The Presidio Group’s automotive dealership valuation expertise and insights on the latest trends in mergers and acquisitions are informed, in part, by our work with many of the country’s biggest and most influential dealership groups. These relationships give us an insider’s view of how experienced and sophisticated operators value dealerships.
The U.S. dealership buy-sell market ended 2025 strong, but softness early in the year pulled full-year transaction totals down. When all 2025 deals are counted, Presidio estimates total transactions will have dropped year-over-year by around 7% to 390 and the number of dealerships sold will have decreased by about 18% to 490.
2025’s lower totals largely reflect a slowdown in acquisition activity leading up to the 2024 presidential election as buyers paused amid political uncertainty, setting the stage for significantly fewer deal closings in the first quarter. Post-election exuberance was then somewhat muted by the changing tariff landscape and the resulting impact on the automotive industry.