Originally published in Used Car News

Widewail, an industry provider of review and reputation data for automotive dealerships, today released its Q1 2025 Automotive Voice of the Customer Report, analyzing more than 1.4 million Google reviews from nearly 18,000 U.S. car dealerships in the first quarter of 2025.

Lexus’s best selling vehicle, the RX.

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The findings deliver an unprecedented look at how real customer sentiment is shaping the automotive landscape in a year of transformation. The report highlights a surprising surge from Ford, a major leap in EV retail execution, and the continued dominance of Lexus in customer perception.

Widewail’s report reveals the growing influence of public customer feedback in shaping brand value, and how small operational improvements are paying off in big ways.

In the quarter, Ford jumped from 25th to 17th in Widewail’s OEM reputation rankings, a shift that demonstrates just how tight the middle of the pack has become. A modest increase of just a few Google reviews per dealership per month propelled Ford ahead of key rivals like Chevrolet and GMC.

Notable performance gains for Ford in Q1 include:

• +22% increase in monthly review volume

• +0.1 bump in average star rating

• +11% increase in positive repair-related reviews

• +8% improvement in service communication

• +6.2% growth in overall service department positivity

“Ford didn’t overhaul its entire customer experience,” said Matt Murray, CEO, Widewail. “It simply nudged a few levers and the results speak for themselves.”

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In Q1, Lexus once again topped the OEM reputation rankings, with a 96/100 score.

In a sample of 1,000 Lexus reviews, the word “Lexus” was explicitly mentioned in over 80% of them, a staggering show of loyalty. For comparison, in a study of Ford reviews, the brand was only mentioned in roughly half.

 Quick Lexus stats:

• Average Google rating: 4.8

• Review volume per rooftop: 28.4/month

• Response rate: 93%

“Lexus isn’t just delivering great service; they’ve created an experience people want to talk about,” noted Murray. “And that’s the holy grail of brand building.”

Matt Murry.

While much of the industry chases scale, Subaru is proving that consistency beats volume. In Q1, Subaru overtook Nissan to break into the top 5 OEMs for the first time in Widewail’s ranking history.

With steady improvements in repair satisfaction, wait times, and overall friendliness, Subaru climbed thanks to just a +0.5 increase in review volume and a +0.1 bump in star rating. The brand’s vehicle sales were up 9% year-over-year in Q1, outpacing Nissan despite selling fewer total units.

“Subaru is showing that tight execution and thoughtful follow-through can outperform bigger brands,” said Murray. “They’re winning the long game.”

At the other end of the spectrum, Genesis holds steady, ranking last in the analysis, where it has remained for the past two years. Despite a luxury badge and shared DNA with Hyundai, Genesis sits at #29 of 29, with a 73/100 reputation score.

In contrast, Hyundai is ranked 8th overall, a full 21 points ahead, showcasing just how much local dealership operations, not parent company affiliations, define public perception.