Tell Us What’s on YOUR Mind! New Jersey Automotive’s Annual Industry Survey Returns
by Alana Quartuccio
It’s that time of year again! New Jersey Automotive wants to know what’s on YOUR mind!
Every October, we conduct our annual survey to give automotive repair professionals the opportunity to speak out about the very many things they experience in their day to day. This industry certainly has its fair share of challenges, but no one knows it better than you do!
The survey opened on October 1 and runs until midnight on October 31. It only takes a few minutes to complete but your answers will have long lasting effects. New Jersey Automotive will publish the results in the December issue adding to our resource of facts and trends this publication has been collecting for more than a decade.
Is business up or down? Do you have a backlog weeks out or not at all? What’s the total loss rate at your shop? We want to hear it all and see how things vary from this year to previous years.
One trend to watch lies in ADAS calibration work. Each year, more survey takers report taking the work in-house versus sublet. In 2024, 48 percent of respondents reported subletting ADAS calibration work where last year that number dropped to 39 percent. For the past few years, survey takers have cited Allstate, Progressive and State Farm as the most difficult to work with. Will the three earn the title once again in 2026?
In 2025, we saw further proof of the industry aging out with 97 percent of respondents reporting their oldest employee to be 50 years and older. The year prior that number was at 91 percent. Last year, 47 percent of shops surveyed said they would not consider selling to an MSO if approached but with more shop owners entering retirement age it will be interesting to see if that number increases at all in 2026.
Last year’s results painted a positive picture for the future as respondents shared one of the highest ratings on their current state of business averaging a 7.3 rating.
Do your part in helping to educate the industry about the subject you know about best! It only takes a few minutes and the answers will be kept anonymous. The results will be published in the December 2026 issue of New Jersey Automotive available at grecopublishing.com.
AASP/NJ members can visit aaspnj.org to take the survey or watch their inbox for details. Shops interested in taking the 2026 New Jersey Automotive Industry Survey can email info@grecopublishing.com with the subject line “Industry Survey.”
Want more? Check out the October 2026 issue of New Jersey Automotive!