Auto dealer service satisfaction is on the rise, with Porsche leading premium brands, even as aftermarket providers keep the pressure on speed and convenience, according to J.D. Power.
The details: The J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study, released Thursday, shows overall service satisfaction improved 3 points on a 1,000-point scale this year, with the premium segment posting the biggest gain.
The average overall customer satisfaction score for dealer service is 868, compared with 865 in 2025.
Improvement was notably stronger in the premium segment at 886, up 8 points from 878 last year.
Similarly, overall satisfaction with the mass-market service experience improved 3 points in 2026, rising to 865.
And on a brand basis, Porsche (915) ranked highest among premium brands for a second consecutive year, while Mini (887) ranked highest among mass-market brands.
According to J.D. Power: When overall satisfaction reaches 950 or higher, 86% of mass-market customers say they “definitely will” return to the dealer for paid service, with 88% of premium customers saying the same.
What they’re saying: “Dealers can also more readily add value, for example, by returning the vehicle cleaner than when it arrived and completing a thorough multi-point inspection with digital documentation,” said Stewart Stropp, vice president of customer success at JD Power, per a press statement.
“CSI results show those efforts yield higher satisfaction and, in turn, boost retention.”
Why it matters: Even modest gains in satisfaction can pay off in repeat business, and this data shows that when dealers deliver a high-quality experience, customers are far more likely to come back for paid service.
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Digging deeper: Maintenance work, such as oil changes and tire rotations, remains one of dealerships’ biggest customer satisfaction challenges, with service centers taking about three times longer than aftermarket shops.
Average wait time at the dealer is 1.61 hours for mass-market customers seeking maintenance work and 2.46 hours for premium-brand customers.
By comparison, 62% of visits to aftermarket service centers take less than an hour for similar maintenance work.
Also worth noting: Service satisfaction is affected by customers moving from direct-to-consumer brands to premium brands, scoring 29 points below the mass-market average, while photo and video updates are associated with higher service advisor satisfaction.
Bottom line: Dealers may be gaining ground on service satisfaction, but speed and convenience remain the pressure points, which is why fixed ops can still be a loyalty engine, but only if stores can narrow the time gap with aftermarket competitors while adding transparency and value to the visit.
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