On the Dash:
- Pricing transparency is driving satisfaction gains on OEM websites, JD Power finds.
- Porsche and Dodge rank highest in premium and mass market segments.
- Shoppers with pricing clarity are nearly twice as likely to consider a purchase.
Automakers that provide clearer pricing information on their websites are seeing bigger gains in customer satisfaction and purchase consideration, according to the latest JD Power 2026 U.S. Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study (MWES).
Overall satisfaction with original equipment manufacturer (OEM) websites rose 18 points wave over wave among mass market brands and 13 points among premium brands, on a 1,000-point scale. Shopper purchase consideration after visiting a website also climbed, reaching 52% among mass market shoppers and 54% among premium shoppers.
JD Power attributed much of the improvement to pricing-related content, particularly build-and-price tools and more detailed vehicle pricing research features that help shoppers understand what they can expect to pay.
“Automakers are increasingly recognizing that pricing transparency drives consumer confidence,” said Chelsea Pettis, Senior Analyst of Digital Solutions at JD Power.
Pettis said manufacturers are giving shoppers a clearer picture of what they’ll pay at the dealership by adding more complete pricing details to their sites, including incentives, fees, taxes and realistic purchase cost estimates. Shoppers who leave a website with a solid grasp of pricing are nearly twice as likely to consider buying as those who remain unsure, she said, a gap that is showing up directly in both satisfaction scores and purchase consideration.
The study measures satisfaction with OEM websites during the new-vehicle shopping process across five factors, ranked by importance: navigation, speed, visual appeal, vehicle research, and research tools.
Index rankings
Premium manufacturer websites:
- Porsche — 779
- Mercedes-Benz — 770
- INFINITY — 768
- Segment average — 750
Mass market manufacturer websites:
The rankings mark a shift from the study’s previous wave. JD Power’s Winter 2026 release found that shoppers valued substantive product details over branding messages, with Tesla leading the premium segment at 777 and GMC topping mass market at 717. Porsche and Dodge have since moved into the top spot in their respective segments as pricing-related features took on greater weight in shopper satisfaction.
The U.S. Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study, first released in 1999, is based on responses from 11,388 new-vehicle shoppers who said they plan to be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 12 months. The study was fielded from April to May 2026.
