Car Salespeople Step Up in Q1 2026

The car salesperson is on the frontlines of nearly every car dealership. If they aren’t the first contact for a customer, they often spend the most time with them during the purchase process. An adequately trained Sales staff is one of the hallmarks of a successful dealership.

CDK has surveyed car buyers, more than 14,000, monthly to determine how easy it is to buy a car since 2023. The Ease of Purchase Scorecard has shown that, overall, buyers find it easy and in 2025, that number was 84%. Included in the survey that generates that score are questions about the salespeople buyers interacted with. And in all that time, the results regarding the Sales staff are generally quite positive and more stable than many of the other factors that go into buying a car.

What does that mean? The 84% 2025 Ease of Purchase Score fell rather significantly from 2024’s 88% number. We’ve covered why that was the case in a series of reports. However, when it comes to salespeople, they’re delivering consistently year over year with numbers essentially flat in 2025 versus 2024.

We asked car buyers if they agreed to the five following statements when it came to their interactions with their salesperson:

• The salesperson made efficient use of my time.
• The salesperson provided clear explanations throughout the process.
• The salesperson demonstrated their product expertise.
• The salesperson was, at all times, professional.
• By the end of all the steps to purchase this vehicle, the salesperson earned my trust.

In 2025, the response rate for each moved just one percentage point up or down or remained flat compared to 2024 and all were in the 80% range.

That doesn’t mean tracking these results isn’t important. CDK is breaking down these Sales metrics by quarter to identify any upward or downward trends happening in the Front Office and what may be behind the changes.

The Results

In Q1 2026, there was a more significant change in how salespeople performed compared to the previous quarter and they also topped the 2025 average.

The first three months of 2026 were marked by slower sales overall, bad weather in different parts of the country, and global tensions. That meant many buyers were looking for cars out of need in the mass market while luxury buyers remained confident in their finances. Sales teams seemed to cease this moment.

What They Said

Dealers understand that the public perception of salespeople is often negative. With over a million new car sales a month, and far more used sales, there are bound to be negative interactions. And the results clearly show there were 10% to 16% of salespeople dropping the ball on the metrics CDK tracks in Q1. Simply, if 10% of 3 million deals in a quarter don’t meet expectations, that’s 300,000 buyers speaking ill of dealerships and that’s often misconstrued as all dealerships.

When we ask buyers about their experiences, far more speak positively about the salesperson than negatively. Here are some examples.

Salespeople who did it right:

• “I liked the people I worked with, they had the exact car I wanted. I didn't feel any pressure.”
• “… I got an expert to handle the whole process. His explanations made the walkthrough [a] very easy process.”
• “The process was above and beyond what I had expected. They were extremely kind and throughout the deal.”
• “I was very comfortable and appreciated the consistency of quality salesmanship.”
• “Confidence grows when the team can answer questions quickly and accurately.”
• “The salesperson remembered my preferred car color from our first call, and had the exact model cleaned and ready for my test drive when I arrived.”
• “The salesman was very accommodating. He offered any vehicles for test drives. After the purchase he called to follow up and see if I had any questions or problems.”
• The sales team's expertise made the process seamless. When I inquired about fuel economy, they pulled up actual fuel consumption data and compared it to my old car, clearly showing how much I'd save on gas. This clear, honest information helped me make a quick decision.”

Salespeople who missed the mark:

• “[I’m] always bothered by pushy salespeople and don’t like negotiating the terms and prices.”
• “You could break down the price details more clearly instead of explaining them all at once; and allow more independent operation time during test drives for a more intuitive experience.”
• “[Salespeople’s] attitudes could be a lot better.”
• “I would want the salesperson to offer us more transparent information.”

We’ll keep tracking Sales performance each quarter and mine customer feedback to gain more insight into the interactions that elevate the buying experience.