Auto Shows Outperform Other Media - New Data Confirms Auto Shows are the #1 Influence on Vehicle Purchase Decisions

New consumer research finds purchase influence rising to 82% — even as automakers shift investment toward digital and direct-to-consumer channels

WILMINGTON, DE, UNITED STATES, June 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- At a moment when automakers are investing heavily in digital advertising, social media, and direct-to-consumer retail channels, a major new consumer study delivers a striking counter-narrative: the physical auto show experience outperforms every other marketing medium — by a wide margin — in driving vehicle purchase decisions.

The Automotive Experience Alliance (AEA) today released consumer insights from the 2025–2026 auto show season, drawn from 11,986 attendees across 16 member shows nationwide. The research, conducted in partnership with Productions Plus Insights, reveals that auto show influence on purchase decisions has risen to 82% — up from 78% the prior season — even as the automotive industry's marketing investment continues to migrate toward digital channels.

A selection of standout findings is highlighted below. To view the full survey findings, please click here.

Auto Shows Beat Every Digital Channel

The 2025–2026 data positions auto shows not as a legacy marketing channel, but as the industry's highest-performing consumer touchpoint. When asked what impacts vehicle choice most, attendees ranked the auto show visit first — ahead of every digital and traditional media channel combined:

• Auto show visit: 30% name it their #1 purchase influence — up from 25% the prior season
• Friends and family: 18%
• News and articles: 13%
• Social media: 7%
• TV, radio, and print advertising: 6%

“Auto shows are consistently underestimated as a marketing channel — and consistently over-performing. This data shows that when consumers step onto a show floor, something happens that a 30-second digital ad or a social post simply cannot replicate. They engage, they compare, they decide. The auto show isn't competing with digital marketing. It's completing it,” said Jennifer Morand, Chairperson, AEA.

Half of Attendees Change Their Mind at the Show

One of the most strategically significant findings in this year's research: 50% of auto show attendees alter their brand consideration list as a direct result of attending:

• 36% add a new brand to their consideration list after experiencing it at the show
• 14% remove brands from their list specifically because those brands were not present
• 44% of all attendees are in-market shoppers planning to purchase within 12 months
• 82% say their show experience influenced their vehicle purchase decision — up from 78% the prior season

“Absence at an auto show isn't neutral. Our data makes clear that brands not present don't just miss upside — they lose share. In a market where conquest is increasingly the growth lever, showing up at scale, in-market, in front of engaged buyers, is table stakes,” added Morand.

Auto Shows Are Accelerating EV Knowledge and Consideration

In the context of a stalled national EV adoption narrative, one of the most surprising findings in this year's research involves electric vehicles. Only 14% of attendees arrived with the primary goal of learning about EV or hybrid options — yet 51% left with stronger or reinforced knowledge about electric vehicles.

Auto show attendance also produced meaningful lifts in electrification consideration:

• +37% increase in hybrid vehicle consideration after attending
• +20% increase in fully electric vehicle consideration after attending
• +16% increase in plug-in hybrid consideration after attending

“Nobody goes to an auto show to be converted to an EV. They go to kick tires, compare models, and spend a few hours doing something they enjoy. And yet our data shows that more than half leave with meaningfully stronger knowledge and consideration for electrified vehicles. That's not accidental. That's what happens when you replace advertising with experience,” said Morand.

Live Drive Activations: The Multiplier Effect

Attendees who participate in live drive or ride-and-drive experiences show dramatically higher purchase intent, brand consideration lift, and engagement compared to non-participants:

• 88% of drive participants say the show influenced their purchase decision (vs. 82% overall)
• 48% plan to purchase within 12 months (vs. 44% overall)
• 50% add a new brand to their consideration set after a drive experience (vs. 36% overall)
• Shows with Ride & Drive generate 2.9 hours of average dwell time — a full hour more than shows without
• +28 points more likely to name the auto show as their #1 purchase influence vs. non-participants

For more information about the AEA, visit AutomotiveExperienceAlliance.org, and follow the AEA on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

About Automotive Experience Alliance

The Automotive Experience Alliance is a coalition of auto shows that fosters success in the automotive industry by defining and adopting a standard set of processes, practices, methodologies, metrics, and messaging that drive more value for the entire automotive ecosystem including consumers, manufacturers, dealers, suppliers, sponsors and show producers. For more information, please visit AutomotiveExperienceAlliance.org.

About the Auto Show Insights Initiative

The Auto Show Insights Initiative is a research study executed by Productions Plus Insights in partnership with AEA. The study surveyed 11,986 auto show attendees across 16 AEA member shows nationwide using a combination of online and in-person survey methods. Participating shows include: Arizona International Auto Show, Charlotte Auto Show, Chicago Auto Show, Cleveland Auto Show, Colorado Auto Show, Houston Auto Show, Kentucky Auto Show, Oregon International Auto Show, Pennsylvania Auto Show, Philadelphia Auto Show, Oklahoma City Auto & Truck Show, San Diego International Auto Show, Seattle International Auto Show, Toledo Auto Show, Utah International Auto Expo, and Washington DC Auto Show. The results can be found here.

Shari Gold
Gold PR
sgold@goldpr.com
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