LexisNexis Risk Solutions Automotive Brand Loyalty Research Reveals 57% of U.S. Car Buyers Open to Other Brands

10/21/2025

ATLANTA — LexisNexis® Risk Solutions, a leading provider of data and analytics for the insurance and automotive industries, released findings on how personalized and timely communications play a critical role in strengthening U.S. automotive brand loyalty and driving repeat purchases. The survey examined the motivations and considerations across consumer vehicle purchases and alternative fuel migrations. Through continued automotive brand loyalty analysis, including its most recent U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Mid-Year 2025 Study, LexisNexis Risk Solutions provides automakers (OEMs) with a unique view of the relationship between U.S. consumers and their evolving vehicle preferences. 

• When deciding on their next vehicle purchase, 42% of U.S. consumers decided on the brand less than one month before purchasing or leasing.
• When considering automotive brands, 57% of respondents were open to switching brands, but still looked for a new vehicle from the same brand, followed by loyalists who only thought about the same brand (31%), and defectors who only considered other brands (12%).
• When looking at multi-brand households, one in four consumers defected to another vehicle brand already in the garage.
• Traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) consumers show the highest brand defection rate when switching to alternative fuel platforms (hybrid/EV), showing a 64% brand defection rate. 

Figure 1
LexisNexis® Risk Solutions Loyalty Market Reporting, as of August 2024

 Key Observations
“Our survey reveals that while 57% of consumers consider repurchasing the same brand, they are also open to exploring other options. With one in four consumers defecting to another brand already in their garage, affinity plays a powerful role in the final decision,” said Dave Nemtuda, associate vice president, LexisNexis Risk Solutions. “As consumer behaviors evolve, OEMs and their franchise dealerships have a unique opportunity to strengthen loyalty by rethinking how and when they engage. This is where our expertise in data and advanced analytics serves to help automakers better understand consumer preferences – who they would like to hear from and when they want to be contacted.”

Personalized Communication Preferences
More than half (58%) of U.S. consumers started shopping two months prior to purchasing a new vehicle, and the communication they’ve received from OEMs played a role in their purchasing decisions.

Respondents evaluated different types of personalized outreach based on recall and perceived influence, with all forms showing a positive impact on purchase consideration:

• Email communication from an automotive brand ranks highest among preferred channels at 65% followed by direct mail (46%) and text message (27%). 
• Financial incentives ranked highest at 87%, followed by loyalty programs (86%). Tied for third were exclusive offers for existing brand owners, as well as detailed information about new features and improvements in new models (both at 85%). 
• Additional types of communications that were seen as positive outreach included new vehicle model promotions (84%), competitive offers on current vehicle trade-in values (83%), and personalized invitations to drive new vehicles (82%).  

“The increasing shift towards electric and hybrid vehicles presents both an opportunity and a challenge for automakers to retain customers,” said Mike Yakima, product principle for vehicle intelligence solutions at LexisNexis Risk Solutions. “Buyers are receptive to timely, personalized communication across multiple channels, creating more touchpoints to reinforce brand value and trust. Those who embrace this shift can turn changing purchase patterns into a lasting advantage.”

Automakers looking to improve customer retention and attract new buyers can gain access to the complete survey findings by visiting the website. The insight can help auto manufacturers refine their outreach strategies and enhance customer engagement using affinity and garage-level preference information.

About LexisNexis Risk Solutions
LexisNexis® Risk Solutions provides customers with information-based analytics and decision tools that combine public and industry-specific content with advanced technology and algorithms to assist them in evaluating and predicting risk and enhancing operational efficiency. Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, the company has offices throughout the world, serves customers in more than 190 countries and territories and is part of RELX. For more information, please visit LexisNexis Risk Solutions and RELX.