Tariffs have been the headline of the year in the auto industry. But to dealership customers, they’re not worth talking about — at least for now.

According to customer review and reputation management platform Widewail’s latest research, released in its Q1 2025 Automotive Voice of the Customer Report, tariffs are just the tiniest blip on the radar screen among customers, mentioned in just 450 of the 1.4 million Google reviews analyzed for the report, which looked at reviews from more than 18,000 dealerships posted during the first three months of the year.

While that’s a mere 0.03%, it’s more than 20 times the 20 mentions recorded in the previous quarter, which Widewail said signals consumer awareness of trade policy is starting to filter into the dealership experience.

“The tariff conversation still isn’t dominating the customer experience,” Widewail CEO Matt Murray said, “but the recent rise in mentions suggests it may be on the radar. Dealers seem to be getting ahead of it with proactive communication.”

What car shoppers were talking about were the service department and communication, both of which were mentioned in 41% of all negative reviews, tied for the most of any topic. Service complaints were actually down more than 3% from Q4 of 2024, while mentions of communication issues rose from 41%.

That said, 10.6% of reviewers had good things to say about dealer communication, up 5% during Q1.

“Amid market shifts and external pressures, this suggests dealership staff are doing a strong job of helping customers navigate an uncertain landscape,” the report said.

Staff remains the No. 1 factor cited in positive reviews at 76%. While that’s down two percentage points quarter-over-quarter, complaints about staff in negative reviews took a turn for the better, falling 2.5% and reversing a 20% increase in 2024.

And while there has been much concern in the industry about rising car prices — not to mention the expectation of even higher prices in the tariff era — Widewail said the reviews are not showing it among consumers, with mentions of price in negative reviews holding steady at about 19% for the past two years.

Murray said the 1.4 million reviews recorded in Q1 “is news on its own. We’re on track for 5.6 million reviews in 2025, a 33% growth over the 4.2 million Google reviews we recorded in 2024.”

The report also ranked the reputation ranking of automotive brands, with Lexus continuing its reign at the top with a “health score” of 96 on a 100-point scale. That’s down slightly from its industry-leading score of 97 to end 2024 but still one point ahead of its sister brand Toyota, which ranked second at 95.

Widewail said Lexus’ secret weapon is “a customer experience that inspires organic brand evangelism.” The brand had an average rating of 4.8, and in a sample of 1,000 Lexus reviews, the word “Lexus” was explicitly mentioned in more than 80% of them, which Widewail called “a staggering show of loyalty.”

For comparison, in a study of Ford reviews, the brand was only mentioned in roughly half.

“Lexus isn’t just delivering great service,” Murray said. “They’ve created an experience people want to talk about. And that’s the holy grail of brand-building.”

The report noted the reversal of a trend that showed up in 2024, when reviews of electric vehicles included complaints about the dealership sales staff’s knowledge 76% more often than reviews of gas-powered vehicles.

In Q1, that gap has shrunk considerably, down to 34%, and knowledge-related EV complaints have fallen 28% from Q4 2024.

That, Widewail said, suggests dealers are investing in better training and education, and EV buyers are noticing. Still, there’s a long way to go, as battery questions, range anxiety and charging logistics demand a more consultative sale than traditional models.

“We’re seeing a growing sophistication in how dealers approach EV buyers,” Murray said. “But the learning curve is still real. This is a retail revolution in motion.”

The full report can be downloaded here.