Car Surveys 101: Types, Questions, & Templates

Did you know that there has been an increase in overall satisfaction in vehicle shopping and buying journeys? Well, it’s true. The reason? Companies have started understanding the importance of customer satisfaction and have invested more in this.

At the center of all this are car surveys.

Be it about purchasing a car, repairing it, or simply optimizing the buyer’s journey – whatever the case, maybe a properly structured car survey can be the solution to all these problems.

Feel free to jump to your favorite section –

• What are car surveys
• Types of car surveys
• Car survey questions
• Sample templates
• How to create car surveys

Let’s delve into it!

What are Car Surveys?

In simple terms, these are surveys that help dealerships understand how they are doing with their customers. The customers can be their buy a new car, a second-hand one, or a service.

By asking relevant and focused questions, you can understand what the customer expectations (and budget) are and work accordingly to meet them.

4 Types of Car Surveys

To explain the purpose of car surveys, let’s discuss the four prominent types of surveys. Each survey has a different focus and intent, helping get a deeper understanding of potential buyers (customers).

Car Satisfaction Survey

As the name indicates, these surveys are used to measure the satisfaction level of the customers. The questions asked are specific and tailored to understand where they are dissatisfied.

Who Can Use Them?

• Car Manufacturers: To measure the overall satisfaction.
• Car Dealerships: To evaluate satisfaction with their services.
• Car Rental Companies: To understand the customer experience of rented vehicles.

Other Benefits

The collected feedback from these surveys may also include customer preferences and pain points. Therefore, companies can leverage these to further improve customer experience.

Similarly, any feedback based on car performance, design, or features can be used to optimize the development process. The results could be that cars are more aligned with customer expectations, leading to increased satisfaction.

Related Read: What is Customer Satisfaction and How to Measure It

Car Dealership Survey

Those dealerships out there that want to improve their sales can consider this. The survey results can highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the sales process. Building on the constructive feedback, you can make necessary improvements to refine the process and increase the conversion rate.

Who Can Use Them?

• Car Dealerships: To collect feedback on buying experience, sales process, and customer service.
• Car Manufacturers: To monitor dealership performance and ensure brand standards are met.

Other Benefits

Learn whether your staff is performing up to customer expectations. Yes, the feedback can shine a light on the staff’s knowledge and how they are behaving with the customers. So, if needed, you can conduct training programs, make sure the staff members are on their own behavior, and offer top-notch service.

When it comes to manufacturers, they can use the survey data to ensure that the dealership upholds their brand’s reputation.

Car Reliability Survey

With a lot of new models releasing every year (by manufacturers), it can be tough to remain throned in the market. What you, as a manufacturer, can do is to make the car as reliable as possible.

Customer feedback on a car’s reliability can help spot recurring issues and resolve them at the earliest.

Who Can Use Them?

• Car Manufacturer: To assess the long-term performance and reliability of their vehicles.
• Car Buyers: To make informed decisions to purchase a car.
• Researchers: To study trends in vehicle reliability across brands and models.

Other Benefits

Potential buyers can look up reports regarding car reliability and performance, aiding them with their purchase decisions. Also, reliable cars can boost brand reputation, attracting more customers.

Car Brand Perception Survey

These surveys are more focused on helping manufacturers understand customer perception. The insights they acquire from the surveys can be used to make the marketing more targeted. Moreover, they can optimize their branding to resonate with customers.

Who Can Use Them?

• Car Manufacturers: To understand how customer perceptions of their brand.
• Dealerships: To align their sales process with customer perceptions and expectations.

Other Benefits

Car perception surveys can also reveal what your customers value the most in a brand. You can leverage this to develop features and innovations that align with customer expectations.

Car Survey Questions to Ask

As you may already know, the questions to be asked in surveys differ with respect to the type. The given below are some scenarios that happen in the customer journey, the focus of the survey, and the questions to ask.

NOTE: For those who have trouble coming up with survey questions or tailoring a survey, don’t worry. We have got you covered.

SurveySparrow offers a completely AI-driven survey creation process that allows anyone to create a survey from scratch in just seconds. A sneak peek can be seen below.

The feature is available in the free forever plan offered by the tool – no cost, no fuss.

Survey Questions to Purchase Cars

These questions are aimed at helping potential buyers learn more about their preferences, budget, and so on. Some questions you can ask here are as follows.

1. What type of car are you interested in buying?
2. Where are you based in the USA? (or any other region)
3. What’s your budget range for purchasing a car?
4. What are the top 3 features you look for in a car?
5. How soon do you want to purchase the car?
6. Are you interested in buying a second-hand car?
7. Is there any particular brand in your mind that you want to purchase?
8. What’s your preferred research method for checking out cars?
9. How important is the financing option while purchasing a car?
10. What’s the primary use of the purchased car?

Car Satisfaction Survey Questions

Measure how satisfied your customers are with the cars. Dealership can tailor their questions about the variety and availability of the cars. At the same time, manufacturers can focus on understanding more about their vehicle’s performance and features.

11. Here are the survey questions you can ask.
12. How satisfied are you with the overall performance of the car?
13. On a scale of 1-5, how would you rate the fuel efficiency of the car?
14. How would you rate the interior and comfort quality of the car?
15. How satisfied are you with the car models available at our dealership?
16. On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with the maintenance and service at our dealership?

Car Dealership Survey Questions

Specifically for dealerships to measure staff performance, understand customer preferences, and optimize buyer journeys.

The questions are as follows.

17. Were you able to find the car you were looking for?
18. How helpful were our staff members in helping you find your dream car?
19. How would you rate transparency in the pricing and financing options we provide?
20. Rate your test driving experience.
21. On a scale of 0-10, how likely are you to recommend us to your friends or family?
22. What aspects of our dealership did you like the most?
23. What improvements would you suggest to improve your experience with us?

Car Brand Perception Survey Questions

Use the following questions to learn the customer perception of your brand, and see how you can improve it.

24. What comes to your mind when you hear our brand name?
25. How did you come to know about our brand?
26. Did you find our brand living up to your expectations?
27. How would you rate the quality of our cars compared to other brands?
28. Rate the value for money in our cars.
29. How would you rate the brand’s service?
30. What can we do to improve your experience with us?

Car Service Questionnaire

These are survey questions you can ask before and after a vehicle service at your dealership. The answers to these questions will surely give you an idea on your strengths and weaknesses.

31. How easy was it to schedule your service appointment with us?
32. How would you rate the friendliness and professionalism of our service staff members?
33. Rate the quality of service performed on your vehicle.
34. Would you consider returning to us for future services?
35. How satisfied were you with the billing process?
36. Did you find any hidden fees during the service?

Sample Survey Templates

If you are interested in sharing the surveys right away, here are some templates you can use.

NOTE: If you can’t find the template you need, try creating one from scratch using AI!

Car Satisfaction Survey

Measure the satisfaction level of the car owners and see whether you have met their expectations.

Car Service Feedback Form

Get to know about the customer feedback on the recent vehicle services you have done.

Car Dealership Survey Template

Is your dealership up to customer expectations? Run a survey and see.

How to Create Car Surveys – The Easiest Way

The easiest way, as you already know, is using a leading online survey tool like SurveySparrow.

Now, the fastest way is through SurveySparrow AI. Just add in the prompt, like you do in ChatGPT, and see an entire survey created (from scratch). It’s that easy.

Another option would be to use the pre-built templates offered by the tool. You have already gone through it, we know. Just touching all the key points, that’s all.

If these two aren’t working for you, create your own from scratch. SurveySparrow is very intuitive and user-friendly, allowing anyone to create surveys. There are 20 different survey questions to ask, in-built survey design you can select, and 10+ channels to share the surveys through.

Intrigued yet? Try SurveySparrow for free. See for yourself how intuitive and easy it is.