US Automotive Dealerships - PPC Market Share Analysis March 2026

Leveraging Adthena’s Whole Market View, this analysis explores recent trends in Google Ads for the US Dealerships category from the last month. Our Data Analyst, Ask Arlo provides commentary on key findings.

Dealerships – US

Google AI Overview visibility for Automotive Dealerships US

See how often AIOs appear and how search intent is distributed across buying signals.

AIO Frequency

How often a Google AI overview appears on search terms relevant to this category.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 14.1948241398
85.8051758602
14%

Complex Query Frequency

A complex query is a longer, more detailed search that often contains multiple keywords, specific conditions, or multi-part questions.

Frequency Percentage
Frequency 44
56
44%

Search Intent Distribution

Breakdown of search queries by their underlying goal.

Intent Distribution
Investigational 14%
Transactional 41%
Navigational 1%
Seasonal 0%
Local 8%
Problem Solving 8%

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Market Exposure

Share of Clicks for top 10 US Automotive Dealerships brands

Here are the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Clicks for the last month.

Share of Clicks - Last month
Share of Clicks - Last month
Domain Share of clicks
cargurus.com 20.34
carvana.com 12.27
carmax.com 10.41
autotrader.com 9.87
carfax.com 5.76
cars.com 4.84
autonation.com 2.08
bmwusa.com 1.57
drivetime.com 0.98
enterprisecarsales.com 0.85
others 31.03
  • cargurus.com - 20.34%
  • carvana.com - 12.27%
  • carmax.com - 10.41%
  • autotrader.com - 9.87%
  • carfax.com - 5.76%
  • cars.com - 4.84%
  • autonation.com - 2.08%
  • bmwusa.com - 1.57%
  • drivetime.com - 0.98%
  • enterprisecarsales.com - 0.85%
  • others - 31.03%

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Cargurus.com leads with 20.34% click share, followed by Carvana.com at 12.27%. Others collectively hold 31.03%, showcasing diverse competition.

Market Exposure

Share of Spend for the top 10 US Automotive Dealerships brands

Curious about your market position? Here you can see the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Spend for the last month. 

Share of Spend - Last Month
Share of Spend - Last Month
Date carvana.com carmax.com cargurus.com carfax.com cars.com autotrader.com autonation.com drivetime.com ford.com mazdausa.com
2026/03/01 16.85% 8.88% 10.48% 4.74% 4.17% 3.95% 3.3% 2.33% 1.43% 0.7%
2026/03/02 19% 8.33% 10.27% 4.95% 4.62% 4.77% 2.85% 1.68% 0.95% 0.7%
2026/03/03 20.11% 5.65% 10.61% 6.22% 3.8% 5.14% 2.69% 1.54% 0.94% 0.84%
2026/03/04 19.09% 6.94% 10.2% 5.63% 3.48% 4.57% 2.48% 1.64% 1.02% 1.12%
2026/03/05 19.16% 8.51% 8.72% 4.08% 3.64% 4.69% 2.2% 1.59% 1.05% 1.23%
2026/03/06 17.42% 8.44% 9.6% 4.09% 3.72% 4.72% 2.52% 1.81% 0.98% 1.37%
2026/03/07 16.48% 9.2% 8.85% 2.81% 3.56% 4.27% 1.87% 2.85% 1.59% 1.89%
2026/03/08 15.09% 10% 9.1% 3.27% 3.04% 4.43% 2.22% 2.53% 1.45% 1.5%
2026/03/09 16.4% 9.49% 10.04% 3.21% 3.64% 3.74% 2.44% 2.23% 1.14% 1.39%
2026/03/10 18.14% 8.64% 10.24% 3.25% 3.59% 4.45% 2.25% 2.21% 1.08% 1.51%
2026/03/11 20.32% 8.79% 10.4% 3.2% 3.42% 3.93% 2.27% 2.44% 0.76% 1.6%
2026/03/12 18.93% 8.8% 10.93% 3.85% 3.71% 3.18% 2.94% 2.11% 0.82% 1.28%
2026/03/13 17.01% 8.75% 8.68% 3.79% 4.09% 3.91% 2.61% 2.13% 0.92% 1.4%
2026/03/14 17.46% 9.51% 9.85% 3.62% 3.66% 3.28% 2.58% 2.09% 1.16% 1.31%
2026/03/15 15.02% 11.49% 9.56% 3.6% 3.72% 3.05% 2.44% 2.81% 1.14% 1.48%
2026/03/16 15.06% 9.56% 11.94% 4.3% 4.58% 3.7% 2.46% 1.9% 1.1% 1.34%
2026/03/17 15.27% 8.47% 12.82% 4.18% 4.48% 4.06% 2.18% 1.55% 1.04% 1.4%
2026/03/18 14.05% 10.19% 9.67% 4.05% 4.29% 3.52% 3% 0.93% 1% 1.38%
2026/03/19 14.1% 10.46% 9.39% 3.03% 3.78% 3.51% 2.28% 1.89% 1.08% 1.73%
2026/03/20 13.55% 10.5% 10.05% 2.68% 3.7% 3.98% 2.05% 1.67% 1.44% 1.89%
2026/03/21 13.93% 10.4% 11.22% 2.73% 3.81% 3.8% 1.6% 1.81% 1.49% 1.82%
2026/03/22 14.72% 11.23% 11.51% 2.86% 3.36% 3.8% 1.71% 1.98% 1.55% 1.7%
2026/03/23 14.79% 10.42% 10.59% 3.01% 3.77% 3.77% 1.88% 1.91% 1.4% 1.43%
2026/03/24 14.34% 10.87% 10.68% 3.91% 3.47% 3.51% 2.58% 1.49% 1.83% 1.62%
2026/03/25 15.29% 11.33% 10.39% 4.32% 3.33% 3.73% 2.1% 1.28% 1.15% 1.57%
2026/03/26 15.57% 11.15% 10.62% 5.18% 3.4% 3.72% 2.03% 2.01% 1.2% 1.43%
2026/03/27 15.39% 12.05% 10.02% 4.6% 3.53% 3.07% 1.59% 2.04% 1.05% 1.54%
2026/03/28 14.84% 12.33% 10.3% 4.01% 3.41% 3.06% 1.29% 2.28% 1.36% 1.54%
2026/03/29 14.72% 12.07% 10.16% 3.62% 3.12% 2.88% 1.96% 2.3% 1.63% 1.6%
2026/03/30 13.18% 10.75% 10.19% 4.62% 3.43% 2.83% 2.95% 2.08% 1.16% 1.42%
2026/03/31 15.39% 10.25% 10.15% 3.99% 3.74% 3.04% 2.97% 2.36% 1.12% 1.1%
  • carvana.com
  • carmax.com
  • cargurus.com
  • carfax.com
  • cars.com
  • autotrader.com
  • autonation.com
  • drivetime.com
  • ford.com
  • mazdausa.com

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Carvana’s spend share fluctuated, peaking at 20.32% mid-month, then declining to 15.39%. CarMax rose steadily, ending at 10.25%. CarGurus maintained stability, closing at 10.15%. Carfax and Cars.com showed minor variations, while AutoTrader and AutoNation experienced slight declines. DriveTime and Ford remained consistent, with MazdaUSA showing a slight dip.

Market Exposure

Competitor Count for US Automotive Dealerships

Ever wondered how many competitors you’re up against in your industry? Well look no further, here we can see the number of advertisers bidding over the last month. 

Competitor Count - Last month
Competitor Count - Last month
Date Competitor Count
2026/03/01 3922
2026/03/02 4046
2026/03/03 4100
2026/03/04 4075
2026/03/05 4085
2026/03/06 4111
2026/03/07 3966
2026/03/08 3815
2026/03/09 3927
2026/03/10 3994
2026/03/11 3956
2026/03/12 4072
2026/03/13 3999
2026/03/14 4028
2026/03/15 4002
2026/03/16 4057
2026/03/17 4142
2026/03/18 4102
2026/03/19 3980
2026/03/20 3888
2026/03/21 3737
2026/03/22 3858
2026/03/23 3895
2026/03/24 3614
2026/03/25 3732
2026/03/26 3556
2026/03/27 3768
2026/03/28 3754
2026/03/29 3709
2026/03/30 3850
2026/03/31 3673

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March began with 3,922 advertisers, peaking at 4,142 mid-month. A decline followed, ending at 3,673.

Campaign Efficiency

Market Loss & Market Gains for US Automotive Dealerships

Here we’re looking at the Top 10 biggest industry movers by market share gains and losses for the last 30 days.

Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Market Loss & Market Gains - Last month
Name Market Trend
cargurus.com 1.78%
carmax.com 1.42%
bmwusa.com 0.46%
ford.com 0.22%
kbb.com 0.14%
campingworld.com -0.2%
autotrader.com -0.22%
autonation.com -0.34%
cars.com -0.54%
carvana.com -2.21%

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Carvana.com saw a significant drop of 2.21% in click share, while CarGurus.com surged by 1.78%.

Campaign Efficiency

US Automotive Dealerships Share of Impressions

Take a look at the Top 10 competitors in the industry by Share of Impressions over the last month.

Date carvana.com cargurus.com carmax.com carfax.com cars.com autotrader.com autonation.com drivetime.com echopark.com truecar.com
2026/03/01 17.98% 13.53% 9.44% 5.52% 5.5% 5.83% 3.02% 1.47% 1.32% 0.65%
2026/03/02 20.64% 12.82% 8.74% 5.38% 5.44% 6.5% 2.51% 1.07% 0.94% 0.72%
2026/03/03 20.85% 13.33% 5.48% 6.56% 5.12% 7.02% 2.53% 1.05% 0.78% 0.91%
2026/03/04 19.89% 13.06% 6.95% 6.08% 4.7% 6.47% 2.46% 1% 1.04% 0.98%
2026/03/05 20.26% 11.46% 8.57% 4.91% 5.12% 7.04% 2.26% 0.95% 1.34% 0.89%
2026/03/06 19.52% 12.08% 8.7% 4.67% 5.34% 6.63% 2.42% 1.14% 0.88% 1.07%
2026/03/07 18.96% 12.73% 8.84% 3.79% 5.07% 6.65% 1.95% 1.82% 0.82% 0.84%
2026/03/08 16.83% 12.38% 10.4% 4.11% 4.64% 6.55% 2.54% 1.63% 0.8% 0.82%
2026/03/09 18.07% 13.94% 9.98% 3.8% 5.28% 5.19% 2.51% 1.36% 0.84% 0.88%
2026/03/10 19.76% 13.08% 8.91% 3.91% 5.14% 6.16% 2.37% 1.43% 0.76% 0.9%
2026/03/11 21.57% 13.09% 9.06% 3.69% 4.92% 5.59% 2.37% 1.51% 0.79% 1.12%
2026/03/12 19.89% 13.22% 9.28% 4.44% 5.13% 4.31% 3% 1.39% 1.02% 0.85%
2026/03/13 18.5% 11.64% 9.15% 4.48% 5.52% 5.63% 2.74% 1.4% 1.02% 1.03%
2026/03/14 20.46% 12.47% 9.42% 4.24% 5.03% 4.75% 2.97% 1.3% 1.22% 1.05%
2026/03/15 17.26% 12.57% 11.78% 4.52% 5.49% 4.81% 2.64% 1.86% 1% 0.94%
2026/03/16 16.77% 14.36% 9.75% 4.8% 5.72% 5.48% 2.68% 1.23% 0.79% 0.99%
2026/03/17 16.9% 15.28% 8.42% 5.15% 5.91% 5.5% 2.41% 1.36% 0.57% 0.89%
2026/03/18 15.9% 12.34% 10.02% 4.7% 5.73% 5.06% 3.3% 0.74% 0.82% 1.05%
2026/03/19 16.03% 12.99% 10.49% 3.78% 5.15% 5.53% 2.95% 1.35% 0.7% 1.07%
2026/03/20 15.91% 13.84% 10.41% 3.43% 5.16% 5.97% 2.76% 0.99% 0.65% 1.05%
2026/03/21 16.45% 15.03% 9.83% 3.69% 5.65% 5.84% 1.97% 1.28% 0.87% 1.34%
2026/03/22 17.05% 14.98% 10.86% 3.91% 4.98% 5.64% 2.31% 1.35% 0.9% 1.21%
2026/03/23 16.91% 13.97% 10.06% 3.91% 5.38% 5.92% 2.19% 1.23% 0.91% 0.9%
2026/03/24 16.54% 14.34% 10.35% 4.89% 5% 5.3% 3.21% 0.81% 0.94% 0.81%
2026/03/25 18.02% 13.88% 10.94% 5.23% 4.59% 5.33% 2.37% 0.78% 0.93% 1.04%
2026/03/26 17.98% 14.31% 10.6% 6.33% 4.75% 5.43% 2.72% 1.09% 1.03% 0.92%
2026/03/27 16.9% 13.18% 11.83% 5.78% 5.17% 4.4% 1.93% 1.21% 0.91% 1.17%
2026/03/28 17.49% 13.92% 11.86% 5.17% 4.82% 4.81% 1.74% 1.49% 1.29% 0.82%
2026/03/29 16.72% 14% 11.15% 5.05% 4.64% 4.57% 2.23% 1.5% 1.13% 1.1%
2026/03/30 15% 13.98% 10.17% 5.9% 4.85% 4.48% 3.3% 1.35% 1.18% 1.09%
2026/03/31 17.6% 13.58% 10.13% 5.03% 4.93% 4.7% 3.25% 1.44% 0.89% 0.78%
  • carvana.com
  • cargurus.com
  • carmax.com
  • carfax.com
  • cars.com
  • autotrader.com
  • autonation.com
  • drivetime.com
  • echopark.com
  • truecar.com

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In March 2026, Carvana led with fluctuating impressions, peaking mid-month. CarGurus and CarMax showed steady growth, while Carfax and Cars.com maintained moderate shares. AutoTrader and AutoNation experienced slight declines, ending the month with varied performances.

Campaign Efficiency

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for US Automotive Dealerships

Ever wondered how your rivals’ ads are doing? Here we can see the top-performing ads in the industry over the last month.

Google Text Ad Copy Insights & Creative Trends for US Automotive Dealerships - Last month
  1. 1
    New & Used Cars https://www.autotrader.com

    Find That Car, Find Any Car — When you buy a car on Autotrader, we solve your monthly car payment for you. Shop for cars that...

  2. 2
    Cargurus.com® Official Site - Largest Online Inventory https://www.cargurus.com

    Best Prices From Local Dealers. Shop for Great Deals On Cars Today! Don't Wait.

  3. 3
    Used Cars for Sale - Official Cars.com Site https://www.cars.com

    Cars.com - Your One-Stop-Shop for Buying and Selling Cars. 2M+ Vehicles Available! Explore 2M...

  4. 4
    Search Used Cars For Sale https://www.carvana.com › used-cars

    Buy, Sell, or Trade-in Online — Shop Thousands Of Carvana® Certified Vehicles With Delivery To Your Door. 100% Online Used Car...

  5. 5
    Chapman Arizona - Shop Used Car Inventory Online https://www.chapmanaz.com

    Used Cars for sale in Phoenix, AZ - Chapman Used Vehicle Inventory. Explore our inventory and find your perfect pre-owned vehicle today.

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the competitive landscape of automotive PPC ads, Autotrader, Cargurus, Cars.com, Carvana, and Chapman Arizona shine. Autotrader entices with payment solutions, Cargurus highlights local deals, Cars.com boasts vast inventory, Carvana offers online convenience, and Chapman Arizona focuses on local inventory.

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