Most dealers track their close rate. Few understand where -- or why -- it quietly slips away.
It’s easy to assume the leads that don’t close quickly will never convert. But that mindset is costing dealers real revenue. This Foureyes data analysis reveals what most aren’t measuring: how fast close rates fall after Day 3 – and thus how quickly competitors capitalize on your follow-up gaps.
Based on performance data from the first half of 2025, this report tracks close rate trends, by OEM, across the 30-day lead lifecycle -- surfacing patterns, drop-off points, and where overlooked opportunities still exist.
The Day 4+ Cliff
Nearly three-quarters of all sales occur in the first three days of an opportunity’s creation. While significant, that means there is still 1 in 4 sales occurring after that point (also not insignificant).
Similarly, close rates plummet after Day 3 -- going from 12.4% in the first three days, to just 2.3% during days 4 through 7.
Why? Buyer lost interest? They bought somewhere else? Maybe.
But, this is the same time period when Foureyes finds follow-up efforts to also plummet across dealerships. Coincidence?
| Dealership Sales |
Days 0–3 | Days 4–7 | Days 8–14 | Days 15–30 | 30-Day Close Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % of Sales | 73.30% | 11.80% | 6.90% | 5.00% | 16.20% |
| Close Rate | 12.40% | 2.30% | 1.40% | 1.00% |
New vs. Used Vehicles
New and used vehicles show distinct patterns in close rate behavior across the 30-day window.
Despite new vehicles having a slightly higher 30-day close rate, used vehicles sell much faster, in the first few days (77.2% vs. 69.5%)
| TYPE | Days 0–3 | Days 4–7 | Days 8–14 | Days 15–30 | 30-Day Close % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| New | % of Sales | 69.50% | 11.90% | 7.60% | 6.30% | 16.70% |
| Close Rate | 12.30% | 2.40% | 1.60% | 1.30% | ||
| Used | % of Sales | 77.20% | 11.80% | 6.10% | 3.70% | 15.70% |
| Close Rate | 12.40% | 2.20% | 1.10% | 0.70% |
Not All Lead Sources Close the Same
To no surprise, walk-in leads close faster, on average, with 83.7% of sales happening in the first three days. Conversely, internet leads tend to take longer to close, with 7.5% still buying between days 15-30.
Observation: internet leads went up ever so slightly in the first half of 2025 compared to 2024.
| Source | Days 0–3 | Days 4–7 | Days 8–14 | Days 15–30 | 30-Day Close Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet Up | % of Sales | 59.80% | 17.90% | 10.60% | 7.50% | 7.00% |
| Close Rate | 4.40% | 1.40% | 0.80% | 0.60% | ||
| Phone up | % of Sales | 69.40% | 13.20% | 7.80% | 5.70% | 24.80% |
| Close Rate | 18.00% | 4.20% | 2.60% | 1.90% | ||
| Walk-In | % of Sales | 83.70% | 7.40% | 4.10% | 3.20% | 41.00% |
| Close Rate | 35.10% | 4.80% | 2.80% | 2.20% |
Close Rate by OEM
A look at close rates and the percentage of sales by day by OEM/brands.
Toyota, Honda, and Ford led the way on overall 30-day close rates.
Some OEMs and brands stood out with ~30% or more of their sales happening after day 3, including BMW (35.8% of sales after day 3), Mercedes-Benz (33.5%), Toyota (30.5%), Subaru (29.1%), and Mazda (29.5%).
| OEM | Days 0–3 | Days 4–30 | 30-Day Close % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW | % of Sales | 64.60% | 35.80% |
14.10%
|
| Close Rate | 9.80% | 6.00% | ||
| Ford | % of Sales | 75.00% | 26.50% |
17.10%
|
| Close Rate | 13.20% | 5.40% | ||
| GM | % of Sales | 73.70% | 27.00% |
15.70%
|
| Close Rate | 12.00% | 5.00% | ||
| Honda | % of Sales | 74.30% | 26.10% |
18.20%
|
| Close Rate | 13.90% | 5.70% | ||
| Hyundai | % of Sales | 77.70% | 22.60% |
17.00%
|
| Close Rate | 13.50% | 4.60% | ||
| Kia | % of Sales | 75.70% | 24.90% |
16.30%
|
| Close Rate | 12.70% | 4.80% | ||
| Mazda | % of Sales | 70.90% | 29.50% |
17.20%
|
| Close Rate | 12.60% | 6.00% | ||
| Mercedes-Benz | % of Sales | 64.30% | 36.80% |
23.70%
|
| Close Rate | 16.10% | 11.00% | ||
| Mitsubishi | % of Sales | 73.40% | 26.90% |
11.20%
|
| Close Rate | 8.40% | 3.40% | ||
| Nissan | % of Sales | 76.70% | 23.70% |
15.30%
|
| Close Rate | 12.00% | 4.20% | ||
| Stellantis | % of Sales | 74.90% | 25.70% |
14.40%
|
| Close Rate | 11.10% | 4.30% | ||
| Subaru | % of Sales | 71.30% | 29.10% |
18.00%
|
| Close Rate | 13.30% | 6.30% | ||
| Toyota | % of Sales | 70.40% | 30.50% |
18.50%
|
| Close Rate | 14.00% | 7.00% | ||
| Volkswagen | % of Sales | 72.50% | 28.00% |
14.20%
|
| Close Rate | 10.60% | 4.60% |
Don’t Sleep on Late-Month Leads
Foureyes data shows a statistically significant higher close rate from leads that come in during the final week of the month (17.3%) compared to those from any other week of the month. Or to put it another way, opportunities created at the end of the month are more likely to close within 30 days than those that occur at the beginning of the month (an 8% increase). Incentives? Urgency? Tighter follow-up? Perhaps.
| Opportunity Week of Month | 30-Day Close % |
|---|---|
| First 7 Days | 16.00% |
| 8–14 Days | 16.10% |
| 15–21 Days | 16.20% |
| Last 7 Days | 17.30% |
| 30-Day Rate | 16.20% |
OEM Close Rates by Lead Source
While the overall 30-day close rate across all dealers sits at 16.2%, that average hides massive variation, especially when you break it down by OEM.
These specific patterns reveal important nuances that can inform follow-up strategies, resource allocation, and operational benchmarks.
The following tables compare performance across showroom, phone, and internet leads, as well as breakdowns of sales occurring within the first three days vs later in the 30-day window.
INTERNET LEADS
| OEM | Days 0–3 | Days 4–30 | 30-Day Close % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Internet | % of Sales | 59.80% | 40.90% | 7.00% |
| Close Rate | 4.40% | 3.20% | ||
| BMW | % of Sales | 54.00% | 46.20% | 7.10% |
| Close Rate | 4.20% | 3.70% | ||
| Ford | % of Sales | 62.90% | 39.60% | 7.50% |
| Close Rate | 4.90% | 3.20% | ||
| GM | % of Sales | 59.70% | 41.00% | 6.40% |
| Close Rate | 4.00% | 2.90% | ||
| Honda | % of Sales | 59.70% | 40.50% | 7.80% |
| Close Rate | 4.90% | 3.50% | ||
| Hyundai | % of Sales | 63.70% | 36.70% | 7.00% |
| Close Rate | 4.60% | 2.80% | ||
| Kia | % of Sales | 61.10% | 39.50% | 7.10% |
| Close Rate | 4.50% | 3.10% | ||
| Mazda | % of Sales | 57.80% | 42.50% | 8.20% |
| Close Rate | 5.00% | 3.80% | ||
| Mercedes-Benz | % of Sales | 55.00% | 47.40% | 6.60% |
| Close Rate | 3.90% | 3.50% | ||
| Mitsubishi | % of Sales | 59.70% | 40.80% | 5.80% |
| Close Rate | 3.60% | 2.60% | ||
| Nissan | % of Sales | 61.50% | 38.80% | 6.80% |
| Close Rate | 4.40% | 2.90% | ||
| Stellantis | % of Sales | 62.50% | 38.30% | 6.50% |
| Close Rate | 4.30% | 2.70% | ||
| Subaru | % of Sales | 58.60% | 41.70% | 8.30% |
| Close Rate | 5.10% | 3.90% | ||
| Toyota | % of Sales | 55.90% | 45.00% | 8.00% |
| Close Rate | 5.00% | 4.20% | ||
| Volkswagen | % of Sales | 59.80% | 40.50% | 6.50% |
| Close Rate | 4.10% | 2.90% |
PHONE UPS
| OEM | Days 0–3 | Days 4–30 | 30-Day Close % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phone | % of Sales | 69.40% | 31.20% | 24.80% |
| Close Rate | 18.00% | 9.90% | ||
| BMW | % of Sales | 63.30% | 37.20% | 21.60% |
| Close Rate | 14.90% | 10.30% | ||
| Ford | % of Sales | 68.60% | 32.40% | 24.20% |
| Close Rate | 17.30% | 9.90% | ||
| GM | % of Sales | 69.50% | 31.20% | 26.30% |
| Close Rate | 19.00% | 10.50% | ||
| Honda | % of Sales | 71.00% | 29.60% | 26.40% |
| Close Rate | 19.50% | 10.10% | ||
| Hyundai | % of Sales | 74.70% | 25.60% | 29.50% |
| Close Rate | 22.70% | 10.10% | ||
| Kia | % of Sales | 73.30% | 27.20% | 29.30% |
| Close Rate | 22.20% | 10.60% | ||
| Mazda | % of Sales | 69.50% | 31.00% | 28.70% |
| Close Rate | 20.50% | 11.50% | ||
| Mercedes-Benz | % of Sales | 68.10% | 33.50% | 16.00% |
| Close Rate | 11.40% | 6.30% | ||
| Mitsubishi | % of Sales | 77.00% | 23.40% | 20.30% |
| Close Rate | 15.80% | 5.70% | ||
| Nissan | % of Sales | 74.90% | 25.60% | 22.10% |
| Close Rate | 17.00% | 7.00% | ||
| Stellantis | % of Sales | 71.10% | 29.40% | 21.70% |
| Close Rate | 16.00% | 7.90% | ||
| Subaru | % of Sales | 69.50% | 30.90% | 32.20% |
| Close Rate | 23.10% | 13.40% | ||
| Toyota | % of Sales | 64.10% | 36.50% | 23.20% |
| Close Rate | 16.30% | 11.10% | ||
| Volkswagen | % of Sales | 69.30% | 31.20% | 22.20% |
| Close Rate | 15.90% | 8.50% |
WALK-INS
| OEM | Days 0–3 | Days 4–30 | 30-Day Close % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Walk-In | % of Sales | 83.70% | 16.90% | 41.00% |
| Close Rate | 35.10% | 11.00% | ||
| BMW | % of Sales | 74.50% | 25.90% | 32.10% |
| Close Rate | 25.40% | 11.80% | ||
| Ford | % of Sales | 85.10% | 16.10% | 39.50% |
| Close Rate | 34.30% | 9.90% | ||
| GM | % of Sales | 84.40% | 16.20% | 43.30% |
| Close Rate | 37.30% | 11.40% | ||
| Honda | % of Sales | 84.10% | 16.30% | 44.60% |
| Close Rate | 38.10% | 12.00% | ||
| Hyundai | % of Sales | 86.90% | 13.50% | 44.30% |
| Close Rate | 39.10% | 9.90% | ||
| Kia | % of Sales | 86.60% | 14.00% | 43.60% |
| Close Rate | 38.30% | 10.00% | ||
| Mazda | % of Sales | 80.80% | 19.70% | 41.40% |
| Close Rate | 34.00% | 12.60% | ||
| Mercedes-Benz | % of Sales | 77.30% | 24.30% | 38.60% |
| Close Rate | 30.80% | 14.00% | ||
| Mitsubishi | % of Sales | 86.70% | 13.50% | 37.40% |
| Close Rate | 32.90% | 7.60% | ||
| Nissan | % of Sales | 87.00% | 13.30% | 40.80% |
| Close Rate | 36.00% | 8.60% | ||
| Stellantis | % of Sales | 86.00% | 14.50% | 39.80% |
| Close Rate | 34.90% | 9.10% | ||
| Subaru | % of Sales | 80.90% | 19.50% | 46.10% |
| Close Rate | 38.10% | 14.80% | ||
| Toyota | % of Sales | 80.40% | 20.50% | 38.60% |
| Close Rate | 32.50% | 12.30% | ||
| Volkswagen | % of Sales | 82.60% | 17.90% | 35.20% |
| Close Rate | 29.60% | 9.20% |
The data variation across OEMs highlights the importance of measuring close rate performance in context. No two brands follow identical sales timelines, and lead source effectiveness is shaped by multiple contributing factors.
For organizations seeking to improve sales efficiency or better align field operations, these insights may support more informed decision-making around lead management, staffing, and customer engagement strategy.
This data should be interpreted as directional rather than prescriptive, and used in conjunction with dealership-level and other relevant metrics.
