Earnings for automotive dealership owners vary widely and are greatly influenced by the ability of the individual owner, type of vehicles being sold, other services offered, and existing economic conditions. Some dealership owners may earn less than $50,000 a year, while the most successful owners earn $300,000 or more. According to Comparably.com, car dealership owners in the U.S. earned about...

Automotive dealerships are usually open every day except major holidays. Any professional working in this industry should expect long hours, especially during the evenings and on Saturdays. Busy times include the end of the month, when sales quotas are tallied, and during special promotions, such as a holiday or year-end clearance sales. Pressure or competition to sell is common to compete with...

Overall, though, the number of new-vehicle dealerships continues to decline, from a high of 49,200 dealerships in 1949 to 16,838 as of midyear 2023. These sobering statistics suggest that opportunities for dealership owners are shrinking, and unless sales demand greatly increases, it will be difficult to become an auto dealership owner. The best opportunities for aspiring dealers will be in pop...