April Sales Headlines Miss The Complete Picture

While volume followed its normal seasonal decline, April produced the strongest F&I PVR ever recorded for the month and 2026's highest total gross.

By Gregory Arroyo

Every April tells a similar story. Deal volume eases from March highs. Monthly F&I income follows. Front-end gross improves. The industry settles into its spring rhythm.

April 2026 was no exception.

Dealers averaged 112 deals per rooftop in April, down from 118 in March. Average monthly F&I income declined to $222,140, while front-end gross increased to $609 per deal.

None of those movements were unusual. In fact, they closely mirror patterns that have repeated across the last five years of StoneEagleDATA benchmarks. What stands out instead is where those numbers landed. April produced the highest total gross per deal of 2026 at $2,600, the highest April F&I profit per vehicle retailed (PVR) in the dataset at $1,991, and the second-highest April on record for average total F&I income per dealer.

This insight comes directly from StoneEagleDATA's latest benchmark report, powered by transaction-level data representing over 50% of the automotive retail market. StoneEagleDATA delivers The Complete Picture of how sales conditions and F&I execution shape dealership profitability.

April's Complete Picture 

Since 2022, every April has produced fewer deals than March, with declines ranging from roughly 4% to 9%. April's 5.08% decline closely mirrors the seasonal patterns seen in recent years, reinforcing what the historical data has consistently shown: March tends to represent the seasonal peak, while April settles back toward a more typical pace.

While April's volume pattern was familiar, several profitability measures continued to build on trends established earlier in the year.

At $609 per deal, front gross continued its steady climb, following a low of $279 in December 2025. Even with four consecutive monthly gains, April remained nearly 38% below April 2025 and below every April benchmark recorded since 2022.

F&I PVR remained essentially unchanged from March and nearly $100 higher than April 2025. That put April ahead of every prior April in the benchmark while keeping it just shy of the $2,025 record set in November 2025.

Products per deal help explain that consistency. April's 1.55 average matched April 2025 and remained above April levels recorded in both 2023 and 2024.

F&I product penetration rates remained stable across core protections. VSC declined slightly from March but remained in line with recent April performance, while GAP posted its strongest April result since 2022. Paint & Fabric Protection matched the highest April penetration rate recorded in the benchmark.

The combined effect shows up in total gross per deal. April's $2,600 average remained below the levels recorded for the same month in 2024 and 2025, continuing the industry's gradual move away from the extraordinary profitability levels reached during the inventory-constrained market of 2021 and 2022, when total gross peaked at $4,554 per deal in April 2022.

April by the Numbers

• Deals per Dealer: Average monthly deal count decreased from 118 in March to 112 in April. Compared to April 2025's average of 119 deals, volume was down 5.88% year over year.

• F&I PVR: F&I profit per vehicle retailed averaged $1,991 in April, compared with $1,987 in March and $1,895 a year ago. No previous April in the benchmark has reached that level.

• Front-End Gross per Deal: Front-end gross increased from $551 in March to $609 in April. However, it remained 38.36% below April 2025's average of $988.

• Total Gross per Deal: Total gross per deal increased from $2,538 in March to $2,600 in April. Compared to April 2025, total gross remained 9.82% lower.

• Products per Deal: Products per deal declined slightly from 1.56 in March to 1.55 in April, while remaining unchanged compared to April 2025.

• Total F&I Income per Dealer: Average monthly F&I income declined from $234,357 in March to $222,140 in April. Compared to April 2025's average of $225,564, F&I income was down 1.52% year over year but remained the second-highest April result in the benchmark.

F&I Product Penetration Highlights

• Vehicle Service Contracts (VSC): Penetration declined from 45% in March to 44% in April, matching April 2025 levels.

• Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP): GAP penetration held at 39%, unchanged from March and up from 37% in April 2025, producing its strongest April performance since 2022.

• Paint & Fabric Protection: Penetration remained at 20%, unchanged from both March and April 2025.

• Prepaid Maintenance (PPM): Prepaid maintenance increased from 16% in March to 17% in April and improved from 16% a year ago.

• Tire & Wheel: Penetration remained stable at 10%, unchanged from both March and April 2025.

StoneEagleDATA: Powering the Industry

Drawing data from over 50% of dealer rooftops in the U.S., StoneEagleDATA delivers unmatched visibility into dealership performance:

• Comprehensive Benchmarking: Capturing every transaction and every product from more than half the retail market.

• Actionable Insights: Identify trends and opportunities with real-time insights into F&I product penetration, pricing, and deal performance.

• AI-ready intelligence: Built on secure, dealer-level data to support forecasting, analytics, and smarter decision-making across the F&I industry.

That's The Complete Picture. Brought to you by StoneEagle. Your one true source for benchmarks and data that help drive success for your business.

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