Welcome to the first issue of the REV. A briefing that goes deep into the Widewail Automotive Reputation Index data, surfacing the most interesting insights. Every 3 weeks we Rank, Explore & Visualize automotive reputation & sentiment data.
All data is sourced from the Widewail Automotive Reputation Index (unless noted). The Index aggregates over 1.6 million Google reviews from 16k new car dealerships in the U.S. Customize the dataset like it's your own personal spreadsheet. Try it out.It’s free.
Lexus is a real reputation standout here—its dealerships generate 20 new reviews per month per location on average. It's especially impressive when looking at its YTD sales of 223,000, a fraction of Toyota's 1,383,000 in sales, as an example. Review volume is directly related to opportunity (i.e. sales), highlighting Lexus’s wild efficiency.
Yes, the national average for Google reviews per month is 9, but the luxury benchmark is 6.8, putting Lexus 300% ahead of the luxury market.
And get this: 17 of the top 40 highest review volume luxury dealerships in the US are Lexus. That’s a 42% share.
Looking below at luxury brands, Lexus is near the top in every reputation category.
Explore this data on your own. Visit the Index and filter or group by “brand.” Go to Index.
EXPLORE
Elite 0.2%
If we zero in on the elite dealerships generating > 200 reviews per month, on average this year, 34 rooftops remain. The “Elite 0.2% of review activity.”
All Eyes on Florida, Texas & Georgia
Of those 34, 26 come from 3 states: Florida (14), Texas (8), and Georgia (4). The South accounts for 85% of the list, with 29 dealerships generating 200+ reviews per month.
Toyota Dominates Elite 0.2%
Toyota accounts for close to half the list, with 16 dealerships generating 200+ reviews per month in 2023.
America’s Review King
Longo Toyota, out of El Monte, California, tops the Index nationally with a staggering average of 466 Google reviews per month in 2023. That’s an impressive 15 per day.
Below, we've mapped the dealerships with the best reputation in every county. The brand sold by the dealership with the best reputation performance shows up on the map.
