StoneEagleDATA's first-half 2025 F&I Benchmarks show stronger PVR, rising penetration across the top five F&I products, and higher total gross, even as front-end gross compressed.
Deals stayed profitable in the first half of 2025, even as sales departments struggled to hold gross. With front-end margins under pressure, F&I offices anchored total deal profitability, according to StoneEagleDATA's latest benchmarks drawn from more than 8,900 dealer rooftops.
"From a snapshot perspective, Q2 looks beautiful," said StoneEagle CEO Cindy Allen in the Automotive News-hosted webinar. "All the key performance indicators are up year-over-year, and the resiliency of F&I is what's driving profitability."
Front-End Pressure Meets Back-End Strength
Vehicle sales moderated after what Allen called "the March Madness spike," but still outpaced seasonal norms. The bigger story was margin pressure: front-end gross has been sliding since early 2024.
Yet compared to pre-COVID levels, grosses remain significantly higher — averaging $694 in the first half of 2025 versus $404 before the pandemic, a 72% increase.
That long-term context helps, but the real profit story came from the back end — back-end gross more than filled the gap. "Despite a 40% reduction in front gross in 2024, F&I product sales softened that to only an 11% impact," Allen explained. "In 2025, total gross per vehicle is already up 10% year-to-date. That's the stabilizer F&I offices are providing."
Products Fueling the Anchor
Service contracts and GAP remain the backbone, holding strong in the first half with penetration rates of 45% and 38%, respectively. But ancillary products now account for a third of F&I product revenue, driven by protection packages, prepaid maintenance, and tire-and-wheel.
F&I's Top 5 by Penetration Rate (H1 2025 vs. H1 2024)
Service Contract: 45% (↑ from 44%)
GAP: 38% (↑ from 37%)
Paint & Fabric: 20% (↑ from 19%)
Prepaid Maintenance: 16% (flat)
Tire & Wheel: 10% (flat)
F&I's Top 5 by Penetration Rate (Q2 2025 vs. Q2 2024)
Service Contract: 45% (↑ from 44%)
GAP: 38% (↑ from 37%)
Paint & Fabric: 20% (↑ from 19%)
Prepaid Maintenance: 16% (flat)
Tire & Wheel: 11% (↑ from 10%)
"Packaging products together — tire and wheel, key, dent, paint-and-fabric — has been one of the fastest-growing trends of the past 18 months," Allen said. "Consumers want to protect their resale value, and that's showing up in the data."
The revenue mix inside F&I offices reflects the shift. In 2021, product and reserve were nearly equal. Today, products account for 66% of F&I revenue, underscoring the significant role product sales play in maintaining total deal profitability.
The Numbers Behind the Story
Quarterly (Q2 vs. Q1 2025):
F&I PVR: $1,924 (+4.6%)
Products per Deal: 1.57 (+2.0%)
Avg. Monthly F&I Income per Dealer: $220,640 (+7.7%)
Deal Count: 115 (+3.6%)
First Half (2025 vs. 2024):
F&I PVR: $1,884 (+6.1%)
Products per Deal: 1.55 (+2.0%)
Avg. Monthly F&I Income per Dealer: $212,759 (+7.5%)
Avg. Monthly Deal Count: 113 (+1.4%)
"Despite tariffs, interest rates, and affordability pressures, F&I is proving just how strong and adaptable it is," Allen said. "The first half of 2025 has outperformed every prior year in our dataset — even the big post-COVID spike."
Watch the Webinar On-Demand
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