Industry: Automotive

80 % of car buyers research online. Do they find your dealership?

Q: What does a qualified lead cost in the automotive trade?

Typically between EUR 30 and EUR 80 for a test-drive appointment or a serious purchase enquiry. The exact cost depends on your region, the brands advertised and the level of competition. What counts is not the price per lead, but the price per sale - and with an average vehicle price of EUR 25,000+ the numbers add up quickly.

Walk-in traffic is shrinking. Every potential buyer has researched online before setting foot in the showroom. If your website doesn't show up, they test-drive somewhere else. Not because your cars are worse – but because they didn't find you.

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Does this sound familiar?

Three patterns we see in practically every car dealership before we start working.

Walk-ins drop, online is missing

People used to drop by, look around, ask questions. Today they only come in once they have already compared three dealers online. If you're not among those three, you don't exist.

Facebook leads that never buy

Maybe you tried Facebook Ads. 50 leads a month, sounds good. But 40 of them are tyre-kickers who „just want to look“. Your sales team wastes time with people who will never buy.

No system for repeat customers

A car buyer purchases every 4–6 years. Since the last time they bought from you, you have never contacted them. No newsletter, no service offer, no reminder. The next purchase goes to the dealer who reaches them first.

What we deliver for the automotive trade

A lead for €50. A car for €30,000. The maths is simple.

In the automotive trade the ROI calculation is clearer than in any other industry. A qualified lead costs between €30 and €80. A car sale delivers thousands of euros in margin. At a 10–15 % close rate every campaign pays off – if the leads are qualified. That's the key: not more leads, but better ones.

€30–80

per qualified lead (typical)

€15–40k

average vehicle price

10–15 %

close rate on qualified leads

ROI

measurable from the first sale

Week 1–2: Foundation

Strategy workshop (90 min): which brands and models have the highest margin? Used cars or new cars as focus? Which radius – district, state, supra-regional?

In parallel: set up tracking (measure test-drive enquiries, track calls), analyse competitors, audit Google Ads account.

Week 3–6: Build

Google Ads on high-value keywords („car dealership [city]“, „[brand] dealer Carinthia“, „buy [model]“), Meta Ads with vehicle catalogue and dynamic ads.

Landing pages for test-drive enquiries that convert. Remarketing for website visitors who didn't fill out a form.

Week 7–12: Optimisation

Evaluate lead quality: which keywords bring buyers, which bring onlookers? Budget to the winners. A/B tests on ads and landing pages.

Seasonal steering (convertibles in spring, SUVs in autumn). The system learns which enquiries turn into sales.

Guarantee: All items on the system checklist delivered – or full money back. And everything belongs to you.

Pitfalls – what most get wrong

6 mistakes we see in automotive again and again

Facebook leads without qualification

Facebook can deliver cheap leads – but without qualification a „lead“ is just someone who clicked a button. 80 % of them have neither budget nor serious purchase intent. We pre-filter so your sales team only speaks to real prospects.

Google Ads on manufacturer brand keywords

On „buy VW Golf“ Volkswagen itself bids with a million-euro budget. You won't win this fight. We find the local niches where the manufacturer doesn't bid – „car dealership Villach“, „[brand] used cars Carinthia“, „test drive [city]“.

The website shows cars but doesn't sell

Your website lists 200 vehicles with photos and specs. Good. But there is no clear path from „found a car“ to „test drive booked“. No prominent phone number, no simple form, no urgency. The site informs but doesn't sell.

No follow-up after the visit

Someone visited your website, looked at 3 vehicles and left. What happens next? In most dealerships: nothing. Remarketing shows exactly those vehicles again – and reminds the prospect to book a test drive.

Advertising the car instead of the dealership

Renault advertises the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric. The importer creates demand for the car. Your only job: make sure it's bought from you – not from the dealer around the corner.

Generating leads but not following up

A test-drive enquiry comes in. And then? At most dealerships 48 hours pass before anyone calls back. By then the prospect has enquired with two other dealers and bought from the fastest. Speed-to-lead is everything in automotive – whoever responds in 30 minutes instead of 2 days sells.

Who this works for – and who it doesn't

✓ Good fit

✓Car dealership or automotive retailer with showroom and online presence – The foundation is in place. We drive targeted traffic to vehicles and test drives.
✓At least €2,000/month ad budget – Only at this scale do campaigns deliver solid data and can be steered cleanly.
✓Sales team that handles leads within 24 h – The best leads never close if they sit in the inbox for two days.
✓New and/or used cars with solid margin – From around €15,000 vehicle price, a professional lead price pays off reliably.

× Not a fit

×Private car sale – We work exclusively with commercial dealers where a professional campaign structure pays off.
×„We put everything on Mobile.de and AutoScout24“ – Without your own online presence you build no brand and remain dependent on portals.
×No sales team that processes leads promptly – The best campaign is useless if enquiries sit around for days.
×Vehicles below €5,000 average selling price – The margin isn't enough to cover lead costs and management.

Frequently asked questions

What does a qualified lead cost in the automotive trade?

Typically between €30 and €80 for a test-drive appointment or a serious purchase enquiry. The exact cost depends on your region, the brands advertised and the level of competition. What counts is not the price per lead, but the price per sale – and with an average vehicle price of €25,000+ the numbers add up quickly.

Do I need my own website or is Mobile.de enough?

Mobile.de and AutoScout24 matter, but they don't belong to you. You don't build a brand there, you have no control over the presentation and you pay commissions. Your own website is the foundation for everything – ads, remarketing, SEO. The best approach is to combine both.

Does this also work for used cars?

Particularly well. Used cars are researched online more intensively than new cars – because every vehicle is unique. Google Ads on specific models with mileage and price can very precisely reach the right buyers.

How do I measure whether an online lead really leads to a sale?

We set up tracking that makes the path from click to showroom visit traceable: form submissions, call tracking (which call came from which ad) and ideally a feedback workflow from your CRM. After 3–6 months you will know exactly which euro generated which sale.

Is it only about vehicle sales or also the service workshop?

Both. The workshop is the more reliable revenue driver for many dealers – but most only advertise new cars. Yet workshop utilisation can be steered year-round: tyre changes in spring and autumn, air-con service in summer, winter check from October. We build campaigns that fill the whole dealership, not just the showroom.

Can I measure whether someone comes into the dealership because of an ad?

Yes. Modern campaigns measure more than just form submissions. With call tracking you see which call came from which ad. Google Store Visits show how many people actually enter your dealership after an ad. And Meta offers offline conversion tracking that matches campaign data with real visits. So you see not only who clicks, but who comes in.

Ready for a dealership that sells as strongly online as in the showroom?

In a free 30-minute call we take a look at your current situation and show you where the biggest lever lies.

No obligation. Honest. No sales pressure.

A thank-you for your time: Every participant receives „Umsatz ohne Zufall“ – the book by our managing director Nicolas Fabjan – personally signed, by post. No purchase, no obligation. Even if we don't end up working together.

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Or give us a call: +43 676 4703583