In Canada, owners of vehicles aged four to 12 years are paying more to keep them on the road. The average spend per service visit across all service facility types has increased from *$415 to $443 on a year-over-year basis, according to JD Power’s 2026 Canada Customer Service Index Long-Term Study.
At dealerships, the average amount spent for service has reached an all-time high of $566 — up 5% from a year ago and 51% higher than in 2020, JD Power reported.
For aftermarket facilities, the average amount paid for service has reached $323 — up 7% from a year ago and 34% higher in 2020.
According to JD Power, while the average spend per visit has increased at both dealerships and aftermarket shops, the average number of times owners serviced their vehicles each year was unchanged at 1.8 per year for dealerships and 1.5 per year for aftermarket shops.
Dealerships also captured 49% of all service visits (up slightly from 48% a year ago), compared with 28% for aftermarket chains and 23% for independent shops.
Dealerships accounted for 63% of the market’s total service revenue because of higher service charges per visit and typically more complex work, according to JD Power. The firm forecasts this to remain relatively flat year over year, attributable to a stagnant vehicle parc limiting overall market growth.
“Higher service costs are creating more revenue per visit, but they are not necessarily creating a larger service market,” remarked J.D. Ney, managing director of JD Power Canada. “For dealerships and aftermarket shops, the opportunity is therefore less about relying on market growth and more about earning customer loyalty through the quality of the service experience, particularly as the mix of vehicles coming through service bays continues to evolve.”
JD Power expects that, by 2035, 43% of new vehicle sales in Canada will be battery electric vehicles (BEVs) or zero emissions vehicles (ZEVs) and passing 60% by 2040.
“This poses a particular challenge to the Canadian automotive aftermarket,” the firm asserted. “While the aftermarket currently captures 51% of all internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles serviced in the studied vehicle age range, it sees only 34% of service occasions and 28% of the associated revenue for ZEVs.
“One key factor driving that gap is trust in a service provider’s capabilities. Slightly more than one-third (36%) of ICE vehicle owners say they trust dealerships with complex repairs. That number jumps to 42% among ZEV owners. Bridging that gap will be critical for aftermarket providers as Canada’s EV adoption rate climbs during the next decade.”
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST … According to the study, aftermarket service facilities delivered three of the most impactful drivers of satisfaction more consistently than dealerships, which were…
• Customer-focused service advice (91% versus 89%, respectively).
• Completing work right the first time (94% versus 91%, respectively).
• Fast vehicle pick-up process (69% versus 52%, respectively).
Year over year, overall satisfaction increased 13 points among independent facilities and 6 points among aftermarket chains, compared with a 1-point increase among dealerships.
Prior experience remained the strongest driver of dealership selection, with 47% of dealership customers indicating that prior experience with the service department was a reason they chose the dealership for their most recent service visit. Convenience of location at 28% and prior experience with the sales department at 23% followed.
Independent shops accounted for 23% of service visits in 2026 — down from 26% in 2025.
Average spend at independent shops increased from $311 to $363.
NAPA AUTOPRO (849 on a 1,000-point scale) ranked highest among aftermarket service facilities, followed by Great Canadian Oil Change at 826 and Kal Tire at 819. Click here to see the full aftermarket rankings.
Mercedes-Benz and Lexus dealerships shared the highest ranking in the dealership segment, each with a score of 841. Toyota dealerships came in second at 829, and Honda dealerships were third at 821. Click here to see the full dealership rankings.
* Editor’s note: All dollar amounts are in Canadian dollars.