Last year, women purchased an estimated 27.5 million (1) vehicles – an impressive 75,000 units a day. Women-Drivers.com, the premier car dealer review site focusing on women consumers, has released a comprehensive 2014 US Women’s Car Buying and Dealership Report detailing the experiences women have shopping, buying, leasing and servicing their vehicles at car dealerships.

The research comes from over 2,900 women’s surveys from the company’s website. From these surveys, the company generates a Women Satisfaction Index® or WSI score. The range is from a 5.0 (the highest) to 1.0 (the lowest).

As President and Car Buying Advocate of Women-Drivers.com team I'm thrilled to publish this first-ever report. While women have felt underserved by the auto industry in the past, our data and analytics show that on the whole, women are having very positive experiences today at car dealerships. Not surprisingly, when studying the data by brand and certainly by dealership, distinct differences are revealed.

Unlike other 5-star review sites, Women-Drivers.com offers women the opportunity to write a quick review and then opt-in to a ‘deeper dive’ survey to share more thoroughly about her dealership visit. We were pleased that almost 90% of the reviewers opted-in to the survey. To say we were surprised and delighted by this percentage is an understatement. The bottom line is that women are receptive and generous regarding sharing their experiences and visits at the dealership.

The data collected by the company is used by manufacturers and dealerships to better understand, improve and shape the customer's experience and engagement, as well to take the guesswork out of marketing and selling to women.

Key Findings

• When shopping for a vehicle, the average WSI was 4.25. The top five rated shopping brands by women are Ford, Jeep, Chevrolet, Mitsubishi and Mercedes-Benz
• When purchasing a vehicle, the average WSI was 4.65. The top five rated purchasing brands by women are Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, Mitsubishi, Jeep and Lexus
• When leasing (a subset of purchasing), the average WSI was 4.80

Please click to view the entire 2014 Women's Car Buying Report highlighting the purchasing power of women and their experiences today at car dealerships - as well as by brand performance.