CarGurus’ 10th annual Top Dealer Awards include two new categories
In its 10th year, CarGurus’ annual Top Dealer Awards have added two new categories to honor dealerships that provide shoppers with exceptional service, guidance, and support.
In a news release, the company said the new awards showcase “dealer commitment to customer satisfaction in today’s digital age.”
CarGurus president and chief operating officer Sam Zales said, “It has been an honor over the past decade to celebrate the dealers that, like CarGurus, prioritize consumer trust, transparency and ease in the car buying and selling journey.
“As the shopping experience has evolved and consumers look to online tools to build even more confidence in the process, we feel it’s important to update our awards to highlight the dealers who are successfully empowering customers to shop their way – whether online, in-person or a mix of both.”
The awards are based on verified customer reviews and analysis of vehicle listings data on the CarGurus platform, which the company said provides “unbiased validation of a dealer’s commitment to customer service.”
Top Rated Dealer continues to recognize dealers who received a minimum average rating of 4.5 out of 5 in 2023, with at least five new reviews for dealers in the U.S., and four new reviews for those in Canada and the U.K.
The new Top Value Dealer celebrates the top 100 dealerships in each region with the highest percentage of inventory rated as a “Good” or “Great” deal in 2023.
Top Digital Dealer is another new category for dealerships in the U.S. that are “leading the charge in digital retail enablement to answer rising demand from shoppers to do more from home,” CarGurus said. The award recognizes the top 100 dealers with the highest percentage of inventory in 2023 configured to let shoppers start their purchase online — including securing financing and placing a deposit.
CarGurus said the Top Dealers will be notified of the honor and provided with tools to promote their recognition in-store and online, including newly released inventory page badging on CarGurus.com.
Among those dealers is Gary Pretzfeld, co-owner of Miami-area independent dealership AutoTrust USA, which was selected in all three categories.
“We focus on creating a customer experience that is as transparent and straightforward as possible so we can consistently meet, if not exceed, expectations,” he said. “Our standing as a CarGurus Top Dealer and winner across all three categories reflects that commitment and reinforces customer trust in our brand.”