StoneEagle: Sales-Side Pressure Deepens as F&I Posts Q4 Record

F&I offices delivered 2025’s highest profit-per-deal average in the fourth quarter as front-end gross fell to its lowest level since the post-COVID surge.

RICHARDSON, Texas, February 23, 2026 — StoneEagle, a provider of automotive technology and data intelligence solutions designed to drive F&I, sales, and service performance, today announced the release of its fourth-quarter 2025 StoneEagleDATA F&I Benchmark Report, providing The Complete Picture of deal performance across more than half of the automotive retail market.

Dealers turned a year marked by tariff talks, inventory swings, EV questions, and affordability concerns into steady, consistent results as front-end margins fell to their lowest level since January 2022 at $279 per deal to close out 2025. Through that compression, F&I provided the foundation that kept results steady throughout the year.

In the fourth quarter, F&I offices posted the highest quarterly average F&I profit per vehicle retailed (PVR) of 2025 at $1,995 and set an all-time monthly record at $2,025 in November. For the full year, average F&I income per dealer increased more than 8% compared with 2024, while average deal count remained essentially flat. By December, nearly nine out of ten gross dollars per deal came from F&I.

“2025 had plenty of noise — tariff concerns, rate concerns and affordability pressure — but when you zoom out, the data tells a clear story,” said StoneEagle CEO Cindy Allen. “Even with a flat engine from a deal-count perspective, products per deal increased, PVR reached an all-time high, and F&I income per dealer moved up year over year. I call that a pretty good year, with F&I serving as the foundation of dealership profitability.”

Fourth Quarter 2025 Highlights

The year did not run in a straight line. Deal volume spiked in March amid tariff-driven pull-forward activity, then lifted again in late summer as EV timing influenced buying patterns, before returning to more typical seasonality by year-end. By December, the data shows a clear trade-off: dealers gave up front-end gross to keep deals moving, and total gross per deal closed out 2025 at $2,253, down 6.4% year over year.

• F&I PVR: Averaged $1,995 per deal in the fourth quarter, up from $1,931 in the third quarter and $1,834 in the fourth quarter of 2024.

• Products per deal (PPD): Averaged 1.58 products per deal in the fourth quarter, up from 1.56 in the third quarter and 1.53 in the fourth quarter of 2024.

• Average total F&I income per dealer: Averaged $215,451 in the fourth quarter, down from $223,395 in the third quarter and up from $206,879 in the fourth quarter of 2024.

• Average front-end gross per deal: Averaged $403 per deal in the fourth quarter, down from $561 in the third quarter and $508 in the fourth quarter of 2024.

• Total gross per deal: Averaged $2,397 in the fourth quarter, down from $2,492 in the third quarter and $2,342 in the fourth quarter of 2024.

  
  

Product Performance and Mix Strengthen in Q4

Product performance remained steady through the year, with service contracts and GAP continuing to anchor F&I production. Both strengthened into the fourth quarter, with service contracts reaching 46% in November and GAP peaking at 40%. Ancillary categories remained a significant contributor, accounting for roughly one-third of product-driven F&I income and reinforcing the balanced revenue structure seen throughout 2025.

• Vehicle Service Contracts (VSC): Reached 45% penetration in the fourth quarter, up from 44% in the third quarter and 43% a year earlier.

• Guaranteed Asset Protection (GAP): Reached 39% penetration, up from 38% in the third quarter and 35% a year earlier.

• Paint-and-fabric protection: Averaged 20%, unchanged from the third quarter and consistent with the fourth quarter of 2024.

• Prepaid maintenance: Increased to 17%, up from 16% in the third quarter and 16% a year earlier.

• Tire-and-wheel protection: Averaged 10%, matching the third quarter and the fourth quarter of 2024.

“The engine that drives F&I is product,” said Colin Snyder, Chief Product Officer at StoneEagle. “Core coverages like service contracts and GAP stayed steady, while ancillary remained the expansion story. Dealers are leaning into that flexibility — including bundled options and protections that resonate even on cash deals — to keep performance strong.”

About StoneEagle

StoneEagle is the automotive industry’s premier source for data intelligence and technology innovation, delivering insights and connected solutions that power smarter decisions and better outcomes across F&I, sales, and service. Backed by more than 35 years of proven expertise, StoneEagle continues to redefine how the industry leverages data to streamline operations, elevate customer experiences, and accelerate growth. StoneEagle — Making Lives Better Through Smart, Innovative Solutions That Drive Success.