2 Min Read • August 7, 2026
What’s the Most Attractive Type of Car Incentive?
Drawing a potential car buyer’s attention to your inventory is one of the most difficult challenges of any dealership. Crystal clear pricing has never been more important as the Federal Trade Commission continues to enforce strict advertising guidelines. That means discounts and incentives must be accurately displayed at all times. But which type of incentive do buyers gravitate toward most?
CDK began asking this question in our monthly Ease of Purchase survey, and over the course of the second quarter of 2026, more than a thousand buyers told us what truly moves the needle.
The Results
Interest rates may be capturing the headlines these days but it turns out what buyers really want to see is a hefty dealer discount. A third (32%) of buyers picked the discount they can negotiate with the dealer as their most preferred incentive. This flies counter to narratives in the industry that buyers prefer one-price sales models.
Yes, those are gaining traction but the ability to negotiate still has a hold on many buyers. Some of the negative feedback from the Ease of Purchase study in 2026 has been from buyers who said the dealer wouldn’t negotiate.
And while negotiating is still popular, a 0% or low-interest rate isn’t far behind with a quarter (25%) of respondents selecting it as their preferred incentive. In an era of high-interest rates — at least relative to the past decade or so — advertising 0%, 1.9% or even 3.9% seems to be the best option beating out cash incentives, which 19% of buyers favored.
Affordability Is Still Key
More than three-quarters (76%) of the respondents in Q2 said affordability was the most important consideration in their car purchase. This reinforces that accurately displaying incentives remains vital. The best deal can also change brand consideration.
The majority (69%) said they chose the car brand they eventually purchased based on the most attractive deals and incentives. That’s an astonishing number and dents the idea that buyers can’t be persuaded into a brand based on affordability and deals.
Read more about recent trends around financing and the state of today’s car buyer:
How Many Car Buyers Are Extending Their Loans?
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David Thomas is director of content marketing and automotive industry analyst at CDK Global. He champions thought leadership across all platforms, connecting CDK’s vast expertise to the broader market and trends driving our industry forward. David has spent nearly 20 years in the automotive world as a product evaluator, journalist and marketer for brands like Autoblog, Cars.com, Nissan and Harley-Davidson.
