Consumers are having an easier time car shopping, now that inventories have bounced back.

CDK Global’s latest Ease of Purchase survey found that 85% of car shoppers found the process easy in December, up month-over-month from 81%, returning to October’s result.

The percentage of consumers who located the model they wanted in stock rose sharply from 42% to 52%, translating to 73% of survey respondents describing the search for their model as easy, among the strongest positive responses since CDK launched the monthly study in July 2022.

The amount of time consumers spent at the dealership also improved, with 21% of respondents saying it took less time than they’d expected, up from 16% in November, and many said that made the process easy for them overall. One respondent said the purchase took just 45 minutes.

Slightly more survey respondents said they visited just one dealership in their quest to find a new vehicle, up 1% to 36%, CDK said.

While finding a car got easier, financing didn’t, the survey shows. Just 61% of respondents found that part of the process easy, down month-over-month from 63%.

DIG DEEPER: A Buyer's Year on Tap