Few Explanations for Low Ease of Purchase Score in August

The CDK Ease of Purchase Scorecard’s top-line metric is a simple question: Was it easy to buy your car?

That number isn’t influenced by the other steps in the purchase process we track such as how many dealerships were visited, was the car bought in stock, or was negotiating the price smooth?

Generally, movement among these other areas offers insight into why people thought the entire process was easy or not. But in recent months, and especially in August, the overall score seems disconnected from the dozens of other data points we track.

For a second month in a row, only 81% of buyers said it was easy to buy their car. That’s below the average over the past three years and far below August 2025’s 89% figure. Meanwhile, most other metrics are following their historical averages, or beating them, and many also improved over July as well. As we dig into the numbers below, there’s no escaping metrics like lower consumer sentiment and gas prices that remain stubbornly high. It’s hard to determine if these outside indicators had a direct impact on the Ease of Purchase score but they’re certainly not helpful.

Availability

The annual model-year-turnover season usually picks up steam in August as automakers switch factories over to the newest model. For some automakers, inventories are lean and buyers aren’t finding 2026 models readily available. That’s likely why 23% bought a car in transit, up from 20% last month and above 2024’s and 2025’s annual average of 22% but far below August 2025’s 29%.

The 16% who ordered from the factory is slightly below the 17% mark last August but up significantly from 12% in July. The 54% who found the car they wanted in stock is down from last month’s 58% but still far higher than the last three year’s averages, with 2025 sitting at 50%.

Purchase Process

The majority of the individual car-buying steps improved or were flat from last month, with the exception of the test drive and paperwork. And compared to last August, the only significant drop was completing the finance or lease process.

Time

There was a small, very small, drop in satisfaction when it came to how much time car buyers thought it took to complete a deal but it’s very minor. The number of people who said it took longer than expected increased from 30% in July to 33% in August. This was also higher than last August’s 28%. Yet, there was a similar gain in customers who said it took less time than expected, moving from 16% in July to 18% in August.

Customer Feedback

We often rely on survey respondents’ comments to determine other trends beyond the numbers. Here we’ve seen one trend pop up that isn’t easily accounted for in the specific questions we ask. More negative comments revealed that prices were high and dealers weren’t negotiating “enough.” This is likely due to a drop in incentives by automakers and dealers seeing slimmer and slimmer profits from the Sales side of their stores.

Here’s what customers said about dealers who made it easy to buy a car:

• "The dealership had a big sales event going on and also gave me a great deal on my trade in."
• "The process was easy because I was able to compare different vehicles, prices, and features online before making a decision. The dealership staff were helpful and answered my questions clearly without putting too much pressure on me. The paperwork and financing process were straightforward, and the vehicle was ready when I arrived, which made the overall purchase quick and convenient."
• "[The dealer had] friendly service and acted like they really cared."
• "All paperwork and negotiation was completed prior to arrival at dealership."
• "It was fast and pleasant to deal with this dealership. There was no haggling and there was no mark-up."

Car buyers who had issues focused on price, credit availability and negotiations:

• "[They need to] give more discounts and offer better deals."
• "I have attempted to purchase from this particular dealership online and then finish the process at the dealer. That was the hardest part. I ended up spending a lot of time at the dealer. That took time away from my day and my business."
• "I had trouble getting it financed because of a poor credit score. The price was too high and the monthly payment was too high."
• "The dealership could of gone lower on price."
• "There was tons of paperwork which I hate and it kept repeating questions. I don’t think anyone would like to fill out so much paperwork."