US Automotive Dealerships - PPC Market Share Analysis August 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 38.8876205149
61.1123794851
38%

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 39
61
39%

Search Intent Distribution

Breakdown of search queries by their underlying goal.

Intent Distribution
Investigational 6%
Transactional 43%
Navigational 3%
Seasonal 0%
Local 4%
Problem Solving 4%

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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 21.9
carvana.com 15.19
carmax.com 6.47
autotrader.com 6.43
cars.com 5.61
carfax.com 3.84
ford.com 1.85
bmwusa.com 1.75
porsche.com 1.06
toyota.com 1
others 34.9
  • cargurus.com - 21.9%
  • carvana.com - 15.19%
  • carmax.com - 6.47%
  • autotrader.com - 6.43%
  • cars.com - 5.61%
  • carfax.com - 3.84%
  • ford.com - 1.85%
  • bmwusa.com - 1.75%
  • porsche.com - 1.06%
  • toyota.com - 1%
  • others - 34.9%

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Cargurus.com leads with 21.9% click share, followed by Carvana.com at 15.19%. Others collectively hold 34.9%, 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 cargurus.com carmax.com cars.com ford.com autotrader.com carfax.com bmwusa.com drivetime.com toyota.com
2026/08/01 27.28% 8.06% 4.2% 2.34% 2.18% 2.5% 2.14% 1.52% 1.12% 1.71%
2026/08/02 23.23% 9.2% 4.04% 2.79% 1.25% 2.32% 2.38% 1.52% 1.46% 1.4%
2026/08/03 23.11% 7.69% 4.19% 3.34% 1.03% 2.33% 2.03% 2.45% 1.31% 1.34%
2026/08/04 21.83% 6.78% 4.6% 4.15% 1.63% 1.93% 2.09% 1.58% 1.2% 1.42%
2026/08/05 18.56% 7.84% 4.35% 4.09% 3.06% 2.13% 2.76% 1.02% 1.13% 1.5%
2026/08/06 17.62% 7.91% 4.56% 3.2% 3% 2.18% 2.33% 1.98% 1.71% 1.72%
2026/08/07 22.72% 6.23% 4.67% 4.03% 3.22% 2.01% 1.99% 1.49% 2.52% 1.42%
2026/08/08 21.61% 7.22% 5.64% 4.08% 2.56% 1.96% 2.04% 1.96% 0.8% 1.38%
2026/08/09 23.23% 8.24% 4.24% 3.66% 4.72% 2.03% 2.02% 1.44% 0.89% 1.09%
2026/08/10 23.03% 8.09% 3.92% 4.82% 2.22% 1.98% 2.29% 1.18% 1.3% 1.19%
2026/08/11 20.52% 10.12% 3.77% 4.93% 1.12% 1.95% 2.14% 1.23% 1.89% 1.14%
2026/08/12 17.6% 9.05% 3.11% 5.24% 3.69% 2.01% 2.28% 1.27% 1.48% 1.37%
2026/08/13 19.07% 8.92% 3.4% 4.38% 3.25% 1.79% 2.57% 1.55% 1.64% 1.5%
2026/08/14 21.17% 7.85% 3.85% 5.12% 0.87% 2.01% 2.45% 1.25% 1.61% 1.68%
2026/08/15 19.83% 8.2% 4.24% 3.98% 2.41% 1.97% 2.35% 1% 1.69% 1.47%
2026/08/16 19.4% 8.92% 3.92% 3.29% 1.66% 1.9% 2.48% 2.28% 1.68% 1.08%
2026/08/17 21.95% 8.59% 4.06% 4.12% 0.98% 1.88% 2.2% 1.88% 2.01% 1.57%
2026/08/18 22.49% 9.06% 3.77% 4.81% 1.73% 2.1% 1.85% 1.57% 2.01% 0.97%
2026/08/19 20.71% 8.39% 5.17% 4.63% 2.07% 1.99% 1.8% 1.75% 2.14% 1.08%
2026/08/20 19.79% 7.78% 3.84% 4.9% 1.25% 2.47% 2.41% 1.75% 1.66% 1.26%
2026/08/21 21.96% 6.06% 3.83% 4.84% 1.37% 2.43% 2.26% 1.67% 0.98% 1.39%
2026/08/22 17.14% 6.92% 4.54% 5.52% 2.39% 2.7% 2.1% 1.46% 2.03% 1.34%
2026/08/23 17.17% 6.86% 5.06% 4.05% 1.75% 2.46% 1.93% 1.79% 2.17% 1.46%
2026/08/24 16.36% 7.68% 4.94% 4.73% 1.25% 2.35% 2.31% 2.03% 1.24% 1.24%
2026/08/25 16.99% 8.14% 5.19% 4.95% 0.94% 2.84% 2.07% 2.32% 1.09% 0.87%
2026/08/26 17.7% 7.5% 4.54% 5.05% 2.42% 2.72% 2.01% 1.83% 1.09% 1.53%
2026/08/27 17.99% 6.71% 4.61% 4.45% 2.65% 2.34% 1.81% 1.62% 1.85% 1.1%
2026/08/28 17.59% 7.66% 4.9% 4.48% 1.03% 2.6% 1.83% 1.7% 1.25% 1.62%
2026/08/29 16.13% 7.3% 5.71% 4.36% 0.65% 2.73% 2.19% 1.63% 1.05% 1.11%
2026/08/30 17.01% 6.68% 5.33% 3.86% 0.84% 3.09% 2.09% 1.46% 1.39% 1.23%
2026/08/31 16.7% 5.26% 4.93% 3.37% 2.86% 2.77% 2.11% 1.69% 1.02% 0.81%
  • carvana.com
  • cargurus.com
  • carmax.com
  • cars.com
  • ford.com
  • autotrader.com
  • carfax.com
  • bmwusa.com
  • drivetime.com
  • toyota.com

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Carvana’s spend share fluctuated, peaking at 27.28% and ending at 16.7%. Cargurus saw a decline, finishing at 5.26%. Carmax’s share rose to 5.71% before settling at 4.93%. Cars.com experienced a steady rise, closing at 3.37%. Ford’s share varied, ending at 2.86%. Autotrader’s share increased, finishing at 2.77%. Carfax remained stable, closing at 2.11%. BMWUSA’s share fluctuated, ending at 1.69%. Drivetime’s share varied, closing at 1.02%. Toyota’s share decreased, ending at 0.81%.

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
2026/08/01 4162
2026/08/02 4210
2026/08/03 3958
2026/08/04 4400
2026/08/05 3937
2026/08/06 3656
2026/08/07 3444
2026/08/08 3331
2026/08/09 3561
2026/08/10 3861
2026/08/11 3885
2026/08/12 3913
2026/08/13 3735
2026/08/14 3825
2026/08/15 3807
2026/08/16 3817
2026/08/17 3560
2026/08/18 3590
2026/08/19 3468
2026/08/20 3744
2026/08/21 3720
2026/08/22 3877
2026/08/23 3771
2026/08/24 3774
2026/08/25 3791
2026/08/26 3827
2026/08/27 3968
2026/08/28 4239
2026/08/29 3983
2026/08/30 4251
2026/08/31 4032

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

August saw fluctuating advertiser numbers, peaking at 4,400 on August 4th. A mid-month dip was followed by a strong finish at 4,032.

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
autotrader.com 1.43%
carmax.com 1.02%
cars.com 0.4%
bmwusa.com 0.25%
echopark.com 0.21%
toyota.com -0.18%
carfax.com -0.2%
ford.com -0.66%
cargurus.com -1.87%
carvana.com -1.96%

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Autotrader.com and Carmax.com surged with click share increases of 1.43 and 1.02, respectively, while Carvana.com and Cargurus.com faced declines of 1.96 and 1.87.

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 cars.com autotrader.com carfax.com ford.com truecar.com echopark.com bmwusa.com
2026/08/01 30.75% 12.36% 4.25% 3.16% 3.65% 3.18% 1.07% 1.81% 0.88% 0.79%
2026/08/02 27.42% 13.94% 4.05% 3.84% 3.26% 3.33% 0.67% 1.62% 0.77% 0.7%
2026/08/03 28.03% 12.89% 4.15% 5% 3.6% 2.87% 0.51% 1.95% 0.92% 1.12%
2026/08/04 25.91% 11.92% 4.65% 5.61% 2.67% 2.84% 0.89% 1.86% 0.71% 0.85%
2026/08/05 22.42% 13.28% 4.25% 5.62% 2.63% 3.7% 1.79% 1.54% 0.64% 0.75%
2026/08/06 21.61% 13.38% 4.49% 5.01% 3.04% 3.19% 1.59% 1.71% 0.87% 1.01%
2026/08/07 25.71% 11.6% 4.53% 5.69% 2.78% 2.62% 1.6% 1.89% 0.67% 0.83%
2026/08/08 26.63% 12.25% 5.42% 4.99% 2.58% 2.92% 1.32% 1.47% 0.83% 0.86%
2026/08/09 27.16% 14.45% 4.49% 4.38% 3.01% 2.58% 2.27% 1.19% 0.69% 0.71%
2026/08/10 26.66% 12.36% 4.34% 5.95% 3.17% 2.96% 1.03% 1.29% 0.81% 0.7%
2026/08/11 23.99% 15.54% 3.73% 6.41% 2.88% 2.75% 0.6% 0.98% 0.64% 0.63%
2026/08/12 22.05% 14.81% 3.14% 5.98% 2.73% 2.95% 1.9% 1.11% 0.75% 0.62%
2026/08/13 23.71% 13.8% 3.28% 5.9% 2.76% 3.26% 1.8% 1.11% 0.62% 0.72%
2026/08/14 25.53% 12.11% 3.77% 5.86% 2.74% 3.16% 0.48% 1.06% 0.66% 0.58%
2026/08/15 24.07% 12.75% 4.32% 5.11% 2.89% 3.29% 1.2% 1.09% 0.72% 0.57%
2026/08/16 23.27% 14.49% 4.16% 3.95% 2.95% 3.24% 0.83% 1.45% 0.8% 0.95%
2026/08/17 25.85% 13.51% 4.02% 5.22% 2.9% 2.72% 0.49% 0.94% 0.61% 0.86%
2026/08/18 25.35% 14.82% 3.64% 5.89% 2.97% 2.76% 0.91% 0.94% 0.66% 0.84%
2026/08/19 24.47% 13.88% 4.82% 6.34% 2.94% 2.53% 1.14% 1.11% 0.64% 0.92%
2026/08/20 23.81% 12.57% 3.89% 6% 3.42% 3.15% 0.66% 0.75% 0.78% 0.82%
2026/08/21 26.18% 10.23% 3.92% 6.24% 3.51% 3.12% 0.74% 0.74% 0.84% 0.86%
2026/08/22 20.79% 11.38% 5.06% 6.81% 3.92% 2.93% 1.19% 1.84% 0.55% 0.73%
2026/08/23 20.71% 12.06% 5.05% 5.73% 3.79% 2.9% 0.79% 1.78% 0.94% 0.79%
2026/08/24 20.82% 12.87% 5.06% 6.16% 3.35% 3.08% 0.72% 2.6% 0.93% 0.87%
2026/08/25 20.87% 12.56% 5.24% 6.23% 3.88% 2.87% 0.47% 1.92% 1.21% 0.99%
2026/08/26 21.65% 11.92% 5% 6.29% 3.95% 2.94% 1.23% 1.88% 0.7% 0.84%
2026/08/27 21.35% 11.15% 4.93% 6.2% 3.47% 2.78% 1.36% 2% 0.92% 0.78%
2026/08/28 21.1% 11.54% 5.25% 5.78% 4.01% 2.56% 0.58% 1.51% 0.81% 0.92%
2026/08/29 19.57% 11.48% 5.97% 6.06% 4.25% 3.03% 0.37% 1.46% 1.25% 0.9%
2026/08/30 20.77% 10.88% 5.66% 5.49% 4.2% 2.94% 0.44% 1.59% 1.18% 0.77%
2026/08/31 22.34% 8.43% 5.2% 5% 4.23% 3.07% 1.52% 1.39% 1.15% 0.84%
  • carvana.com
  • cargurus.com
  • carmax.com
  • cars.com
  • autotrader.com
  • carfax.com
  • ford.com
  • truecar.com
  • echopark.com
  • bmwusa.com

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

Carvana’s impression share fluctuated, peaking at 30.75% and ending at 22.34%. Cargurus saw a decline, finishing at 8.43%. Carmax and Cars.com showed steady growth, closing at 5.2% and 5.0%, respectively.

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
    CarGurus: Shop Used & New - Search Cars on CarGurus https://www.cargurus.com

    See cars for sale near you. Compare deals all in one place.

  2. 2
    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! Choose From...

  3. 3
    Search Used Cars For Sale https://www.carvana.com › used-cars

    Buy, Sell, or Trade-in Online — Find The Right Used Car For You. Search By Price, Make, Model, Mileage And More! 100% Online...

  4. 4
    SoCal Chevy Official Site | Locate A Chevy Dealer Near You https://www.socalchevy.com

    Find the Latest SoCal Area Chevrolet Vehicle Offers, Incentives, Availability & More. Call or Visit Your Local Chevy Dealer Today.

  5. 5
    TrueCar® Official Site - Find New & Used Cars for Sale https://www.truecar.com

    Find the perfect car by comparing trims, pictures & reviews for every make & model. Find a great...

Copyright © Adthena. All rights reserved.

In the competitive automotive landscape, CarGurus, Cars.com, Carvana, SoCal Chevy, and TrueCar dominate with compelling narratives. They emphasize convenience, vast selections, and localized offers, enticing buyers with seamless online experiences and comprehensive comparisons. Each ad uniquely highlights ease and accessibility in car shopping.

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