David Thomas

After months of elevated scores, the Ease of Purchase Scorecard saw a significant drop in February. The key question of whether it was easy to buy a car dropped from a near record of 92% in January to 87% in February. That’s also below the average score (88%) seen throughout 2024.  

In ongoing studies of car buyers, CDK asks about the all-important role of the car salesperson in the purchase process. Over three years, more than 11,000 shoppers have told us how well their salesperson has assisted them in key areas. And each year these vital contributors at the dealership are improving.

The automotive landscape may look different as the calendar flips to February, but last month saw car steady car sales and buyers found it overwhelmingly easy to make their purchase. 

Selecting the right dealership management system (DMS) can be a daunting task, given the number of options and the complexity of each platform. Consider these questions to ensure your dealership is set up for success in your next vendor partnership:

Does this provider add to or eliminate the number of programs my team uses?

Car shoppers hit dealerships in droves this December and nearly nine out of 10 (88%) said the purchase experience was easy. That high Ease of Purchase score is down slightly from November’s 91% but is still historically on the higher side of results. But despite the positive overall vibes from shoppers, the numbers weren’t as glowing when we asked about specific steps in the purchase process.

Inventories hit some of their highest levels in years last month and the ability to find the car they wanted made it easier for shoppers to complete the entire purchase process. The CDK Ease of Purchase score hit 91% in November up from 87% in October and close to the 93% high recorded in August.

Disruptions in inventory, whether it was due to stop sales, model year turnovers or even natural disasters, seem to have put a dent in the most recent Ease of Purchase score compiled by CDK.

The record witnessed with the CDK Ease of Purchase score in August wasn’t repeated in September despite higher inventory levels and even more people finding the cars they wanted in stock. That one factor, 76%, up from 72% in August, generally correlates to a higher overall Ease of Purchase score. But other factors seemed to be at odds, with buyers last month knocking the sky-high 93% of August down to just a very, very good 89%.

CDK has tracked how easy car buyers say it is to purchase a car for over two years. Last month saw the highest score for the metric to date. More than nine out of 10 respondents (93%) said it was easy to buy a new car in August compared to 88% in July and 82% in August of 2023.

In the 2024 CDK Dealership Workplace Study, respondents told us how satisfied they were with their jobs and benefits. And while nearly three out of four were satisfied with their jobs, nearly a third still plan to leave their jobs in the next six months.