Thirty-six percent of buyers in the new vehicle market say tariffs impacted their vehicle purchase process, with most of them buying sooner than they had planned, according to J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study.
Despite the market shifts, overall customer satisfaction with the vehicle purchase experience increased by 1 point this year to 802 (on a 1,000-point scale).
“Satisfaction among buyers has been gradually improving over the years, including a modest increase in 2025 despite the added uncertainties that tariffs bring,” said Stewart Stropp, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power, in a press release. “However, even in a challenging market, the fundamentals of satisfaction haven’t changed. Dealers who stay transparent during the deal, take time to educate buyers on their vehicle’s features, and maintain that connection after delivery are the ones poised to boost buyer satisfaction, ultimately leading to better customer retention and business growth.”
The study measures customer satisfaction with the sales experience among new vehicle buyers and rejectors, as well as satisfaction with brands and dealerships that were shopped but ultimately rejected in favor of the selling dealership, according to the release. Buyer satisfaction is based on: delivery process, dealer personnel, working out the deal, paperwork completion, dealership facility, and dealership website. Rejector satisfaction is based on: salesperson, price, facility, variety of inventory, and negotiation, the release says.
J.D. Power found that buyers of Japanese and European brands are more likely to advance their vehicle purchase in response to tariffs.
“Overall, among customers who say tariffs impacted their purchase, 87% in both the premium and mass market segments say they bought their vehicle sooner than intended,” the release states. “Furthermore, nearly 15% of buyers in both segments say they spent more than originally intended for their new vehicle.”
In September, the average transaction price (ATP) of a new vehicle in the U.S. was $50,080 for the first time in history, according to estimates by Kelley Blue Book (KBB).
J.D. Power says that nearly one-fourth of the buyers it surveyed want to learn more about their vehicle features after the initial run-through upon delivery, but it never comes for 53% of them. The release states that this presents “a key opportunity for dealers to improve the vehicle delivery process and boost future service retention and loyalty.”
“Trade-in transactions have been steadily increasing since the decline in lease volume that began several years ago,” the release says. “Among buyers who traded in a vehicle, 28% say their trade-in value was less than expected. However, when the dealer provides a clear explanation justifying the trade-in value, customer satisfaction is notably higher, even among those buyers who say the trade-in value didn’t meet their expectations.
In those instances, overall satisfaction with the deal-making process averages 800 when justification was provided but falls to 672 when it wasn’t.
Highest-ranking brands
Buick ranks highest in sales satisfaction among mass-market brands with a score of 827, followed by Subaru (823) and Chevrolet (821).

Porsche ranks highest in sales satisfaction among premium brands for a third consecutive year, with a score of 855, followed by Land Rover (838) and Infiniti (835).

The following are the highest-ranked brands in each segment:
The 2025 study results are based on responses from 32,616 buyers who purchased or leased their new vehicle between March and May of this year. The study was fielded from July through September.
Featured image credit: andresr/iStock
Charts provided by J.D. Power
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