How Automotive Marketers Can Capture Shopper Attention in 2025

In an era of record-high vehicle prices and extended ownership periods, the decision-making process for purchasing a vehicle is more complex than ever. To stand out in this competitive landscape,  empowering consumers to make informed decisions, highlighting dependability and driving EV adoption will be three key ways for automotive marketers to capture shopper attention in 2025. 

The Importance of Promoting Long-Term Dependability 

Consumers are keeping vehicles longer than ever—on average, 12 years or more¹— beyond the typical 3-year/36,000-mile warranty period. Unsurprisingly, expected reliability has become the top reason consumers choose one model over another ². The J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study highlights this growing customer focus on dependability, underscoring the fact that not all vehicles age equally. 

• While some brands see a reduction in problems from 90 days of ownership to 3-years by as much as 6%, others experience as high as a 48% increase in problems during this period. 
• The average rate of increase in problems from 90 days to three years is an increase of 17% for the industry. 

Marketers promoting makes and models with strong dependability have powerful messaging opportunities that meet the expectations of modern car buyers. 

Two more ways for automotive marketers to capture shopper attention in 2025 >

¹J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study^SM Press Release

²J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study^SM