Canadian drivers pay more at dealerships, but put their trust into aftermarket shops

Canadian vehicle owners are spending more on service, with the average amount paid per visit for vehicles aged four to 12 rising to $443 from $415 a year ago, according to the JD Power 2026 Canada Customer Service Index—Long‑Term Study. Dealership service spend reached a record $566, up 5 per cent year over year and 51 per cent higher than in 2020. Aftermarket facilities averaged $323, up 7 per cent from 2025.

The study is based on responses from 10,262 owners and measures satisfaction across service quality, vehicle pick‑up, service facility, service initiation and service advisor performance.

Visit frequency remains unchanged at 1.8 visits per year for dealerships and 1.5 for aftermarket shops. Dealerships capture 49 per cent of service visits but 63 per cent of service revenue, driven by higher charges and more complex work. JD Power says overall market revenue is expected to remain flat as Canada’s vehicle parc stagnates.

“Higher service costs are creating more revenue per visit, but they are not necessarily creating a larger service market,” said J.D. Ney, managing director, JD Power Canada. “For dealerships and aftermarket shops, the opportunity is therefore less about relying on market growth and more about earning customer loyalty through the quality of the service experience.”

EV adoption is expected to reshape service patterns. JD Power forecasts that 43 per cent of new‑vehicle sales will be BEVs or ZEVs by 2035, passing 60 per cent by 2040. The aftermarket currently captures 51 per cent of ICE service occasions in the study’s age range but only 34 per cent for ZEVs, accounting for 28 per cent of ZEV service revenue. Trust in repair capability is a key factor: 36 per cent of ICE owners trust dealerships with complex repairs, compared with 42 per cent of ZEV owners.

The study finds aftermarket providers outperform dealerships on several satisfaction drivers, including customer‑focused service advice (91 per cent vs. 89 per cent), completing work right the first time (94 per cent vs. 91 per cent) and fast vehicle pick‑up (69 per cent vs. 52 per cent). Independent shops saw average spend rise to $363 from $311 but lost visit share, dropping to 23 per cent from 26 per cent.

Mercedes‑Benz and Lexus dealerships share the highest ranking in the dealer segment at 841. NAPA AUTOPRO ranks highest among aftermarket facilities at 849.