEMOEM. The car manufacturer (original equipment manufacturer) whose brand the dealership sells and services.'s CSI score, which uses its own survey and scale. It is not actual return behavior. And it doesn't show that customers below that score leave; the figures cited here are for scores of 950 and above.
• Publisher's interest: J.D. Power sells research and consulting to automakers and dealers.
• Last checked: 2026-10-22, against the linked J.D. Power release. That release is linked, not archived.

For what counts as a good score on your own OEM's survey, see what is a good CSI score for a dealership.

How many service customers have a frustration during the visit?

The statistic: 45% of dealership service customers reported a frustration during their visit (2025 Cox Automotive Service Industry Study).

• Source: Cox Automotive, "What Dealers Are Leaving in the Service Lane" (2026-04-09), which attributes it to the 2025 Cox Automotive Service Industry Study.
• What it means: the share who reported at least one frustration with the visit.
• What it doesn't mean: it is not the share who were dissatisfied overall.
• Publisher's interest: as above for Cox.
• Last checked: 2026-10-27.

Cox's list includes service taking longer than expected and a final price above the estimate. These are things a customer may not raise at the cashier.

Reaching customers after the visit

Do people answer calls from unknown numbers?

The statistic: 84% of Americans say they reject or ignore calls from unknown numbers (Hiya State of the Call 2026).

• Source: Hiya, State of the Call 2026 data deck, published 2026-03-02.
• What it means: what people say they do when an unknown number rings.
• What it doesn't mean: it is not a measured answer rate. It is also not the headline on Hiya's own landing page, which uses a different figure and wording; we cite the survey deck.
• Publisher's interest: Hiya sells caller-ID and call-labeling products, so it has a stake in the problem.
• Last checked: 2026-10-27, against Hiya's landing page, which is archived. The data deck that holds this figure is linked, not archived.

If your store's number shows up as unknown or labeled on customers' phones, that is a separate fix; see why dealership calls show as spam likely.

Dealers and AI follow-up

These figures describe dealers. They are here because they come up in the same conversations as the customer figures.

How dealers use AI for customer follow-up

The statistic: Coordinating customer follow-up is tied for the top use of AI among dealers, at 40% (Cox Automotive AI in Auto Retail Tracker, Q2 2026).

• Source: Cox Automotive AI in Auto Retail Tracker, Q2 2026, published 2026-07-31.
• What it means: among the AI uses dealers reported, customer follow-up is tied at the top.
• What it doesn't mean: it is not "the top use" on its own, because it is a tie. Cox reports dealer findings on the total base of dealers surveyed, franchise and independent.
• Publisher's interest: Cox sells AI products to dealers.
• Last checked: 2026-10-27.

What dealers expected from AI, and what they report

The statistic: 69% of dealers expected AI to grow sales and revenue; among dealers using AI, 22% say it has (Cox Automotive, Q2 2026).

• Source: same tracker, same wave.
• What it means: an expectation set beside a reported outcome.
• What it doesn't mean: the two figures sit on different bases, so they can't be divided into one another or read as a share of a share.
• Publisher's interest: as above for Cox.
• Last checked: 2026-10-27.

Numbers we checked and don't use

These figures circulate in decks and online. We looked at each one and left it out.

• "74% more likely to buy again." A misreading of the Cox repurchase figure above. Cox reports two percentages and a 30-point gap, not a percentage increase.
• Hiya's landing-page headline. It uses a different figure and wording about unanswered calls; we cite the survey deck's wording instead.
• A widely shared "unlikely to answer" percentage. We could not trace it to a primary source with a date and sample.

If you see one of these in a presentation, ask for the primary source, the date, and the sample. If no one can produce them, leave the number out.

How we check these numbers

• Primary source only. We cite the publisher's own page, release or report, never a blog that quotes it.
• Re-read before update. Each figure is re-read on the publisher's page on the date shown in its card. Where we could save a copy, the source is archived. Where we couldn't, the card says the source is linked, not archived.
• Scope kept. We keep the publisher's base, segment and year and don't round or combine figures.
• Review date. Each figure is reviewed every year or at the study's next edition, whichever comes first.

Our own sourcing rules are on our facts page.

Where Lokam fits

Next-day feedback that shows you exactly what to fix for customer satisfaction. Lokam is post-visit follow-up for US dealerships, and the day after the RORO. Repair order: the work order a service advisor opens for a visit. It lists the work and closes when the customer pays and leaves. closes, your store calls customers using Lokam's AI assistant. Every figure on this page comes from an outside study, and none of them is a Lokam result.

FAQ

Do customers who service at the dealer buy there again?
Cox Automotive reports that 74% of buyers who return to the dealer for service are likely to buy from it again, against 44% of those who don't. That is stated intent, and it is a 30-point gap, not "74% more likely".

What is a good CSICSI. Customer satisfaction index: the manufacturer's score for a dealership, built from its own surveys of customers after sales and service visits. score?
It depends on your OEMOEM. The car manufacturer (original equipment manufacturer) whose brand the dealership sells and services.'s survey and scale. OEM CSI uses its own survey and scale, so J.D. Power's 1,000-point index isn't comparable to it; compare against your brand's own benchmarks, and our guide explains how what is a good CSI score for a dealership.

Do people answer calls from unknown numbers?
In Hiya's survey, 84% of Americans say they reject or ignore calls from unknown numbers. That is self-reported behavior. The survey asked people what they do.