1:00 pm, March 30, 2026
Car dealers are being urged to change their digital strategies as AI begins to radically change how customers are searching for their next car.
Speaking at Car Dealer Live 2026, Google senior industry manager (automotive) Huxley Stewart told the conference that the company is already seeing a major shift in how buyers research vehicles, with traditional search habits rapidly evolving.
‘The queries that people are typing in [to Google] are now far more conversational,’ Stewart said. ‘We see the longer kind of queries that people are putting in – five words plus, but also full sentences and having a full conversation with that as well.’
The change is being driven by the rise of AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT and Google’s own Gemini, which are increasingly being used by consumers as research assistants rather than relying solely on traditional search engines.
‘The days of just searching for “family hatchback” and then seeing what comes up in the results have gone,’ he said. “Customers are briefing the search engine… exactly what they’re looking for.’
The Google session can be watched by visiting the Car Dealer Live website where you can purchase a replay ticket. This will allow you to watch back each session, including Google’s, in-full on video to watch back at your leisure.
Replay tickets are available from the CarDealerLive.co.uk website.
The process of searching for a car is changing thanks to the rise of ‘multi-modal’ search where users combine text, voice and images to find vehicles.
‘People are still typing, but they’re also using voice and using images,’ Stewart explained.
As a result, dealers are being told that simply relying on traditional SEO tactics is no longer enough, with content needing to evolve to match how consumers now search.
‘The old days of keyword stuffing have gone,’ he said. ‘You need to be putting in content that people are going to be engaging with and how people are going to be searching.’
He added that duplication of manufacturer content could actively harm visibility in an AI-driven search world.
‘If it’s just copied from somewhere else then there’s going to be duplication, and it’s not your unique content that is going to be surfaced.’
Instead, Stewart said, dealers should focus on creating original, relevant and consumer-focused content that reflects real-world search behaviour.
‘Make sure your website content reflects that people are searching in more of a conversational way,’ he said.
While the journey is changing, the core sources of information remain broadly similar.
‘The types of sources that they’re getting that information from hasn’t fundamentally changed,’ Stewart said. ‘It’s just the way that is being served.’
Looking ahead, dealers were warned to prepare for a future where AI agents could play an even bigger role — potentially filtering, comparing and even negotiating on behalf of buyers.
‘Don’t wait for change to happen before you then try and adjust to it,’ Stewart said.
The session can be watched by visiting the Car Dealer Live website where you can purchase a replay ticket.
Watch (and listen on Spotify) James Baggott’s highlights of Car Dealer Live 2026 below.
