Subaru Dealers Rank Highest in 2025 Auto Industry Study Measuring Response to Website Customers
Subaru Takes the Lead in Website Customer Responsiveness
Subaru dealerships have claimed the top spot in the 2025 Pied Piper PSI® Internet Lead Effectiveness® (ILE®) Auto Industry Study, which evaluates the effectiveness of dealership responses to internet sales leads. This study, a benchmark for measuring dealership digital responsiveness, assesses how well dealers handle inquiries from potential customers who visit their websites. Subaru’s victory marks a significant achievement in the evolving digital landscape of automotive retail.
The annual study analyzed responses from 4,023 automobile Subaru Dealerships representing all major brands in the industry. To measure dealership responsiveness, Pied Piper submitted customer inquiries through each dealer’s website. These inquiries included specific questions about a vehicle in inventory and were accompanied by a customer name, email address, and phone number. The study then assessed the speed and quality of responses via email, phone, text message, and chat within the first 24 hours of inquiry.
The evaluation process used over 20 different criteria, each weighted according to best practices that have been mathematically shown to increase sales conversion rates. These factors combined to produce an overall ILE score, ranging from 0 to 100.
Subaru’s Remarkable Rise to the Top
Subaru Dealers For the first time in the history of the ILE study, Subaru achieved the highest ranking, reflecting significant improvements in the way its dealerships handle website inquiries. The brand saw an impressive nine-point increase over the previous year, bringing its overall ILE score to 77—the highest ever recorded for an auto brand.
One key factor contributing to Subaru’s top ranking is its dealers’ proactive communication approach. In 2025, Subaru dealerships reached out to website customers through multiple communication channels 71% of the time, a substantial improvement compared to the industry average of 49%. Additionally, only 8% of Subaru dealers failed to provide a personal response to website customers, significantly outperforming the industry average of 19%.
Industry Trends and Performance Changes Over Time
The overall industry average ILE performance rose by three points in 2025, reaching an all-time high of 65. Several brands showed notable improvement, with Acura, Hyundai, Subaru, Lincoln, and Fiat each increasing their ILE scores by at least nine points.
Over the past five years, Subaru Dealers the auto industry has demonstrated a steady upward trend in digital responsiveness. In 2025, 28 brands achieved ILE scores of 60 or higher, compared to just eight brands reaching the same benchmark in 2021. This progress underscores the growing recognition among dealerships that digital lead management plays a crucial role in sales success.
Positive Changes in Dealership Behavior
Several key dealership behaviors improved in the 2025 study:
- Multi-Channel Communication: Dealers responded through multiple channels (email, phone, text) 49% of the time, up from 44% in 2024.
- Question Response Rate: Dealers answered customers’ questions via email or text 69% of the time, a significant increase from 59% in the previous year.
- Email Engagement: Email responses were more likely to suggest next steps (73% vs. 67% in 2024) and provide compelling reasons to buy from their dealership (27% vs. 22% in 2024).
Areas of Decline in Dealer Responsiveness
Despite these improvements, some aspects of dealership communication saw a decline:
- Texting Rate: The percentage of dealers who texted customers dropped from 70% in 2024 to 64% in 2025.
- Phone Call Frequency: The percentage of dealers who called customers fell slightly from 68% in 2024 to 66% in 2025.
While texting rates decreased, the effectiveness of texts improved. Dealers were more likely to answer customers’ questions through text messaging, with a 38% success rate in 2025 compared to 34% in the prior year.
Understanding the “80/40 Rule” and Its Impact on Sales
Subaru Dealers One of the key findings from the 2025 ILE study is the continued importance of the “80/40 Rule.” This rule highlights the performance gap between top-tier and underperforming dealerships:
- 40% of dealerships scored above 80, indicating a high level of responsiveness and engagement.
- 19% of dealerships scored below 40, meaning they failed to personally respond to website customers.
These percentages improved by six points and declined by two points, respectively, compared to 2024. According to Cameron O’Hagan, Vice President of Metrics and Analytics at Pied Piper, dealerships that improve their ILE scores from below 40 to above 80 typically see a 50% increase in sales from internet leads.
The Biggest Opportunity for Improvement in the Auto Industry
The Subaru Dealers most effective way for dealerships to increase sales is to embrace a multi-channel communication strategy. Many customers miss emails, ignore phone calls, or feel overwhelmed by text messages. To maximize engagement, dealers must ensure they reach customers through multiple communication methods and then continue interactions via the customer’s preferred channel.
In the 2025 study:
- 85% of dealerships responded to customers through at least one channel.
- Only 49% of dealerships used multiple communication channels, indicating a major opportunity for improvement.
“A consistent multi-pronged response is crucial,” O’Hagan noted. “Dealers never know in advance which communication method will be most effective for a specific customer.”
Brand Performance in 2025: A Closer Look
The 2025 ILE study revealed significant variations in dealer responsiveness across brands. Here are some key findings:
- Answering Customer Questions (via email or text within 60 minutes):
- Top Performers: Subaru, Infiniti, Porsche (>70% of the time)
- Low Performers: GMC, Buick, Mitsubishi, Jaguar, Polestar, Lucid (<50% of the time)
- Phone Call Response (within 60 minutes):
- Top Performers: Subaru, Infiniti, Honda, Lincoln (>60% of the time)
- Low Performers: Dodge, Chevrolet, Mitsubishi, Jaguar, Chrysler, Polestar, Lucid (<45% of the time)
- Offering Appointments (for a specific date/time):
- Top Performers: Infiniti, Subaru, BMW (>45% of the time)
- Low Performers: Chrysler, Lexus, Jaguar, Alfa Romeo, Polestar, Lucid (<25% of the time)
- Quick Dual Response (email/text answer + phone call within 15 minutes):
- Top Performers: Subaru, Infiniti, Ford, Honda (>30% of the time)
- Low Performers: Jaguar, Porsche, Polestar, Lucid (<15% of the time)
- Failure to Respond (no personal response at all):
- Lowest Failure Rate: Toyota, Infiniti, Volvo, Subaru, BMW, Porsche, Audi (<10% of the time)
- Highest Failure Rate: Mercedes-Benz, Buick, Jaguar, Lucid, Polestar (>25% of the time)
The Future of Online Customer Engagement in Automotive Retail
Subaru Dealers Cameron O’Hagan emphasized the growing importance of dealership website responsiveness, stating, “Customers today begin their car-buying journey online, and how dealers handle those inquiries directly impacts sales.”
Subaru Dealers Pied Piper’s research suggests that many dealers remain unaware of how their digital responses compare to customer expectations. The key to improvement lies in providing dealers with clear insights into their website performance and equipping them with strategies to engage potential buyers effectively.
Subaru Dealers As the automotive industry continues its digital transformation, the ability to quickly and effectively communicate with online customers will become a defining factor in dealership success. Subaru’s ascent to the top spot in the 2025 ILE study serves as a testament to the power of proactive and multi-channel customer engagement.
