Welcome to the REV. A weekly briefing on what the Auto industry can learn about customer experience from millions of Google reviews. Every Thursday, we Rank, Explore & Visualize automotive reputation & sentiment data.
Only 3 brands moved at all in the top 10 in the Q1 OEM reputation rankings. We discuss one move extensively in the report—where Subaru and Nissan swapped at 5-6—but the other one, the sleeper, is Infiniti.
At #10 this quarter, Infiniti moved up 3 spots from last year, overtaking Acura, Audi, and Fiat.
How did they do it?
18% growth in review volume, while Acura and Fiat lost some ground and Audi largely stayed the same.
To start the year, Lexus’ response rating has dipped slightly—from 96% to 93%—but this remains one of the few signs of weakness from a brand that has topped the OEM reputation rankings for over two years.
What continues to set Lexus apart is the strength of its corporate brand and how consistently that brand experience is delivered through its dealer network.
In positive reviews, Lexus consistently outperforms the industry in several key areas: cleanliness, professionalism, knowledge, and communication.
Here’s a stat that stands out: in a random sample of 1,000 Lexus reviews from Q1, 806 mentioned “Lexus” by name. 806. Wild.
By contrast, Ford, Q1’s overall standout, was mentioned in just 529 reviews out of 1000.
Why does this matter?
When customers associate their dealership experience directly with the brand, it signals deep brand alignment and loyalty. Lexus doesn’t just sell vehicles—it builds lasting brand impressions at every touchpoint.
Lessons Other Dealers Can Learn:
Invest in Training for Customer-Facing Roles Focus on soft skills like communication, empathy, and professionalism. Exceptional service leaves a lasting impression.
Consistency Is Key Maintain high standards across all departments—sales, service, and support—to ensure a seamless customer journey.
Encourage Relationship Building Foster personal connections. When customers remember staff names, it reflects trust and rapport.
Follow Through on Promises Negative reviews often stem from broken promises or poor communication. Reliability and transparency are essential.
Keep it up, Lexus.
VISUALIZE
The 100+ Class is Growing Substantially
Last year, only 415 out of 18,000 franchise dealers averaged 100 or more Google reviews each month. Over 100 reviews/month is a somewhat arbitrary, but useful, marker to identify where the bar is for the top 2% of performers.
The number of dealers taking reputation seriously and piling into this space is growing substantially. In the first quarter of 2025, 755 dealers crossed that level, an 82% increase.
What does this mean if you’re a typical dealer generating the standard 11 reviews/month? In my view, this means that high-performing dealers are furthering their reputation and local search advantage, ranking high in search listings, increasing visibility, attracting more leads, and generating more customers to activate for reviews.
The result is a solid competitive advantage for those currently leading the way.
If you're interested in using Widewail's technology to analyze your dealership or dealer group's reviews (on every platform, not just Google) to isolate where your experience outperforms the industry and where you are behind, we're currently running a 90 days free promo.
