CarGurus Study Reveals How AI and Omnichannel Shopping are Shaping the Car Buying and Selling Experience

Rhea-AI Summary

CarGurus (CARG) released its 2025 U.S. Consumer Insights Report based on a May/June survey of 3,030 recent buyers and sellers.

Key findings: 83% prefer doing more of the process from home (up from 72% in 2022), 86% still inspect vehicles in person, 80% are open to AI and 26% already use it, and 61% visit two or more dealerships. The study highlights rising brand-shopping breadth, mobile-first usage, and economic impacts shaping tradeoffs between new and used vehicles.

Positive

• Online comfort at 83% of consumers (up from 72% in 2022)
• 61% of shoppers visited two or more dealerships in 2025
• 80% of consumers are open to using AI; 26% already use it
• 54% use mobile more than desktop for car shopping

Negative

• 73% said economic factors affected decisions in 2025
• 31% chose used over new due to economic pressure
• 24% are holding onto cars longer because of economics

News Market Reaction

+1.41%

1 alert

+1.41% News Effect

On the day this news was published, CARG gained 1.41%, reflecting a mild positive market reaction.

Data tracked by StockTitan Argus on the day of publication.

Key Figures

Survey sample size: 3,030 respondents Prefer more from home: 83% Inspect in person: 86% +5 more

8 metrics

Survey sample size 3,030 respondents May–June 2025 Consumer Insights Report

Prefer more from home 83% Consumers preferring to do more of car buying from home in 2025

Inspect in person 86% Consumers choosing to see the vehicle in person before buying

Open to AI 80% Buyers and sellers open to using AI tools

Already using AI 26% Consumers already utilizing AI in car buying/selling

Visit 2+ dealerships 61% Respondents visiting two or more dealerships in 2025

Flexible on make/model 66% Consumers flexible on vehicle make or model

Economic influence 73% Respondents saying economic factors influenced decisions

Market Reality Check

Price: $27.51 Vol: Volume 775,629 is slightl...

normal vol

$27.51 Last Close

Volume Volume 775,629 is slightly below 20-day average 853,852 (relative 0.91x). normal

Technical Price $37.52 is trading above 200-day MA at $32.82, indicating a pre-existing uptrend.

Peers on Argus

Sector peers like KAR, DRVN, SAH, and ABG show modest gains (up to 2.87%), while...

Sector peers like KAR, DRVN, SAH, and ABG show modest gains (up to 2.87%), while CARG was flat before this AI-focused study, suggesting a more stock-specific narrative.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Dec 09 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Dec 09	AI product launch	Positive	+4.8%	Launch of PriceVantage AI pricing tool with strong early dealer results.
Dec 03	AI consumer study	Positive	+1.4%	Release of Consumer Insights Report on AI, mobile, and omnichannel behavior.
Nov 06	Q3 2025 earnings	Positive	-2.7%	Marketplace revenue and earnings growth with buybacks and detailed guidance.
Oct 20	Earnings date notice	Neutral	+0.7%	Announcement of Q3 2025 earnings release date and conference call details.
Oct 06	Market demand report	Positive	-4.3%	Quarterly review highlighting strong used-value and premium demand, EV trends.

Pattern Detected

AI and data-centric announcements have generally seen modest positive reactions, while strong earnings and market reviews have sometimes met with negative or muted price moves.

Recent Company History

Over recent months, CarGurus reported stronger Q3 2025 Marketplace results, continued significant share repurchases, and progressed its AI strategy with an AI-powered shopping experience and the PriceVantage pricing tool. It also published market and consumer reports highlighting demand trends and omnichannel behavior. The current Consumer Insights Report extends this data-driven, AI-enabled narrative, reinforcing prior themes of digital adoption, dealer tools, and shifting shopper behavior rather than signaling a new financial inflection point on its own.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement highlights CarGurus’ role at the intersection of automotive retail and technology,...

Analysis

This announcement highlights CarGurus’ role at the intersection of automotive retail and technology, with the study showing 83% of shoppers preferring to do more from home and 80% open to AI. It reinforces existing trends toward mobile use and omnichannel experiences rather than updating financial guidance. When evaluating impact, investors may watch how such AI adoption data connects to Marketplace growth, dealer product uptake, and future earnings reports.

Key Terms

ai, omnichannel

2 terms

ai technical

"Shoppers rely on AI and mobile to support decisions: As consumers consider more options..."

Artificial intelligence (AI) is technology that enables machines to mimic human thinking and learning, allowing them to analyze information, recognize patterns, and make decisions. For investors, AI matters because it can improve how businesses operate, create new products, or identify opportunities faster and more accurately than humans alone, potentially impacting company success and market trends.

omnichannel technical

"CarGurus Study Reveals How AI and Omnichannel Shopping are Shaping the Car Buying..."

A coordinated approach to selling and serving customers across all touchpoints—stores, websites, mobile apps, social media, and call centers—so the experience feels like one continuous conversation no matter where a customer interacts. For investors, omnichannel capability signals how well a company can attract and keep customers, turn interactions into sales, and use shared customer data to cut costs and boost revenue—making it a key driver of growth and competitive strength.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

Eighth Annual Consumer Insights Report finds shoppers are blending online convenience with in-person guidance, turning to AI and mobile tools to navigate the market confidently 

BOSTON, Dec. 03, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- CarGurus, the No. 1 most visited automotive shopping site in the U.S.¹, today released its U.S. Consumer Insights Report. The eighth annual study examines shopper preferences, challenges, and trends along the car buying and selling journey.

Surveying over 3,000 recent car buyers and sellers, the study uncovers shifts in consumer behavior—from their motivations and research habits, to the types of vehicles and dealerships they consider. Even with economic challenges, consumers remain highly satisfied. The study shows they are embracing digital tools to personalize their journey, boost confidence in their decisions, and streamline steps throughout the process, while still valuing in-person touchpoints before completing a purchase or sale.

Highlights from the 2025 Consumer Insights Report include:

• Consumers lean on digital tools more than ever, but still value in-person support: Comfort with online car shopping is at an all-time high—83% of consumers prefer to do more from home, up from 72% in 2022. Even so, most (86%) still choose to see the vehicle in person before buying. The top steps preferred in person include the test drive, price negotiation, and assessing a car’s reliability, showing the important role dealers play in supporting final purchase steps.
• Buyers are casting a wider net: Shoppers are considering more makes, models, and dealerships to find the best fit. A majority of consumers now consider three or more brands when starting the process (53% in 2025 vs. 43% in 2024), and 66% were flexible on the make/model. Of those who replaced a vehicle, 70% switched to a different brand. Shoppers are also visiting more dealerships to find the right car at the right price. In 2025, 61% of respondents visited two or more dealerships, up from 54% in 2024.
• Shoppers rely on AI and mobile to support decisions: As consumers consider more options, they are leaning into digital tools to guide decision-making. Most buyers and sellers (80%) are open to using AI, and 26% are already utilizing it. Consumers are most interested in using AI to compare vehicles (44%), find listings (40%), and summarize reviews on cars (39%) and dealerships (36%). Shopper segments most open to AI are Millennials (86%) and Gen X (77%).
  
  Notably, CarGurus users are more AI-open (88%), benefitting from resources like CarGurus’ AI-powered Discover tool—available online and in the app—to research options, compare vehicles, and uncover their best match listings. The high reliance on mobile devices underscores digital adoption in car buying and selling. Over half (54%) use their phones more than desktops, and an additional 31% use both equally. Gen X is the most mobile-oriented (60%), followed by Gen Z and Millennials (both at 52%).
• Shoppers are adapting to economic uncertainty: Most respondents (73%) said economic factors influenced their buying/selling decisions this year, prompting 31% to buy used over new, 24% to hold onto their cars longer, and 23% to delay the process. On the whole, though, transaction timelines were consistent with last year. Over 80% of buyers and 86% of sellers finished the process in under a month.
• Car buying becomes more personal: While need-based reasons remain the primary driver among buyers, “treating myself” rose to the No. 3 purchase motivation in 2025 (up from No. 4 in 2024). This aligns with a growing sense of personal connection to vehicles, as 69% say a car reflects their identity—up from 49% in 2022. With more new and used cars on the market today, shoppers may be feeling encouraged by the wider selection and broader mix of price points available.
  

“Car buyers and sellers are more empowered than ever to personalize their journey, both online and in-person,” said Alison Ciummei, Vice President of Product Marketing and Customer Insights at CarGurus. “They’re using digital tools to research more deeply, take actions from home to feel more prepared for a transaction, and make decisions that lead to a more seamless dealership experience. At CarGurus, we’re proud to support that evolution with deep vehicle information, the largest selection of cars², the No. 1 downloaded car shopping app³, and AI-powered features that build more confidence along every step.”

The full Consumer Insights Report from CarGurus is available here.

Background and Methodology

The CarGurus Consumer Insights Report is primarily sourced from a May/June 2025 study conducted by CarGurus and NielsenIQ, a leading market research firm. The study included a survey of 3,030 past-four-month auto purchasers/sellers of new or used vehicles. Respondents could qualify as both buyers and sellers, are 18 to 65 years old, and weighted to be representative of the U.S. auto market in terms of demographics (age, gender, income, etc.) and market factors (new/used, price point, etc.). In some cases figures may not sum to 100% because of rounding.

About CarGurus, Inc.

CarGurus (Nasdaq: CARG) is the leading multinational automotive platform helping consumers and dealers confidently buy and sell vehicles. Founded in 2006 with a mission to bring more trust and transparency to car shopping, CarGurus is the No. 1 visited automotive shopping site in the U.S.¹ with the largest selection of inventory and network of dealers.² CarGurus’ unmatched selection, trusted automotive insights, and data-driven products and solutions support each shopper’s journey — from online research and shopping to in-dealership decisions — to empower them at every step. And, by translating data from billions of monthly site interactions, CarGurus provides dealers a personalized, predictive intelligence platform with software solutions that helps them run their businesses more efficiently and profitably at all stages of inventory acquisition and pricing, marketing, and conversion to sale.

CarGurus operates online marketplaces in the U.S., U.K., and Canada. The company’s network of brands includes PistonHeads, the largest online motoring community in the U.K.⁴, and Autolist, a U.S.- based online marketplace.

To learn more about CarGurus, visit www.cargurus.com.

¹Similarweb: Traffic and Engagement Report [Cars.com, Autotrader.com, TrueCar.com, CARFAX.com
Listings (defined as CARFAX.com Total Visits minus Vehicle History Reports)], Q3 2025, U.S.
²Compared to Autotrader.com (YipitData July/August 2025), Cars.com, TrueCar.com
(YipitData as of September 30, 2025), and CARFAX (Joreca as of September 30, 2025).
³Sensor Tower Data: #1 downloaded Automotive Marketplace & Retailers app across all
active markets (US, CA, and UK) for the last eight consecutive quarters.
⁴Similarweb: Traffic Insights, Q3 2025, U.K.

Media Contact:
Maggie Meluzio
Director, Public Relations and External Communications
pr@cargurus.com 

Investor Contact:
Kirndeep Singh
Vice President, Head of Investor Relations
investors@cargurus.com 

FAQ

What did CarGurus report about consumer online comfort in the 2025 report (CARG)?

The report found 83% of consumers prefer to do more of the car-shopping process from home, up from 72% in 2022.

How prevalent is AI use among car buyers and sellers according to CarGurus 2025 (CARG)?

80% are open to using AI and 26% are already using AI tools for researching and comparing vehicles.

What in-person steps do buyers still prefer despite digital adoption in CarGurus 2025 findings (CARG)?

Most buyers still see the vehicle in person; top in-person steps are the test drive, price negotiation, and assessing reliability.

How did shopping breadth change in 2025 according to CarGurus (CARG)?

A majority now consider three or more brands at start (53% in 2025 vs 43% in 2024) and 70% of replacers switched brands.

What mobile usage trends did CarGurus report for shoppers in 2025 (CARG)?

54% use phones more than desktops for car shopping and an additional 31% use both equally.

How did economic conditions affect buyer behavior in CarGurus 2025 study (CARG)?

73% said economics influenced decisions, with 31% buying used over new, 24% holding cars longer, and 23% delaying purchases.