10:00 am, February 4, 2026
More car buyers are shortlisting their next vehicles using the social media platform TikTok – but dealers are lagging behind on content creation.
Research by the video sharing site, shared at the NADA conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday, claimed that more than half of US car buyers are actively researching their next car on TikTok.
TikTok encouraged dealers to post more videos that show off what cars in their dealership are really like to live with as more buyers than ever are using the platform to validate their choice of car.
Referencing its own research into car buyers, Tsega Worku, head of automotive for TikTok in the United States, said 51% of buyers were shortlisting their next car on the platform and 80% of users were actively researching cars.
The TikTok session featured marketing experts on the live stage at the Las Vegas show who explained how car dealers can use the platform to boost their marketing.
While TikTok did not disclose sample size or the methodology behind the figures it presented, it did say dealers should encourage its sales and service teams to create content ‘all of the time’.
The experts said car dealers still have a ‘first to market’ advantage by using the video sharing site – and shouldn’t think of it as ‘just for Generation Z’.
Worku explained that a growing number of older users are now turning to TikTok with Millennials and Boomers among the largest growing user groups.
‘The amount of 50-year-old plus users on the platform that I am engaging with right now is really scary,’ she said.
She said these older generations are actively searching for content about cars to help them make sense of their potential purchases.
TikTok is positioning its site more as a search engine for content with users enjoying the ‘first person views’ of other car owners as well as real content produced by dealers.
Everyone
John Fitzpatrick, CEO of Force Marketing, told the audience that ‘everyone’ in a car dealership should be on TikTok.
He said: ‘TikTok is not one person at the dealership that’s tech savvy, or, you know, younger. It’s everybody.
‘Everyone at your dealership can take time. Every single one of them. Why? Because when we buy cars, we buy it on trust and someone that we like. This is a referral business.’
The marketing experts said the content dealers create does not need to be funny either – although there is a place for those videos and they do resonate within users. They should instead focus on detailing what a car is really like to live with.
Art Pier from agency C-4 Analytics said all dealers needed was a ‘phone and a hook’ to make a good TikTok video.
He added: ‘The short form videos people want to see feature options and benefits of the vehicles. They want to see the screens, they want to see the massage seats.
‘It doesn’t have to be, you know, the funny TikTok stuff. Not saying that stuff doesn’t work too. But it doesn’t have to be that.’
Kevin Butler, from Cars Commerce, added: ‘It’s got to be just low-fi, natural – that’s what really resonates on the platform.’
The panellists added that car dealers should at least invest time in trying the platform. They explained it is a great way to connect with buyers and put a face to your brand for potential buyers.
Fitzpatrick added: ‘Ask yourself, can you connect better in your hyperlocal marketplace through the audience platform that is TikTok? The answer is yes, try it out.’
Car Dealer’s coverage of the NADA conference is sponsored by Cox Automotive. Follow the website daily for updates and listen to our Podcast from the show on Friday.
Car Dealer Live, our conference for the UK automotive industry, takes place on March 19. If you’re looking for inspiring automotive sessions and great guests, grab your tickets now at CarDealerLive.co.uk.
