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Most buyers want more of the car-buying process online, but still want physical vehicle access and human help. See what current buyer research shows.
There is a version of the future of car buying that sounds inevitable.
Pick the car on your phone.
Get a trade value.
Get approved.
Click buy.
Vehicle arrives in the driveway.
Never enter a showroom.
Never wait for finance.
Never talk to a salesperson.
For some people, that sounds perfect.
For most buyers, the data says the actual preference is more complicated.
Cox Automotive's 2026 Car Buyer Journey Study found only 7% of recent buyers purchased entirely online.
When asked what the ideal experience would be, 63% preferred an omnichannel process that blends digital and physical steps.
Only 28% said they wanted the entire purchase online.
CarGurus found something even more revealing.
83% of consumers wanted to do more of the process from home.
At the same time, 86% still wanted to see the vehicle in person before buying.
Those numbers are not contradictory.
They tell us what the customer is really asking for:
Remove the friction without removing the useful parts.
That is a much more interesting challenge than "online versus dealership."
When people say they hate going to a dealership, what do they actually hate?
Waiting.
Repeating information.
Unclear pricing.
Pressure.
Being moved from person to person.
Starting an online process and having to start over in the store.
Sitting around while paperwork happens somewhere else.
Not knowing whether the car is actually available.
Discovering fees late.
Being asked the same question by three different systems.
Those are process problems.
They are not necessarily arguments against seeing or driving a vehicle.
AutoUnite content is educational and research-focused. Vehicle information, pricing, ownership costs, maintenance, recalls, and other details may vary by region, dealer, and time.
CDK Global's research makes this distinction clear.
In its 2025 analysis, 61% of in-store customers completed the transaction in two hours or less, an improvement from prior years.
But one in ten still spent more than three hours.
And satisfaction falls when the process drags.
In CDK's 2026 F&I analysis, 64% completed the entire purchase in two hours or less, but Net Promoter Score fell sharply when the process took three hours or more.
The customer is not always trying to escape the building.
They are trying to escape wasted time.
Some parts of buying a vehicle are naturally suited to a screen.
A shopper can compare thousands of vehicles without driving from rooftop to rooftop.
Year.
Make.
Model.
Trim.
Mileage.
Price.
Color.
Equipment.
Distance.
Digital search is objectively better for this kind of filtering.
Specifications.
Safety ratings.
EPA economy.
Ownership reviews.
Recall information.
Feature comparisons.
These facts can be researched before a salesperson enters the conversation.
Shoppers can compare advertised prices, market ranges and nearby inventory.
The dealership does not control the entire information environment anymore.
That can improve the conversation.
Online trade tools can give a shopper a starting range and help them understand what information matters.
The final physical appraisal can still differ because condition has to be verified.
A buyer can get an outside preapproval and understand the rough financing environment before entering the dealership.
That reduces dependence on the store as the sole source of credit information.
Driver's license.
Insurance.
Registration.
Proofs.
Some paperwork can be gathered electronically instead of being handed back and forth across a desk.
"Your vehicle arrived."
"Your lender approved the contract."
"Your paperwork is ready."
"Your delivery is at 4:00."
Digital communication is better than wondering what is happening.
These are not futuristic features.
They are basic process design.
Now look at the parts people still choose to do physically.
CarGurus found the top in-person preferences included the test drive, price negotiation and assessing vehicle reliability.
That makes sense.
Seat shape.
Visibility.
Ride quality.
Steering.
Cabin noise.
Brake feel.
Ingress.
Egress.
Third-row access.
Cargo reality.
You can watch fifty videos and still discover in thirty seconds that the seat does not fit your body.
Smell.
Paint.
Tires.
Brakes.
Interior wear.
Road noise.
Vibration.
Previous repair quality.
A listing can contain hundreds of photos and still fail to answer whether the exact VIN feels right.
The FTC still recommends independent inspection of used vehicles for a reason.
Negative equity.
Multiple trades.
Lease exits.
Credit complications.
Business use.
Title problems.
Co-buyers.
Special registrations.
A good human can sometimes solve an irregular situation faster than a rigid digital workflow.
A vehicle is one of the largest purchases many households make.
Some buyers want to know who is on the other side of the transaction.
That does not mean they want three hours of conversation.
It means the human relationship can still have value.
One of the worst experiences in modern retail is this:
The customer does everything online.
Builds the car.
Values the trade.
Uploads information.
Starts credit.
Chooses an appointment.
Then walks into the dealership and hears:
"Okay, let's start with your name and what vehicle you're looking at."
CDK found roughly one in four customers who started the process online had to restart in the dealership because information did not transfer properly.
That is not an online problem.
It is not an in-store problem.
It is a systems-integration problem.
And from the customer's point of view, it feels ridiculous.
They did the work once.
The company should remember it.
This is where the industry often confuses product with outcome.
A dealer can buy a digital retail platform and still deliver a terrible omnichannel experience.
If the trade information does not reach the used-car manager, the customer repeats it.
If the credit application does not reach F&I, they repeat it.
If the salesperson does not know what the customer already selected, they repeat it.
If the online price differs from the in-store price, trust falls.
If the customer cannot reach a person when the digital path breaks, technology becomes another wall.
Omnichannel is continuity.
The customer can move from screen to human to vehicle and back to screen without losing context.
Do not ask:
Which steps can we move online?
Ask:
Where does the customer gain something by changing channels?
Inventory search gains scale online.
Test drive gains reality in person.
Document upload gains speed online.
Complex finance may gain clarity with a person.
Price comparison gains transparency online.
Used-car condition gains confidence physically.
Status tracking gains convenience digitally.
Delivery preference should belong to the customer.
That creates a transaction shaped around the strengths of each environment.
CDK found 78% of respondents said the test drive, whether in person or a remote variation, helped sell them on the vehicle.
There is a reason.
Cars are experiential products.
Two vehicles can look almost identical in specification tables and feel completely different from the driver's seat.
A digital process can get a shopper to the right shortlist faster.
It cannot reproduce every physical sensation.
That does not make the website less valuable.
It makes the handoff more important.
Dealers sometimes respond to complaints about time by cutting conversation.
That misses the point.
Customers do not necessarily want the fastest possible human interaction.
They want less dead time.
There is a difference between:
Twenty useful minutes with a product specialist.
And twenty minutes alone at a desk waiting for someone to print paperwork.
One builds confidence.
The other feels wasted.
CDK's studies consistently show time correlates with recommendation and satisfaction, especially when the process crosses three hours.
The solution is not to make employees speak faster.
It is to remove queues, duplicate work and invisible handoffs.
It is tempting to talk as if digital transactions are frictionless.
They are not.
Shipping.
Delivery windows.
Return policies.
Trade-condition disputes.
Remote paperwork.
Title processing.
Identity verification.
Financing conditions.
Vehicle condition on arrival.
Customer-service escalation.
The friction changes location.
A consumer buying remotely should still ask:
Is this the exact VIN?
Are the photos of the actual vehicle?
What fees apply?
How is the trade value finalized?
Who pays shipping?
What is the return policy?
What happens if the car arrives damaged?
Where do warranty or repair issues go?
The FTC's general online-marketplace guidance tells buyers to review terms, fees, return policies and actual-item information rather than assume the convenience of online checkout eliminates due diligence.
The 7% fully online share in Cox's study should not be read as failure.
It tells us that full online purchasing is one valid channel for a minority of buyers.
The more important number is the 63% who prefer a blend.
That reflects the product.
Cars are expensive.
They are physical.
They often involve trades.
They often involve financing.
Used cars are condition-specific.
Household needs vary.
Many buyers want digital control and physical confirmation.
Retail strategy should follow that reality.
A salesperson has an advantage no form field has.
They can notice uncertainty.
They can ask a follow-up question.
They can compare two vehicles physically.
They can explain why one trim solves the shopper's actual need.
They can catch a child-seat problem.
They can show how a tow package changes configuration.
They can tell the customer a cheaper trim does everything they need.
That is expertise.
The dealership wastes it when the human interaction is mostly:
"What's your monthly budget?"
"Can I get your phone number?"
"When can you come in?"
"Let me check with my manager."
The future does not require fewer humans.
It requires humans to do more human work.
A shopper has access to more data than ever.
That can improve decisions.
It can also create false confidence.
Online estimates are not final appraisals.
Advertised incentives have eligibility requirements.
Monthly-payment calculators make assumptions.
Vehicle-history reports are incomplete.
Photos hide scale and condition.
AI answers can be wrong.
The strongest process lets the customer bring digital information into a conversation where it can be verified.
Not discarded.
Not blindly accepted.
Verified.
Many buyers would like to do more finance work before arriving.
Cox found 48% want to apply for credit online, but only 33% do.
Forty percent would like to select F&I products online, but only 16% do.
CDK's 2026 F&I research shows the department still occupies a meaningful part of the dealership visit, with two-thirds of buyers waiting to meet F&I and nearly half waiting more than 20 minutes.
This is an obvious omnichannel opportunity.
Explain products before the customer is exhausted.
Show pricing clearly.
Let them review options at their pace.
Preserve access to a knowledgeable F&I manager for questions.
Prepare documents before the handoff.
The best digital F&I experience may not eliminate the finance manager.
It may make the conversation better.
Same buyer.
Same vehicle.
Same final price.
Customer finds the vehicle online.
Submits trade information.
Starts credit.
Schedules visit.
Arrives.
Salesperson cannot see online work.
Trade gets entered again.
Credit form gets entered again.
Vehicle is not pulled up.
After test drive, customer waits for desk.
Then waits for F&I.
Then sees optional products for the first time.
Three and a half hours later, the customer leaves with the car.
Nothing illegal happened.
The price was fair.
The experience still feels bad.
Customer finds exact VIN.
Trade information moves to appraisal team.
Credit application is available to F&I.
Appointment triggers vehicle prep.
Salesperson sees customer's stated priorities.
Customer arrives, confirms vehicle and drives it.
Trade value is finalized physically.
Numbers reconcile with what was shown online.
F&I has documents and product information ready.
Customer chooses whether to sign digitally or in person.
Same dealership building.
Same humans.
Completely different experience.
The difference is continuity.
Digital retail loses credibility instantly when the online number is not reproducible.
If a payment estimate excludes mandatory fees.
If a discount assumes incentives the customer does not qualify for.
If the trade estimate is marketed like a final offer without condition verification.
If the listed vehicle is not actually available.
The customer learns that the digital tool is marketing, not transaction infrastructure.
Transparency has to come before convenience.
Otherwise the online process merely accelerates distrust.
The customer can see real inventory.
Prices and terms are understandable.
The system remembers information.
The shopper chooses communication channel.
The salesperson sees digital context.
The vehicle is ready when promised.
Trade information does not restart from zero.
F&I is prepared.
Optional products are explained before fatigue sets in.
The customer can ask a human for help at any point.
The customer can leave and resume without losing progress.
That is not "online car buying."
That is competent retail.
Now we can answer the title more honestly.
Some customers will pay for convenience.
Some will drive hours to save $500.
Some value local service.
Some care only about the exact vehicle.
Some want no negotiation.
Some enjoy negotiating.
Some want delivery.
Some want to take the keys today.
There is no universal premium people will pay to avoid a dealership.
The more useful business question is:
How much customer effort can the dealership remove without removing the expertise and physical confidence the customer still values?
That is where competitive advantage lives.
The dealership is not competing with the internet.
The dealership is competing with friction.
The internet is not competing with humans.
It is competing with repetitive, slow and opaque human processes.
The winners will not be the stores that force people online or force them inside.
They will be the businesses that let customers move between both without feeling the machinery underneath.
That is what omnichannel should mean.
Not more software.
A smoother decision.
