Cox Automotive’s inaugural Automotive Service Industry Study shows dealers are in a service retention “crisis,” having lost 12% of visits to repair shops, quick lubes and mobile mechanics since 2018.

“These findings from our market data and surveys underscore the urgent need for dealerships to reassess their service strategies to recapture market share and enhance customer retention,” writes Director of Product Consulting Skyler Chadwick in a release.

Analysts say two interrelated factors are to blame: U.S.-registered vehicles are growing older — trending toward an average of 12.8 years in 2025 — and dealership loyalty tends to wane over time. Dealers’ average retention rate for customers whose vehicles are at least two years old fell from 72% in 2023 to 54% in 2023.

The Cox report follows an unrelated CDK survey that found dealerships now lag behind the aforementioned competitors in CDK’s Net Promoter Score, which gauges the likelihood a customer will return to their last provider the next time they need service.

Read the full report at Cox Automotive