Why Dealerships Can't Afford To Flub the Test Drive

Nearly everyone who buys a car takes it for a test drive before they close the deal, 91% of all car shoppers and even higher for EV shoppers at 95%. Just think about that. If there were 16 million new car sales last year that means car dealers facilitated approximately 14.5 million test drives and that’s assuming each customer just took a single test drive. 

This type of volume can stress any dealership. The good news is that at least three out of four shoppers say the test drive alone helped them make their decision. 

Despite the incredible value to dealers, the test drive is the most common point of the customer journey where shoppers are left waiting and the numbers are only getting worse. In the 2025 Friction Points Study, 55% of shoppers said they had to wait on the test drive, up dramatically from 41% in 2024. 

If those wait times lead to negative online reviews and lower NPS scores — which is likely — it’s a serious blow to a dealership’s reputation and, in turn, potential future sales. 

Where Time Is Wasted

The test drive process involves lots of logistics with a few clear issues most are familiar with.

Most dealerships require the salesperson to file a copy of a customer's driver’s license or insurance card before a test drive for insurance purposes. Typically, this means the salesperson steps away to scan or photocopy it, and in some of today’s large dealership footprints that could itself add minutes to the wait. Consider ways to scan these documents remotely. 

Perhaps the most common and time-intensive wait comes from securing the car itself for the test drive. A vehicle may be in any number of places, such as in the Service center, a remote overflow lot or a sister dealership. Not every store has enough porters staffed each day to run these cars down quickly, let alone ensure they’re gassed and presentation-ready. 

Encourage Appointments

The best way to avoid a long wait is to be prepared and encouraging customers to schedule a test drive appointment is a known way to save both time and frustration. If you know when a customer is coming in, it'll give your Sales team time to prepare the vehicle, have it parked right out front, cleaned and fueled. 

In early interactions with customers, make sure scheduling a test drive is a key call to action. It helps with logistics and will move  the customer to that pivotal moment in the process to help ensure a deal.