After two years of calm, price is back in the customer conversation. 

Mentions of cost are rising in both sales and service reviews, signaling renewed sensitivity across the dealership experience. But the impact isn’t evenly spread. Sales is taking more of the heat.

Customers are roughly 15% more likely to complain about pricing in Sales. 

Buying a car is a high-stakes, emotional decision, and perceived fairness hits harder in the showroom than in the service lane. That said, the delta between the two departments has been slowly narrowing. 

Honestly, it’s a bit surprising that pricing shows up less often in service reviews, given how ambiguous costs can feel in a typical service visit. The likely explanation: effective communication processes in service help set expectations and reduce pricing complaints before they escalate.

The Q2 Voice of the Customer Report offers a closer look at how price sensitivity is shifting across dealerships.

From late 2023 through mid-2025, price mentions steadily declined from 6.6% of all reviews to 5.8%. It’s a small dip, but meaningful when 94% of reviews don’t mention price at all.

Why the drop? As the COVID-era price bubble deflated, inventory stabilized, and incentives returned. With more options and better deals, customers stopped fixating on cost. It was simply not on the mind of the average customer as frequently post-transaction.

But we are seeing early signs that the decline may be over. 

After bottoming out in May, price mentions climbed 3.5% by quarter’s end. With tariffs tightening margins, EV tax credits expired, and inventory challenges resurfacing, customers are watching costs again.

See you next week - Jake, Marketing @Widewail

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