Leading Automotive Marketplaces & Retailers in Q1 2025: A Data-Driven Analysis

Introduction

In the competitive landscape of automotive marketplaces and retailers in the U.S., Q1 2025 witnessed significant activity among top brands. This article delves into the digital performance of CarGurus LLC, Carvana, and Cars.com, examining their web and app presence, audience engagement, and advertising strategies. The insights provided by Sensor Tower's comprehensive data offerings, including Web Insights, Pathmatics, and App Performance Insights, form the backbone of this analysis.

CarGurus LLC

CarGurus continues to be a dominant force with its website, cargurus.com, and its app, CarGurus: Used & New Cars.

• Audience Trends: From Q4 2024 to Q1 2025, cargurus.com saw a steady increase in visits, peaking in March 2025 with over 92M visits. The monthly deduplicated audience surpassed 9.6M by March, showcasing strong growth.

• App Engagement: The app's monthly active users consistently rose, reaching nearly 1M by March 2025, highlighting a growing preference for mobile interactions.

• Ad Spend & Channels: CarGurus increased its advertising investments significantly in January 2025, with OTT channels leading the charge, generating over 100M monthly impressions in March.

Carvana

Carvana's digital presence is robust, with carvana.com and the Carvana: Buy/Sell Used Cars app.

• Audience Trends: The website maintained steady growth, with unique visits surpassing 8.1M in March 2025. The monthly deduplicated audience saw a peak above 8.5M.

• App Engagement: The app's monthly active user base remained stable, hovering around 440K in March, indicating consistent mobile engagement.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Carvana's monthly ad spend peaked in January 2025 at over $4M, with significant impressions generated across Facebook and Instagram, emphasizing its strong social media strategy.

Cars.com

Cars.com, accessible via cars.com and the Cars.com - New & Used Cars app, remains a key player.

• Audience Trends: The website experienced a noticeable increase in unique visits, exceeding 7.8M in March 2025. The monthly deduplicated audience also grew, reaching over 8.7M.

• App Engagement: The app maintained a strong presence, with monthly active users consistently over 1.2M throughout the quarter.

• Ad Spend & Channels: Cars.com focused its advertising efforts on Instagram and YouTube, driving significant impressions and maintaining a stable monthly ad spend around $2.4M in March.

Conclusion

In Q1 2025, CarGurus LLC, Carvana, and Cars.com demonstrated robust digital strategies across web and app platforms. Sensor Tower's data underscores the importance of understanding cross-platform user behavior for successful market positioning. With its unparalleled insights, Sensor Tower continues to be an essential resource for navigating the dynamic automotive marketplace landscape. By leveraging our comprehensive data, decision-makers can drive strategic growth and maintain a competitive edge.