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Welcome to the Market Pulse—your no-fluff cheatsheet to auto retail, built to help dealers price right, stock smart, and stay ahead.
Dealerships stacking online reviews are climbing the funnel: Groups with higher monthly review volume are getting more visibility, more clicks, and more buyers.
Positive sentiment among online reviews is fueling trust: A combo of high review volume and low negativity is building loyalty no ad budget can buy.
Review response rates are creating a new gap: Top groups are responding to 9 in 10 reviews posted. Bottom-tier groups, however, are responding to 1 in 10 reviews, and it shows.
(Source: Widewail Brand Reputation Scorecard, calculated by analyzing 4M online reviews)
Dealers with more Google reviews per store are winning on visibility and sentiment.
When we started digging through Widewail’s latest review scorecard, a few names popped up over and over.
And one of them was Gunn Auto Group.
They’ve got five stores in Texas. But when it comes to online review performance, they’re punching way above their weight.
By the numbers: Gunn’s average review volume sits at 104.49 reviews per store, per month, 793% above the national benchmark of 11.7. And just 6.31% of those were negative, beneath the 11.1% industry average.
Best and Worst Performing Auto Dealers: Google Reviews Stats
CDG analysis Joe Cecala
Note: Percentages are measured against the Benchmark in each Health Score category.
That doesn’t mean Gunn has “cracked the code,” because this is still subjective review data.
But with just five rooftops, and reviews outperforming the industry on communication, service, repairs, and pricing, it’s no surprise they’re pulling in consistent, high-volume, mostly positive engagement each month.
NOTE TO DEALERS:
Consider treating Google and Yelp links like CTAs, because they are.
Try them:
As additions to the thank-you page after an online service booking
In the post-sale email or SMS
As a sticky banner or tab on the homepage
Small touchpoints. Big trust builder.
Top dealer groups are nailing review sentiment—until wait times come up.
Peterson, Gunn, and Hendrick each beat the benchmark on communication, service, price, and repair mentions. All three showed strong signals of operational consistency.
But they also shared a weak spot: wait times. (Spoiler: They’re not the only ones, either.)
For Peterson Auto Group, wait times came up in 21.2% of their negative reviews, higher than the industry average by 1.24%.
At Hendrick, wait times were mentioned in 25.2% of their negative reviews, 20.44% higher than the industry average.
And at Gunn Auto Group, wait times came up in 40.8% of negative reviews, a soaring 94.89% above the national average.
NOTE TO DEALERS:
If wait times keep surfacing in online feedback, start upstream.
Nudge customers to handle credit checks, paperwork, and F&I steps online before their visit. Then, experiment with status boards or texts to keep customers looped in on-site.
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Online reviews aren’t gospel. But they’re not just noise either.
They’re one of the few places customers speak without a filter, especially once the deal’s closed and the follow-up emails stop.
General Manager Ralph Calvo gets that.
Which is why, at Honda Santa Monica, reviews aren’t always handled with canned replies or set-and-forget software.
His sales team is encouraged to capture the moment with a quick photo or an in-person request.
And to welcome reviews wherever the customer feels most comfortable. Google, Yelp, the list goes on.
After that, a dedicated team member monitors and responds to reviews across platforms.
And if something bigger bubbles up, especially a negative review, Calvo steps in himself.
“I just had one customer buy a used car, and we explained to them that we only get the key that is traded in with the unit. Then, they tried to strong-arm us into giving them another key, which is like $400, by lighting us up online.”
Ralph Calvo
In situations like that, he pulls up the CRM, tracks the deal, finds the contact, and makes the call.
Not because he’s afraid of bad PR.
But because, in his mind, he’s protecting the experience for the customer. And if that means stepping in or paying out of pocket, he’s all in.
“If I can fix it, I will,” he told CDG. “I've done it before, where I end up paying for something—a service or whatever it might be—because my staff implied or didn't cover something, and I just wanted to take care of the customer.”
To his point, it’s not always easy, but it’s a mindset that he says often turns scorned shoppers into lifelong, loyal customers.
“Your main focus is selling cars, that's what you should be doing 100% of the time,” he said. “And everything you don't do when it comes to finding business or working with clients directly is taking away from your opportunity.”
Dealers brushing off reviews as “subjective noise” may be missing the point.
Five well-handled deals (fair wait times, clear communication, price transparency) can drive hundreds of referrals.
Online reviews work the same. And digital word-of-mouth goes farther than any ad budget.
Missed yesterday’s episode of Daily Dealer Live?
Presented by: Mia
New Roads Mazda on profitability hacks, Koons CEO on massive Ford incentives
Featured guests:
Curtis Biggs, General Manager of New Roads Mazda
Alex Perdikis, CEO of Koons Motors, Inc.
Three opportunities hitting the CDG Job Board right now:
Ron Marhofer Auto Family: Platform F&I Sales Director (Ohio)
Hoffman Auto Group: CFO (Connecticut)
Del Grande Dealer Group: GM (California)
