The REV #028

REV #028

Our First Quarterly Customer Experience Report

May 29th, 2025

It's been a few weeks since the last REV article for a special reason.

We've been behind the scenes working hard to get you the first quarterly edition of the Voice of the Customer Report.

We've learned that the Automotive industry moves too fast to only release one report each year. We will now be releasing new market research quarterly, about seven weeks post quarter end.

The Widewail Voice of the Customer Report is a quarterly analysis of how customers are experiencing dealerships today. Built on over 1.4 million Google reviews, it tracks changes in sales and service feedback, benchmarks dealer reputation performance by OEM sold, and surfaces trends like shifting EV expectations or declining discussion of pricing.

For dealership operators, it’s a practical tool to spot issues early, prioritize improvements, and understand how your store compares in a fast-moving market—especially as Google reviews remain one of the top drivers of dealership traffic.

Download Q1 2025 Voice of the Customer Report

RANK

Ford has a standout Q1

Ford dealerships just made a quiet—but significant—climb up the reputation ladder.

What changed?

In Q1, Ford jumped 8 spots in Widewail’s OEM reputation healthscore rankings, moving from #25 to #17.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t due to flashy pricing promotions.

It came down to the basics: service quality.

Ford delivered:

A 22% increase in customer reviews
An 11% improvement in repair satisfaction
An 8% boost in communication clarity

Ford is demonstrating to the industry that when you nail the fundamentals—service, communication, and trust—everything else falls into place: reputation, loyalty, and revenue.

That said, Ford’s still mid-pack, and the competition is fierce. Despite the 8-position leap, its score only nudged from 84 to 85. In this field, razor-thin margins separate winners from the rest, and Ford will need to sustain momentum into Q2 in order to avoid Acura’s predicament (more on that in report).

Not All Wins

Despite its gains, Ford continues to underperform the industry in two key areas:

Warranty negativity: 16% higher than the industry average
Knowledge positivity: 20% lower than industry average

That last metric matters especially in a growing EV market where product knowledge is the #1 complaint from buyers transitioning from internal combustion engines (ICE). As EV adoption rises, knowledgeable staff are no longer a nice-to-have—they’re critical.

That’s where things get complicated for Ford. The industry is rapidly closing the EV knowledge gap, and Ford risks falling behind.

More OEM rankings in Q1 Voice of the Customer Report

EXPLORE

EV buyer experience improving

In 2024, EV buyers mentioned “knowledge” in negative reviews 75% more often than ICE buyers. But that gap is closing fast.

In Q1 2025, that discrepancy was down to 34%, representing a 55% year-over-year improvement.

It’s a big win for EV shoppers and dealerships alike. As Cox reports, U.S. EV sales hit 300,000 units in Q1, a jump of 11.4% over Q1 2024, with market share rising from 7% to 7.5%.

With EV satisfaction improving across the board, expectations are rising. The pressure is on for OEMs like Ford to ensure their staff can meet EV buyers with the knowledge they demand.

More on EV customer experience in Q1 Voice of the Customer Report

VISUALIZE

Here is where EV customer experience is making big moves

I hope you find Widewail's latest report useful.

This research is possible because Widewail is the only firm that captures and analyzes 100% of Google reviews for every new car dealer in the U.S. each month.

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. Set up a demo.

See you next week - Jake, Marketing @Widewail

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