Independents Lead Q3 Optimism
23 July 2026 by Curtis Hutchinson
JudgeService survey finds independents more bullish about Q3 prospects than franchised dealers
Independent dealers are more confident in how Q3 will perform than franchised retailers.
The latest quarterly JudgeService Dealer Barometer conducted last week and polling the views of over 1,000 retailers, analysed dealer views on Q3 trading.
Overall, 62.5% of independents are positive in both their forward trading prospects and buyer confidence, 25% are neutral and just 12.5% negative.
This compares to 29% of franchised dealers feeling upbeat, a further 21% feeling negative and 50% remaining neutral.
The confidence of franchised dealers has remained consistent this year. Those feeling upbeat about business prospects in January were 35.6%, compared to 34.4% this month.
While their views on consumer confidence have risen from 35.6% in January to 37.5% in July.
Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService, said: “Despite the ongoing political and economic headwinds, at home and abroad, our research shows the resilience of independent and franchised dealers.
“Overall, independents are feeling bullish on the back of brisk trading during the first half of the year, buoyed by robust pricing and buyers seeking out older profile cars.
“Expectations among franchised dealers are more nuanced and the end result will be heavily influenced by OEM campaigns as we move deeper into the quarter. Our Dealer Barometer shows their confidence levels, although lower, have remained consistent throughout the year, with half yet to make up their minds about which way Q3 will go.”
Further details and comments available from Neil Addley on 07795 665927 or neil@judgeservice.com.
About JudgeService
Launched in 2011 by Neil Addley, JudgeService is the UK’s only customer review platform developed exclusively for the car retailing sector. By ensuring all reviews are verified and genuine, JudgeService builds a solid foundation of trust and respect between customers and sellers enabling car retailers to actively manage their online reputations.
JudgeService shares granular insight reports with dealers to help them identify opportunities to improve customer satisfaction levels, with many achieving 100% recommendation scores.
Based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, JudgeService has published over 1 million customer reviews and is used by over 2,000 franchised, independent and car supermarket sites across the UK.
Issued by Curtis Hutchinson Communications
