The response-time gap is the difference in response speed to praise versus criticism. The Automotive Google Review Study 2026 by Repmanager (204,976 reviews, 30 largest dealer groups) shows that dealers respond to a 5-star review at a median of 26 hours and to a 1-star review only after 48 hours.
The angry customer, for whom every hour counts, waits longest of all.
The term "the response-time gap" was introduced in the Automotive Google Review Study 2026 by Repmanager.
That is the world upside down, and we measured it on 204,976 public reviews from the 30 largest dealer groups. When the market responds, it responds exactly the wrong way around.
| Key figure | What it means |
|---|---|
| 26h / 48h | Median response time to a 5-star review versus a 1-star |
| 31h | Median response time of the market (answered reviews only) |
| 9h / 39h | Median response time for those who manage it, versus the rest of the market |
Praise gets answered faster than criticism
| Segment | Median response time |
|---|---|
| Praise (5 stars) | 26 hours |
| Criticism (1 star) | 48 hours |
| Market (answered) | 31 hours |
| Those who manage it | 9 hours |
Put the response time next to the star count and the pattern is immediately clear. A 5-star review gets an answer at a median of 26 hours, and 56 percent of praise gets a response at all. A 1-star review only gets an answer at a median of 48 hours, and just 49 percent gets one.
So the satisfied customer hears back sooner and more often than the customer with a problem. While it is exactly that angry customer for whom every hour counts: they are sitting with a broken car, a bill that is too high or a promise not kept. And half of those complaints are not waiting for a slow answer, but for no answer. Exactly how big that gap is, is in the complaint gap. And the customer already announcing their departure waits even longer: we cover that in the farewell gap.
How fast is the market really?
The customer who writes a review expects an answer. External research is unambiguous: four out of five consumers expect a response within a week, one in five the same day (BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey 2026). Against that yardstick, the market performs like this:
- Within 1 hour: 9 percent
- Within 24 hours: 46 percent
- Within a week: 84 percent
- Only after 30+ days: 7 percent
The median sits around 31 hours. That looks acceptable, until you realize this covers answered reviews only. The reviews that never get an answer, and that is half the complaints, are not even in here.
Speed is a process issue, not a quality issue
The proof is in the spread. Within one and the same dealer group we found locations that answer 100 percent of their reviews next to locations sitting at 0 percent. At four of the largest groups, the spread between the best and the worst location is more than 95 percentage points. Same company, same brand requirements, same systems. Completely different behavior.
Reputation turns out to be not policy but local execution: that one service manager who does it on the side, or does not. If you do not want to leave it to chance, you arrange the process centrally. The dealer groups that did sit at a median response time of 9 hours, against 39 hours for the rest of the market. Not because their people type faster, but because the complaint lands with the right person the same morning.
Start here
Measure your median response time on 1-2 stars versus 5 stars. Chances are you mirror the market: praise first. Reverse that order and put criticism at the front.
The classic mistake: steering on the average response time across all reviews. That figure gets lifted by the quick thank-yous on praise and hides exactly where it goes wrong, at the complaint.
Curious where your dealer group stands?
We benchmark your locations against these figures free of charge: score, response rate, response time and complaint gap, per location. One overview, no obligations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the response-time gap?
The response-time gap is the difference in response speed to praise versus criticism. Dealers respond at a median of 26 hours to a 5-star review and 48 hours to a 1-star. The angry customer waits longest.
How fast does the Dutch dealer market respond to reviews?
The median sits around 31 hours, but only for the reviews that get an answer. 46 percent gets a response within 24 hours, 84 percent within a week. Half of the complaints get no answer at all.
What is a good response time on Google reviews?
Consumers expect an answer within a week, a fifth the same day. Dealer groups that arrange the process centrally hit a median of 9 hours, against 39 hours for the rest of the market.
Why does response time differ so strongly?
It is a process issue, not a quality issue. Within one dealer group, locations at 100 percent sit next to locations at 0 percent. Arrange it centrally and you take chance out of it.
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