• by Tanya Gazdik , April 27, 2025

The estimated national TV spending by automakers in the first quarter was up 3.5% year-over-year, thanks in part to a robust March showing, up 10.8% year-over-year. 

Automakers spent an estimated $721.1 million in the first quarter of 2025 compared to $696.5 in the first quarter of 2024, according to iSpot.TV.  March spending totaled $235.2 million compared to $212.3 million in March 2024. 

But big spending doesn’t always equal increased eyeballs. 

First quarter TV ad impressions were 56.6 billion, down 10.4% compared to 63.1 billion in first quarter 2024, according to iSpot. Similarly, March household TV  ad impressions fell 8.3% to 20.1 billion, compared to 21.9 billion in March 2024, according to iSpot.tv.

The top five brands by estimated national TV ad spend in first quarter were Jeep ($83 million), Hyundai ($69.9 million), Chevrolet ($66.7 million), Ram Trucks ($60.2 million) and Kia ($38.7 million).

The top five brands by estimated national TV ad spending in March alone were:  Hyundai ($21.3 million), Chevrolet ($21.2 million), Nissan ($20.9 million), GMC ($18.5 million) and  Ford ($13.9 million), according to iSpot.tv.

Sports-related programming captured 78% of total industry spend in first quarter with the NFL -- buoyed by the playoffs -- accounting for 38% of total outlay, followed by men’s college basketball (19%). 

Basketball dominated for automaker reach in March, with impressions increasing year-over-year for both men’s college basketball (+8.7% vs. March 2024) and the NBA (+2.2%), but decreasing for women’s college basketball (-25.3%). SportsCenter impressions jumped by 59% year-over-year, according to iSpot.tv.

“Basketball was on everyone’s mind in March — including automotive advertisers,” says Stuart Schwartzapfel, executive vice president, media partnerships at iSpot.tv. “Auto brands utilized March Madness excitement to gain extensive exposure to attentive audiences all month, while also activating around late-season NBA action to maximize reach.” 

The top five brands by share of automaker household TV ad impressions in first quarter were  Hyundai (10.89%). Toyota (7.82%), Lexus (7.72%), Nissan (6.99%) and Ford (6.24%).

The top five brands by share of voice on streaming in first quarter were Jeep (12.93%), Hyundai (11.20%), Ram Trucks (8.05%),  Nissan (6.91%) and Toyota (6.47%), according to iSpot.tv.

Hyundai, Toyota and Nissan were among the top five automakers on both streaming and national linear. Ram Trucks put a greater emphasis on streaming over national linear from an ad reach share of voice standpoint.

Automakers saw the most reach during Q1 from men’s college basketball, and games delivered 3% more impressions compared to Q1 2024. Meanwhile, industry impressions dipped from both the NFL (-4%) and the NBA (-1%) year-over-year, according to iSpot.tv.

The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions in first quarter were Kia: Elevated By the Dark (2.53%), Hyundai: Lay Low (2.17%), Volkswagen: A Life Half-Full (1.95%), Lexus: Baby on Board (1.74%) and Jeep: Write Your Owner’s Manual (1.66%).

The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions in March 2025 were Jeep: Write Your Owner’s Manual (4.67%), Hyundai: Lay Low (3.88%), Hyundai: The Temptation (3.61%), Nissan: Award-Winning New Nissan (2.77%) and Kia: Elevated By the Dark (2.34%).

Meanwhile, the top automaker ads by likeability among the top 20 most-seen ads in the first quarter were  Lexus: Baby on Board (+10.6% more likeable than the Q1 2025 automotive norm), Audi: The Road is Calling (+9.6%), Hyundai: Lay Low (+7.4%), Chevrolet: New Year, New Adventure (+4.8%) and Hyundai: The Road (+3.8%), according to iSpot.tv.

The top automaker ads by positive purchase intent among the top 20 most-seen ads in the first quarter were  Audi: The Road is Calling (62% positive purchase intent), Genesis: Stand Apart (55%), Hyundai: Lay Low (54%), GMC: Let It Snow  (51%) and Chevrolet: New Year, New Adventure (50%)

Hyundai’s “Lay Low” was not only the second most-seen auto ad in March, it was also among the top three for likeability and positive purchase intent, according to iSpot.tv.

The spot takes a humorous approach, with a son feeling the need to hide out at his mother’s house because he got such a good deal on a new Tucson — but that leads to his mom taking advantage of the same offer before taking refuge with one of her friends. 

These characters seemed to resonate with viewers, as 19% considered them to be the “single best thing” about the ad, according to iSpot.tv. The spot scored above the automotive average for attention and watchability (in addition to likeability), with top viewer emotions/reactions including “curiosity” and “funny.”