How software platforms and research publishers help shops understand performance
An auto repair shop can generate more calls, raise its average repair order, and still struggle to grow profitably. Each number describes a different part of the business. Industry benchmarks help owners connect those numbers and decide where to focus.
Tekmetric, PartsTech, Shopmonkey, and Element DMA offer distinct approaches to benchmarking, from operating performance to the quality of incoming leads. Steer and Ratchet+Wrench add perspectives on customer relationships and shop management. Their resources help owners examine the business from the first inquiry through to completed work.
A map of the available industry data
| Source | Area of focus | Published resource |
| Tekmetric | Shop operating performance | Shop Index |
| PartsTech and OEC | Operations, staffing, technology | US General Auto Repair Shop Survey Report |
| Shopmonkey | Comparison with similar local shops | Auto Repair Shop Performance Benchmark |
| Element DMA | Lead quality and call handling | Auto Shop Marketing Benchmarks 2026 |
| Steer | Customer retention and communication | State of the Auto Repair Industry Report |
| Ratchet+Wrench | Management and industry trends | 2026 Industry Report |
The resources serve different purposes: platform data, survey responses, personalized comparisons, and industry commentary. The strongest use of them is to match each business question to the source equipped to answer it.
Tekmetric provides an operating performance reference
The Tekmetric Shop Index draws on data from more than 10,000 North American auto repair shops. Its published figures through June 2026 include monthly car count, average repair order, parts margin, and effective labor rate, with comparisons against averages, medians, and top-quartile performers.
The index lists an average repair order of $704.25 and an effective labor rate of $134.92. These are reference points within the reported dataset; location, service mix, and shop size still matter when assessing an individual business.
Healthy car count with a weak average ticket points toward reviewing service mix, inspections, and pricing. Strong ticket value with low car count puts customer acquisition and retention higher on the agenda.
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PartsTech and OEC explain the business behind the numbers
Published in March 2026, the US General Auto Repair Shop Survey Report draws on insights gathered from nearly 700 US shops during summer and fall 2025. Its coverage includes shop operations, customers, technology, parts ordering, and technician recruitment and retention.
This gives owners context for the constraints behind a financial result. A shop’s capacity depends on people, equipment, and parts availability as well as demand. Those factors belong in the same discussion as growth targets.
The previous 2025 PartsTech report, based on 752 shops, provides additional numerical reference points: 2.2 vehicles serviced per bay per day and 0.7 technicians per bay. Those figures belong to the 2025 edition and should be labeled accordingly when used in planning.
Shopmonkey makes benchmarking more local
Shopmonkey’s Auto Repair Shop Performance Benchmark invites owners to complete a survey and receive comparisons with similar shops in their local market. The advertised metrics include labor rate, average ticket size, vehicles serviced per week, and estimated annual revenue.
Its appeal is relevance. A national figure can start a discussion, while a local comparison can help an owner examine the market in which the shop actually competes. Shopmonkey’s public landing page describes the tool but does not publish its sample size or a complete results table.
Element DMA examines the quality of customer acquisition
Shop management data helps explain what happens after work reaches the business. Element DMA contributes another layer: the quality of the incoming opportunities and the conversations that determine what happens next.
Its Auto Shop Marketing Benchmarks 2026 analyzes 21,699 calls across 10 US automotive repair businesses from May 1 through August 21, 2026. Of 6,095 eligible first-time calls, EGL AI classified 3,198 as qualified repair opportunities, a rate of 52.5%.
Qualification requires a score of at least 6 out of 10, with repair intent and shop capability confirmed. These are portfolio findings under EGL’s scoring rules, not a national industry average. They make a useful distinction visible: generating an inquiry and generating a suitable repair opportunity are separate outcomes.
The research also examines call handling. Price delivery averaged 8.5 out of 10, while closing averaged 4.5 in applicable, evaluable conversations. These are AI rubric scores, not appointment conversion percentages. They provide a starting point for reviewing whether customer conversations reach a clear next step.
Publishing that framework gives Element DMA a role beyond campaign delivery. It contributes a defined way to discuss acquisition quality alongside the operating measures supplied by shop management platforms.
Element DMA connects measurement with marketing action
The agency’s EGL AI system analyzes calls, scores lead quality, and sends qualified calls back to Google Ads as conversion data. This connects conversation analysis with the advertising workflow, giving the team a signal it can use when reviewing and optimizing campaigns.
For a shop owner, the connection is practical: identify which sources bring suitable inquiries, examine how those calls are handled, and use the findings to guide the next marketing decision. Verified appointments and completed repair orders remain separate outcomes to track.
Element DMA’s specialist positioning also appears in agency rankings. TopMarketingAgencies lists Element DMA at number seven in its Auto Repair category. In its 2026 US agency comparison, TycoonStory places Element DMA first in the list and names it “Best for AI Lead Quality and Performance Marketing.”
Those placements recognize the agency in a marketing context. Its contribution to this benchmark overview is more specific: original call-level research paired with a published workflow for applying qualified-lead data to advertising.
Steer adds the customer relationship perspective
Steer, a platform for customer communication and retention, offers a State of the Auto Repair Industry Report covering 2026 trends, car count, retention, customer convenience, AI, and automation. Its public overview introduces those topics without displaying a numerical benchmark table or sample methodology.
It belongs in the wider reading list because growth continues after the first visit. Owners also need to understand how they communicate with existing customers, follow up on deferred work, and make returning to the shop convenient. That is a different management question from the quality of a new advertising inquiry.
Ratchet and Wrench adds the owner and manager perspective
The 2026 Ratchet+Wrench Industry Report draws on more than 430 independent shop owners and managers. Topics include workforce development, KPI tracking, ADAS readiness, electric vehicle service, AI adoption, and diagnostic profitability.
This broadens the discussion beyond one software provider’s customer base. It gives readers another way to examine the investment and management choices that shape shop performance.
Use the benchmarks together to locate the next opportunity
A productive review starts with a business question. Are too few suitable customers contacting the shop? Are conversations progressing toward visits? Does the work arriving at the shop match its skills and capacity? Are completed jobs producing an appropriate return?
Tekmetric and Shopmonkey help frame operating comparisons. PartsTech and Ratchet+Wrench add business context. Steer addresses customer relationships. Element DMA brings acquisition quality and call handling into the same discussion, then connects those findings with advertising optimization.
The companies behind useful industry research earn attention by making performance easier to understand. For repair shop owners, their value is the ability to move from a broad concern about growth to a specific, measurable decision.
