What Australian search data reveals about car servicing, service retention and where dealerships are losing customers

For years, the service department has been the steady heart of the dealership. Customers bought a car, came back for servicing, and many returned to buy their next vehicle from the same place. Service retention was something that largely looked after itself.

That’s changing quickly. Australians are servicing their cars less often, comparing prices more, and making their decision online before they ever call a workshop. And when they search, franchised dealerships are almost nowhere to be found.

We analysed Australian search behaviour across 42 servicing terms, covering broad searches, pricing, logbook servicing, online booking and the major vehicle brands, and combined it with the latest research on how drivers are maintaining their cars. It follows our earlier analysis of parts demand, which found a closely related shift.

How we did it

We used Semrush’s Australian keyword database to compare average monthly search volumes from October 2024 with the latest available data. The terms covered five groups: broad “find a mechanic” searches, service pricing searches, logbook service searches, online booking searches, and “[brand] service” searches across 14 brands.

We then looked at searches for service parts and service costs, checked which types of businesses rank on the first page of Google for key servicing searches, looked at where Google’s AI-generated answers appear, and set the findings against recent consumer and industry research.

What Australian car servicing search data shows

Average monthly searches in Australia. Source: Semrush.

Growth well beyond population

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the population grew by 1.4% in the 12 months to March 2026, after annual growth of around 1.5% through 2025. That’s roughly 3% across our comparison period.

Price searches grew more than twenty times faster than the population, online booking searches around fifty times faster, and logbook service searches around sixty times faster. Meanwhile, broad searches fell by a third. This isn’t a story about more drivers. It’s a story about drivers behaving very differently.

Finding 1: Australians are servicing less often

The search data makes more sense alongside what drivers are telling researchers.

Youi’s 2026 Generational Car Care and Costs Report found the share of Australians servicing their car every six months or more fell from 46% in 2024 to 32% in 2026, while the number servicing less than once a year more than doubled, from 7% to 16%. Overall, the proportion of drivers delaying one or more maintenance tasks rose from 35% to 47%.

Cost is the main driver. 56% of Australians are spending more on car-related expenses than a year ago, putting driving almost level with groceries (57%) as a household pressure. The industry is seeing it too. In Victoria, the VACC’s chief executive said a third of young drivers and a third of lower-income households report they can’t afford a service.

But cost isn’t the whole story. While cost remains the leading reason for delays (60%), other justifications are rising. Almost a third of drivers who delay (29%) now say it “doesn’t affect drivability”, up from one in five (20%) in 2024. A growing number of owners have convinced themselves that skipping a service is harmless.

Finding 2: When they do service, they shop around

Owners aren’t abandoning servicing altogether. They’re approaching it like any other purchase: comparing prices and looking for the easiest option.

Broad searches such as “car service” and “mechanic near me” fell by a third. At the same time, “car service cost” rose 81%, from 720 to 1,300 searches a month, and “car service price” grew by half. Searches for a “major service” nearly tripled.

Owners also expect to book online. “Book car service online” more than doubled, from 140 to 320 searches a month, and “car service booking” tripled. For many customers, a workshop they can’t book online is a workshop they’ll skip.

Finding 3: Owners are researching service parts, to do it themselves or to check the bill

Servicing searches are only half the story. In our earlier analysis of parts demand, we found searches for the parts used in a service rising sharply over the same period. Maintenance parts searches, covering brake pads, wiper blades and air, cabin and oil filters, grew 26%, from 15,090 to 19,000 a month. “Cabin air filter” rose 69%, “wiper blades” 50%, and “brake pads” from 4,400 to 5,400. DIY how-to searches grew 36%.

Taken together with the servicing data, the pattern points to two types of owner.

The owner doing it themselves. With servicing costs rising and almost half of drivers delaying maintenance, more owners are taking on the simpler jobs at home. Searches like “how to change oil”, which nearly tripled, “how to service your own car” and “car service kit” show owners looking for the parts and the know-how to handle a service, or part of one, themselves.

The owner checking the bill. Many owners aren’t doing the work, but they want to know what it should cost before they agree to it. Every month, Australians search “brake pad replacement cost” around 1,600 times, “how much should a car service cost” around 590 times, and “oil change cost” around 480 times. Searches for a “car service checklist” and “what is included in a car service” show owners wanting to understand exactly what they’re paying for. Even in the parts data, searches like “toyota hilux brake pads price” show owners pricing up the parts behind a job. Meanwhile, “brake service” searches tripled, from 320 to 1,000 a month.

Both types of owner want the same thing: transparency. They want to know what a service includes, what the parts cost and what a fair price for the job looks like. When a workshop doesn’t show them, they’ll find the answer somewhere else, and often book somewhere else too.

For dealerships, this is an opportunity rather than a threat. A dealership that clearly shows what’s included in each service, the genuine parts used and a transparent price earns the trust of the owner checking the bill. And the same parts and how-to content that helps the DIY owner keeps them connected to the dealership, so when a job is beyond them, they know where to book.

Finding 4: Logbook servicing is where dealers lose the customer

The single biggest shift in the data is logbook servicing. Searches for “logbook service” nearly tripled, from 880 to 2,400 a month, and “logbook service near me” more than tripled, from 210 to 720.

Logbook servicing means servicing a car to the manufacturer’s schedule and recording it in the logbook. Independent workshops and service chains promote it heavily as a way for owners to look after their new car outside the dealership.

That makes the logbook search the exact moment a dealership is most at risk of losing a service customer. The owner is still looking after their car properly, still following the manufacturer’s schedule, but is actively looking for somewhere other than the dealer to do it.

Finding 5: Established brands are softening, newer brands are surging

Brand service searches grew 11% overall, but the detail shows two very different stories.

For some of the most established brands, service searches fell. Toyota service searches dropped 18%, Mazda 19% and Subaru 21%. These are brands with large, loyal owner bases, and the decline suggests more of those owners are searching more broadly, by price or logbook service, rather than going straight to the brand.

Newer and fast-growing brands show the opposite. BYD service searches rose from 590 to 2,400 a month, and GWM from 210 to 880, both more than quadrupling. MG, Hyundai and Tesla service searches all grew by 50% or more. “BYD service cost” rose from 50 to 320, and “electric car service” from 70 to 390.

These owners are early in their ownership journey and still forming their servicing habits. Where they end up servicing their car in the next few years will shape service retention for a decade.

Finding 6: Dealers are missing from the searches that matter most

The most telling evidence comes from who ranks on Google’s first page.

For “logbook service”, the entire top ten is national service chains, tyre and service chains, a motoring club and independent workshops. There isn’t a single franchised dealership.

For “car service cost”, the top results go to a motoring club, booking marketplaces, an online forum and service chains. Again, no dealerships.

For “BYD service”, the manufacturer’s own website dominates and one dealer group ranks. But booking marketplaces and an online forum are already on the first page. Independent and marketplace options are moving in on new brand servicing early.

The searches where owners decide where to service are going almost entirely to businesses that aren’t dealerships.

Finding 7: AI is shaping the decision before the click

Google now shows an AI Overview, a written answer generated by AI, at the top of many search results. We’ve written about how AI search is changing the way customers find businesses, and servicing is a clear example.

Searches for “logbook service”, “car service cost” and “BYD service” all showed an AI Overview. For the first two, the websites appearing alongside it were the same chains, marketplaces and independents that dominate the results below. An owner asking what a service should cost, or where to get a logbook service, gets an answer shaped by businesses that aren’t the dealership that sold them the car.

Retention is won in the experience, not just the search

Winning the search gets a customer through the door once. Keeping them comes down to how the visit feels, and the research points to exactly what owners want: transparency. They want to know what’s being done, what it costs and why, without having to chase anyone for answers.

The dealerships that keep service customers get three moments right.

Before the service. Show a clear price when the customer books, not a vague range. Confirm the booking straight away, with the date, time and what’s included. Give an honest pick up time, and if a loan car or drop off service is available, make that easy to arrange.

During the service. Keep the customer updated without making them call. A short text when the car is checked in, another when work is under way, and an immediate call if a part is delayed. If the technician finds something extra, send photos or a short video of the worn part with a plain English explanation and a price, and ask for approval before any extra work begins. For the owner who suspects workshops overcharge, nothing builds trust faster than seeing the evidence. For the owner who thinks delaying doesn’t matter, it shows them why it does.

After the service. Hand over an itemised invoice that matches the quote and explains the work in plain language. Follow up a few days later to check everything’s right, and ask for a review while the experience is fresh. Then tell the customer when their next service is due, and remind them when it’s coming up.

None of this requires a new system. Booking platforms, SMS updates, digital inspection reports and automated review requests are widely available, and many dealerships already pay for tools that do most of it. What’s usually missing is the process to use them consistently on every job.

The payoff compounds. A customer who felt informed and fairly treated comes back, leaves a positive review, and tells others. Those reviews then help the dealership appear in local search and AI answers, which brings in the next customer. Good communication is how a service department turns one visit into the next ten.

Why service retention matters now

The service department matters more than ever, because the front of the dealership is earning less. Deloitte’s ProfitFocus benchmarks show new vehicle profit per unit roughly halving between 2024 and 2026, which puts more weight on fixed operations to carry the business.

Deloitte’s 2026 benchmarks set parts and service absorption at 50 to 52%, meaning parts and service gross profit is expected to cover around half of a dealership’s overheads. The benchmark for retention, measured as relative service size, sits at $2,751, and monthly labour gross per technician at $17,237.

Every owner who takes their logbook service elsewhere chips away at those numbers. And because servicing is the main ongoing relationship between a dealership and its customers, a lost service customer is often a lost future vehicle sale too.

What it means for dealerships

Put the findings together and a clear picture emerges. Owners are servicing less often, and a growing number think delaying is harmless. When they do service, they compare prices, research the parts involved, look for logbook servicing and expect to book online. Some are doing simpler jobs themselves, while others want to check what they’re being charged. Owners of established brands are searching more broadly, while owners of newer brands are forming their habits right now. AI answers are shaping their decision before they click. And dealerships are almost entirely absent from the searches where those decisions are made.

How dealerships can improve service retention

1. Publish transparent, itemised service pricing. Owners are searching for what a service costs and what’s included. Show it clearly on your website, by model and service interval, with a checklist of what’s inspected and the genuine parts used. Explain capped price servicing in plain language. Customers who can see what they’re paying for are far more likely to book, and far less likely to shop around.

2. Own the logbook conversation. Create pages that explain logbook servicing at the dealership: that it follows the manufacturer’s schedule, uses genuine parts and is carried out by technicians trained on that brand. Make sure these pages are written to be found when owners search for logbook servicing in your area.

3. Make booking effortless. Online booking should be obvious, quick and available on every service page, with real appointment times. If it takes more than a minute, many owners will book somewhere else.

4. Communicate at every step. Confirm bookings instantly, send updates during the service, share photos of any extra work with a price before going ahead, and follow up afterwards. Customers who feel informed are far more likely to return, and far more likely to leave a review that brings in the next customer.

5. Plan for the end of warranty and capped price servicing. These are the moments owners start shopping around. Contact customers before they reach them, with a clear reason to stay: pricing, convenience, loyalty offers or bundled servicing plans.

6. Use your customer data to remind owners at the right time. Dealerships know exactly which car each customer drives and when their next service is due. Use that data to send timely reminders and to show service-due ads to the right owners. We explain how this works in our article on how Meta knows someone is about to buy a car, including connecting your CRM so ads reach customers who are due for a service.

7. Show delayers what skipping a service really costs. With almost a third of delaying drivers believing it doesn’t affect their car, there’s a clear opportunity for simple, honest content: what’s checked in a service, what happens when it’s missed, and how preventative servicing saves money over time.

8. Support the DIY owner instead of losing them. Offer genuine service parts online, organised by model, with simple guides for the jobs owners can safely do themselves. It keeps them buying from the dealership, and positions the service department as the obvious choice when a job is beyond them.

9. Move early on newer brands and EVs. Owners of fast-growing brands and electric vehicles are forming their servicing habits now. Make sure they can easily find clear information on service intervals, costs and booking, before independent and marketplace options become their default.

10. Build reviews and local presence. Local search results and AI Overviews draw heavily on reviews and accurate business information. A steady flow of recent service reviews, with thoughtful responses, and an up-to-date Google Business Profile help your service department appear when owners search nearby.

Frequently asked questions

Are Australians delaying car servicing?

Yes. Youi’s 2026 Generational Car Care and Costs Report found the share of drivers servicing every six months or more fell from 46% to 32% between 2024 and 2026, and the share servicing less than once a year more than doubled to 16%. Cost is the main reason, but a growing number of drivers believe delaying doesn’t affect their car.

Why are dealerships losing service customers?

Owners are increasingly comparing prices, searching for logbook servicing and expecting to book online. Our analysis of Australian search data found logbook service searches nearly tripled in two years, while franchised dealerships were absent from the first page of Google for key searches such as “logbook service” and “car service cost”.

Why are owners searching for car parts as well as servicing?

Our analysis found searches for service parts such as brake pads, filters and wiper blades growing alongside servicing searches. Some owners are doing simpler jobs themselves to save money, while others are researching parts and service costs to check what they’re being charged. Both want transparency about what a service includes and what it should cost.

What is logbook servicing?

Logbook servicing means servicing a car according to the manufacturer’s recommended schedule and recording it in the vehicle’s logbook. Many independent workshops and service chains promote it as a way for owners to maintain their new car outside the dealership.

How does customer experience affect service retention?

Owners want transparency about what a service includes, what it costs and why extra work is needed. Clear quotes, regular updates, photos of worn parts, approval before extra work and itemised invoices all build trust, which makes customers far more likely to return and recommend the dealership.

How can dealerships improve service retention?

The evidence points to transparent, itemised online pricing, clear logbook servicing information, easy online booking, communication at every step, timely reminders using customer data, and a deliberate plan for the end of warranty and capped price servicing periods. Reviews and an accurate Google Business Profile also help dealerships appear in local and AI search results.

A note on the data

Search figures are Semrush estimates of average monthly searches in Australia and should be read as indicators of direction rather than exact counts. Figures for service parts and cost searches such as “brake pad replacement cost” are current monthly volumes rather than two-year comparisons. Search rankings and AI Overviews change regularly and reflect the results at the time of analysis. Semrush shows where an AI Overview appears and which websites appear alongside it, rather than confirming exactly which sources the AI Overview cites.

Population figures are from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, National, state and territory population, March 2026 (released 17 September 2026), which reported annual population growth of 1.4% in the 12 months to March 2026 and around 1.5% through 2025. Servicing behaviour is from Youi’s 2026 Generational Car Care and Costs Report. Industry comments are from the Victorian Automotive Chamber of Commerce (VACC), reported in August 2026. Dealer benchmarks are from Deloitte’s ProfitFocus Dealership Benchmarks reports for 2024 and 2026.

The service customer is still out there

Australians haven’t stopped looking after their cars. They’re doing it differently: less often, more carefully, and with far more comparison and research before they book. The service customer is still out there, searching every day for prices, parts and answers. The question for dealerships is whether they’ll be part of the answer.

At DRVN Digital, we help dealerships and service centre marketing teams win and keep service customers, from transparent pricing pages and booking journeys to service-due campaigns powered by your own customer data. As a Podium partner, we also set up review requests, webchat and text messaging that keep customers informed and coming back. Explore our dealership marketing services.

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