Car buyers rushing to lock in deals ahead of higher prices faced new challenges in the buying process in August.
First things first: A CDK Global report found signs of normalization in vehicle purchasing ease last month—but highlighted a “significant” shift in vehicle availability.
The Ease of Purchase score rose to 89% in August, up from 86% in July and 77% in June.
At the same time, in-stock vehicle availability at dealerships dropped to 43% in August, down from 53% in July.
Worth noting: With inventory thinning, more buyers turned to vehicles still in transit, which surged to 29% in August from 19% in July.
What they’re saying: “We can see immediate impacts of issues like inventory play out in unique ways and this month it was definitely the drop in inventory leading to more buyers purchasing vehicles in transit…,” said Dave Thomas, CDK’s director of content marketing. “This is all related to shoppers rushing to close deals ahead of tariff impacts and the end of EV incentives.”
Dave Thomas
Why it matters: Dealers are pushing to move older inventory before the end of EV tax credits and the arrival of 2026 model year vehicles—many of which could carry higher price tags.
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Zooming in: Two key parts of the car-buying journey became more difficult in August: test drives and delivery.
72% of buyers said it was easy to take a test drive, down from 79% in July and just above June’s record low of 69%.
68% said delivery was easy in August, compared to 75% in July.
“Test drives and delivery are often highlights of the process for many customers, but with fewer cars on the lot, dealerships are struggling to simply get people into vehicles,” said Thomas. “Ease scores for both steps slipped in August, reflecting customer frustration during these defining parts of the journey.”
Bottom line: Dealers may benefit from buyer urgency, but limited inventory strained the overall experience—though the overall Ease of Purchase Score was still relatively good, we know there is room to improve, said Thomas.
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