Traffic can recover while the customer journey continues to change.
The arrival of AI-assisted search coincided with falls of up to 18% in traffic to automotive brand websites in 2025. Answers appearing directly in search results offered one possible explanation: people could find information without another click.
From June 2025, the trend reversed. European automotive brand sites returned to growth, with December 2025 and January 2026 both up 15% year-on-year.
Recovery does not mean nothing changed
The figures do not prove that AI has stopped influencing discovery. They do suggest that brand websites remain important destinations for people considering a car.
Teams need to examine what visitors come to do and how the site supports those tasks, rather than interpreting traffic alone as success or failure.
From question to discussion
We explored the issue at our 16 April webinar, with What Car? content specialist Neel Desor joining the panel. The event has taken place; our ten-point summary captures the practical discussion about trust, simplicity and meaningful measurement.
Adapted from Sophus3’s LinkedIn post dated 2026-04-09. Figures and market observations relate to that original update.