Dealerships risk surrendering more of the customer journey to online marketplaces after cutting back test drive booking, finance and EV guidance tools, according to new research.
BearingPoint’s UK Automotive Retail: Digital Sales Maturity 2026 study found that a quarter of the 11 large retailers surveyed recorded lower pre-sales scores than last year.
Some had replaced appointment scheduling and online test drive booking with generic enquiry or callback forms, adding friction at the point where customers move from researching a vehicle to engaging with a dealership.
Half of the retailers also recorded a decline in their online finance and leasing journeys, while only 20% improved. The study also found greater use of static representative examples instead of interactive calculators designed to help customers explore their options.
Dealers risk losing customer control
BearingPoint warned that dealers could cede the beginning of the buying journey to marketplaces, which are investing more heavily in AI-led vehicle discovery and search tools.
It found that dealerships had made little meaningful use of AI, although the study did identify early progress in smart search and scripted chatbots. TrustFord was highlighted for search functionality moving towards natural-language vehicle discovery.
Online EV journeys also offered little meaningful differentiation from petrol or diesel vehicle journeys while some of the clearer EV guidance available last year had subsequently been removed, despite retailers needing to support the transition.
Jonathan Stephens from BearingPoint said: “The digital channel is a critical customer acquisition pathway for retailers. Those that use it effectively to capture demand, establish trust and smooth out their customer journeys will develop competitive advantage and ultimately win business.
“Yet our study shows many retailers are paring back the digital journey at key touchpoints, like test drive, finance conversation, or EV education.”
The greatest differences between retailers appeared at the point of commitment, including arranging a test drive, calculating finance and completing a reservation or purchase online.
Vertu leads new and used rankings
Vertu achieved the highest new car digital maturity score at 34 and was the only retailer assessed to provide comprehensive test drive booking with a choice of day and time.
Lookers followed with 33 points, while Sytner Group and TrustFord both scored 32. BearingPoint said Vertu and Lookers were also among the few dealerships supporting a seamless online transaction.
Vertu led the used car assessment with 36 points, ahead of Lookers and TrustFord on 33. Used car journeys generally outperformed new car journeys, reflecting stronger vehicle discovery tools and more polished end-to-end processes.
The study assessed publicly available new and used car buying journeys across 11 major UK retailers, covering discovery, research, ordering, cancellation and handover.
BearingPoint concluded the report by recommending that dealers treat digital retail as a strategic sales channel rather than simply a lead-generation tool, linking online demand data with stock turnover, conversion and wider dealership operations.