Cox Automotive reported that average dealership service-and-parts revenue reached a record $9.23 million in 2025, up 33% over eight years. Over the same period, dealerships' share of consumer service visits fell from 33% to 29%.
The two figures belong together. Higher dollars can reflect vehicle complexity, labor rates and repair cost while the store still loses visit frequency to general repair facilities. Revenue growth alone is therefore an incomplete retention measure.
What the study measured
Cox said the work included 500 fixed-operations decision makers and 2,502 consumers surveyed in September and October 2025. The study is national survey research, not a census of every repair order or a causal experiment.
The operating response
Service leaders should place customer retention beside revenue, gross and hours per repair order. Useful measures include first-service capture, active-customer rate, declined-work recovery, appointment lead time, no-show rate and return interval by vehicle age.
Parts and labor gains can hide the erosion until a sales repurchase opportunity is already lost. Management should segment customers who defect, identify whether convenience, trust, communication or price is driving the choice, and test changes rather than assuming a single cause.
Survey associations do not prove that any one practice causes higher retention or revenue.
Cited references
- Cox Automotive ownership study — Commercial research
- Cox fixed-operations findings — Research summary