The short answer
$739 for every new vehicle sold in 2025, at the average US franchised dealership: $586,246 for the year, or 0.77% of its revenue (NADA). The content in those ads is a smaller line. Phyron estimates a video made in-house at about US$400 a car; a 10-second StudioOS reel at 720p is $9.50 to $9.67 CAD.
- NADA 2025: $739 per new car sold, up 4.8%; $586,246 a year per dealership, up 7.8%.
- Phyron’s estimate: 12 hours and about US$400 a car for a video made in-house.
- StudioOS: a 10-second 720p reel for $9.50 to $9.67 CAD, a photo post for about $1.45.
$739
Spent on advertising for each new vehicle sold in 2025, at the average US franchised dealership.
NADA Data 2025, as reported by Inside Radio.
$586,246
Spent on advertising in 2025 by the average dealership, up 7.8% over 2024.
NADA Data 2025, as reported by Inside Radio.
12 hours
Spent on one car’s inventory video when a dealer’s own team makes it.
Phyron’s estimate for US dealers. A vendor’s figure.
3.7 min
Median time from tap to finished reel in StudioOS: 24 reels, September 30 to October 23, 2026. Half took between 2.6 and 6.1 minutes.
StudioOS’s own records. Most were test reels made by StudioOS.
Where the money has gone
NADA’s figures cover franchised new-car dealers in the US. In 2015 the average dealership spent $520,029 on advertising, $633 for each vehicle sold. By 2025 it was $586,246, or $739 a car. Over the same years, the share of revenue going to ads has fallen, to 0.77% in 2025.
The $739 is for new vehicles at US franchised stores. An independent lot, or a dealer in Canada, will spend differently: use it as a benchmark, not a target.
What the content costs, per car
| How it’s made | Per car | Time | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| StudioOS | $9.50 to $9.67 CAD for a 10-second 720p reel; about $1.45 for a photo post | A median 3.7 minutes a reel, in our records | Reels, posts and carousels from your photos, with your price and dealer number on them |
| In-house video, Phyron’s estimate | About US$400: 12 hours at US$33.50 an hour | 12 hours | Filmed, edited and posted by your own team |
| In-house video, at BC wages | About $404 CAD: the same 12 hours at BC’s median $33.65 an hour | 12 hours | The same work, at a BC social media coordinator’s median wage |
StudioOS
- Per car
- $9.50 to $9.67 CAD for a 10-second 720p reel; about $1.45 for a photo post
- Time
- A median 3.7 minutes a reel, in our records
- What you get
- Reels, posts and carousels from your photos, with your price and dealer number on them
In-house video, Phyron’s estimate
- Per car
- About US$400: 12 hours at US$33.50 an hour
- Time
- 12 hours
- What you get
- Filmed, edited and posted by your own team
- Per car
- About $404 CAD: the same 12 hours at BC’s median $33.65 an hour
- Time
- 12 hours
- What you get
- The same work, at a BC social media coordinator’s median wage
Do the math for your lot
Take a month’s ad spend and divide it by the cars you sold: that’s your ad cost per car. Then do the same for content, what it takes to photograph, film and post each car. In StudioOS, one 10-second 720p reel and three photo posts for a car is 14.5 credits: about $13.77 CAD at $0.95 a credit.
Where StudioOS fits
- Every price published, from $29 CAD a month, and 20 free credits to start, no card.
- Monthly plans, cancel any time.
- The price, km and stock number printed exactly, and your end card on every reel.
Sources
- Turning DATA Into Dollars: Key Insights From 2025 NADA DATA, Inside Radio, 2026.
- NADA Data, NADA, checked October 24, 2026.
- Survey reveals US dealers predict AI job replacement by 2030 (Phyron’s survey and estimate), AutoSuccess.
- Social media coordinator in Canada: wages, Job Bank, Government of Canada, updated November 19, 2025.
Try it on a car from your lot.
Add a few photos, or paste the listing link.
20 free credits. No card.
