Q2 Confidence Strong, but Aftersales Concerns Grow
29 April 2026 by Curtis Hutchinson
Dealers confident in Q2 car sales performance but expect aftersales to be under pressure, finds JudgeService
Dealers are expressing high levels of optimism about the strength of car sales in Q2, although many believe aftersales could be more challenging, according to JudgeService’s Dealer Confidence Barometer.
The research, which polled the views of over 2,000 retailers, found the number of independent dealers feeling positive about Q2 used car sales jumped to 44% from 19% at the start of the year.
Independents are also feeling less neutral (31%, down from 52%) and negative (25%, down from 29%) than in Q1.
The number of franchised dealers optimistic about used car sales remains unchanged at 50%, with a drop in those feeling neutral (28%, down from 35%) but a rise in those feeling negative (22%, up from 15%).
Franchised dealers’ confidence about new car sales also remains stable at 39%, with those feeling neutral (33%) and those feeling negative (28%) also in line with Q1.
Commenting on the findings Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService, said: “The results of our latest Dealer Barometer are encouraging with dealers showing high degrees of optimism for how new and used car sales will perform over the course of Q2.
“This suggests dealers do not expect political and economic headwinds to have a damaging impact on buyer demand.”
Confidence levels on Q2 aftersales performance were more diverse.
Only 22% of franchised dealers say they are positive about aftersales performance, compared to 44% in Q1. Those feeling neutral increased from 40% to 61%, while those feeling negative was unchanged at 17%.
Optimism among independent dealers was higher with 38% expressing confidence (up from 33%), none feeling negative (down from 19%) but a rise in those feeling neutral 63%, up from 48%).
Addley stated: “The outlook for aftersales in Q2 is more uncertain than in sales. Whist the majority of customers now rely on their cars to tell them when to book their cars in for work, good old fashioned service and MOT follow-ups will help keep workshops full.”
Further details and comments available from Neil Addley on 07795 665927 or neil@judgeservice.com.
About JudgeService
Launched in 2011 by Neil Addley, JudgeService is the UK’s only customer review platform developed exclusively for the car retailing sector. By ensuring all reviews are verified and genuine, JudgeService builds a solid foundation of trust and respect between customers and sellers enabling car retailers to actively manage their online reputations.
JudgeService shares granular insight reports with dealers to help them identify opportunities to improve customer satisfaction levels, with many achieving 100% recommendation scores.
Based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, JudgeService has published over 1 million customer reviews and is used by over 2,000 franchised, independent and car supermarket sites across the UK.
Issued by Curtis Hutchinson Communications
