J.D. Power 2025 Dealer of Excellence
Each year, J.D. Power recognizes a select few dealership across the United States as a Dealer of Excellence. This prestigious recognition distinguishes the dealers who earn them and provides a great deal of pride within the industry. If you live in or around Lancaster, Elizabethtown, or Ephrata, you have a Dealer of Excellence recipient near you, Hondru Chevrolet of Manheim, recognized as a Dealer of Excellence for 2025.
An Esteemed Honor
The J.D. Power Dealer of Excellence showcases exceptional dealerships for their high performance and outstanding sales experience within the retail automotive marketplace. To be recognized, dealerships must be set apart from others by high objective standards. Of those dealerships that are qualified, only 2%-3% are recognized. The Dealer of Excellence certification identifies the recipients as being far above the average dealership and it recognizes the dealerships as being committed to customer service and assists the managers in differentiating their brand from other local dealerships. The Dealer of Excellence is a stamp of approval that builds confidence in the new and used vehicle shopping process.
The J.D. Power Dealer of Excellence ProgramSMÂ reflects the commitment and dedication of select retailers to provide their customers with a purchase experience that meets today's consumer expectations.
Not all dealerships can qualify. Those that do must pass a rigorous process:
First, J.D. Power limits the percentage of eligible dealerships by nameplate based on each brand's performance in the most recent J.D. Power Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study.SM Only about 20% of franchised dealerships are eligible for consideration under the J.D. Power Dealer of Excellence Program.
Second, interested dealerships must rank among their brand's top performers in key customer satisfaction areas consistent with measurements found in J.D. Power's Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) StudySM.
Finally, once a dealer passes the initial screening, U.S. and Canada J.D. Power Dealer of Excellence applicants must complete, and pass, an in-dealership process verification, which focuses on eleven (11) J.D. Power Best Practices. Passing dealers must be able to demonstrate a minimum of nine (9) out of the eleven (11) criteria.
Dealers of Excellence who achieve certification for multiple years are identified as follows:
- 2 Years: Silver Dealer of Excellence
- 3 Years: Gold Dealer of Excellence
- 4 Years: Platinum Dealer of Excellence
- 5 Years or More: Diamond Dealer of Excellence
When you choose to visit a J.D. Power Dealer of Excellence you can be confident the sales team will be just as committed to providing an exceptional experience as they are to selling a vehicle.
Frequently Asked Questions
For starters, a dealership must first receive their respective manufacturers’ awards, Customer Satisfaction Index award (CSI) /Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) awarded by J.D. Power. Next, they also need to perform in the upper tier of their respective manufacturers’ CSI ranking. Any manufacturer that meets all of these criteria can submit their name for consideration for the award.
If the dealership qualifies for the recognition based on the above criteria, and the qualifications are verified by a DOE Ambassador, an inspector visits the dealership. The inspector will interview the owner or General Manager, the Finance and Insurance Manager, and the most recent employee who has completed the training required by the dealership, who knows about the dealership’s commitment to customer satisfaction excellence. The visit takes about an hour and a half to two hours and within 2-3 days, the dealership will know how they did.
If the dealership is recognized the coveted DOE award, it will keep it for a year and then will be re-investigated with a less involved process. The recertification occurs by phone and generally takes about half an hour to complete and by the end of the call the dealership will know the results. Providing the dealership has maintained their standards, remains in good standing within the community, and agrees to abide by the licensing rules of the certification, it can continue indefinitely.
There are over 20,000 franchised new car dealerships in the United States, only 2-3% will qualify for the recognition. Only one or two dealers of the same company in any Primary Market Areas and Direct Market Areas can earn Dealer of Excellence recognition. This policy is in place to preserve the integrity of the program and to ensure that the market is not saturated so the award retains its prestige.
If you are ready to get a new or used car, truck, or SUV, we invite you to stop by and see why we are a 2025 winner of the Dealer of Excellence award by J.D. Power.
If you are ready to get a new or used car, truck, or SUV, we invite you to stop by and see why we are a 2025 recipient of the Dealer of Excellence recognition by J.D. Power.
* J.D. Power 2025 Dealer of Excellence Program recognition is based on achievement of high scores from automotive manufacturer customer research and completion of an in-dealership best practices verification visit. For more information, visit jdpower.com/US-DOE.