The 2025 F&I Buyer Experience: Getting the Balance Right

One of the standout metrics from the recently released 2026 CDK Friction Points Study is that car buyers move through the vehicle-purchasing process faster than in previous years. Nearly two-thirds of shoppers (64%) reported completing the entire process in two hours or less, up from 61% last year.

As CDK has reported for several years, dealerships with longer sales processes generally tend to receive lower Net Promoter Scores (NPS). In fact, when the process takes three hours or more, NPS drops sharply, from an average of 29 to just 2. 

The perception gap between dealers and customers regarding how long the process actually takes continues to narrow. Last year, 68% of dealers believed their sales process took less than two hours, with 61% of buyers agreeing — a seven-point gap. This year, this perception gap narrowed a second year in a row by nearly half — just 4 points — a positive sign that dealers are gaining better visibility into the customer experience. 

NPS shows how likely a buyer is to recommend the dealership from which they purchased their vehicle to others. In today's hypercompetitive auto retail market, which has greater price transparency than ever before, the purchase experience matters greatly. 

F&I Still Remains a Bottleneck

According to this year’s study, the pendulum of how many people had to wait over 30 minutes to wait on F&I reversed course for the positive. Only 37% of buyers waited more than 30 minutes in 2023, jumping up to 49% in 2024 before falling to 41% this past year. It does seem like a two-steps-forward, one-step-back scenario, especially considering dealers showed additional headcount in F&I this year. 

Importantly, that's not time spent in the F&I office. It's how long customers have to wait before even sitting down with the F&I Manager. These wait times have a direct impact on the entire purchase experience. When buyers wait 30 to 45 minutes, NPS plummets from 28 to 8. 

F&I Experiences Prove Typically Positive — Until They're Not

Overall, F&I enjoys higher-than-average buyer satisfaction than other parts of the buying experience according to our last deep dive into this important function. Seventy-nine percent of buyers were either somewhat or extremely satisfied with their time spent with the F&I Manager. Moreover, 58% said they trust the F&I Manager more than a salesperson when receiving guidance or recommendations on purchasing warranties or other post-sale products. This trust shifted generationally versus previous years, with older buyers now trusting F&I more. 

Yet, there's a fine line for F&I Managers regarding how buyers perceive being oversold. This year, however, F&I managers increased their attempts to sell three to four products from 23% to 27% with a better closing rate, doubling from 10% to 20%. While most buyers opt for just one to two items, this gain shows that F&I Managers are doing something right. More respondents also said they were presented with a comprehensive menu of products and even more said the presentation was based on the answers they provided in a questionnaire. 

While buyers move through the sales process more quickly overall, F&I continues to be a tricky balancing act between maximizing sales and margins and impacting the overall purchase experience. 

The Role of the F&I Manager

The F&I Manager serves as a critical liaison between the customer and the dealership, guiding buyers through the complex landscape of automotive financing and insurance options. This role requires a blend of financial acumen, regulatory knowledge and interpersonal skills to ensure transparency and foster trust throughout the transaction. By clearly outlining financing options, extended warranties and value-added products, the F&I Manager helps customers make informed decisions tailored to their individual needs and budgets.

The ability to simplify complex terms and regulatory compliance measures is essential for demystifying the process for buyers, which can significantly improve overall satisfaction. Whereas some customers may enter the F&I phase with skepticism or hesitation, effective F&I Managers leverage customer-centric communication and ethical practices to build credibility, thus reducing perceived friction and enhancing dealership reputation.

The F&I Manager’s approach not only influences the dealership’s profitability through product sales but also directly impacts retention, loyalty and NPS in today’s highly competitive and transparent automotive market.