• by Tanya Gazdik , Yesterday

Automakers spent almost 12% more in May on estimated national TV compared to a year-ago, but year-to-date spending is down slightly. 

Spending tallied $154.1 million in May 2025 vs. $137.8 million in May 2024, according to iSpot.tv. 

Year-to-date estimated national TV spending totaled $1.04 billion down less than 1% from the same period in 2024.

Meanwhile, May household TV ad impressions tallied 18.2 billion, down 13.7% from 21.1 billion in May 2024. Year-to-date impressions were down 12.9% (91.6 billion vs. 105.2 billion), per iSpot.tv. 

The top five brands by estimated national TV ad spending in May were Hyundai ($17.4 million), Kia ($17.2 million), Subaru ($10 million), Volkswagen ($9.9 million) and Lexus ($9.9 million).

The top five brands by share of automaker household TV ad impressions in May were Hyundai (10.05%), Lexus (8.10%), Chevrolet (7.77%), Toyota (7.73%) and Kia (6.79%).

The top five brands by share of voice on streaming in May were  Hyundai (11.84%), Lexus (8.35%), Toyota (7.11%), Nissan (6.55%) and Chevrolet (6.21%).

Four of the top five automakers by ad reach were the same across streaming and national linear TV impressions, with Hyundai leading the way on both, per iSpot.tv.

Nissan was the outlier, with a slightly larger emphasis on streaming over national linear from an ad reach SOV standpoint: The brand ranked fourth for streaming SOV, but was seventh on linear. And although it doesn’t make the top five, it’s also worth noting that Ford also had a larger presence on streaming (No. 6) compared to linear (No. 12).

Sports-related programming accounted for over 60% of the auto industry’s total national linear TV ad spend in May, dominated by the NBA (40% of total spend), per iSpot.tv. 

Four of the top five automakers by spend activated around NBA games to varying extents. Subaru was the outlier, instead leaning into morning news programming (Today, Good Morning America) as well as the Spanish-language series La Jefa on Telemundo; in fact, Subaru was the top brand by spend and reach across all industries for La Jefa in May. 

“Sports commanded the lion’s share of automaker TV ad spend in May, with many brands leaning into NBA playoff action to reach engaged audiences,” says Stuart Schwartzapfel, EVP, media partnerships at iSpot.tv. “However, Spanish-language programming also continued to emerge as a significant area of growth for the auto industry year-over-year as the industry invests more heavily in appealing to those consumers.”

The most-seen automaker ads by share of household TV ad impressions in May was Genesis: No Old Ideas (3.42%), Buick: Now Is Exceptional (2.63%), Toyota: All the Way to Here (2.40%), Chevrolet: Dependability Comes Standard (2.22%) and Subaru: Consumer Reports 2025 Most Reliable Automotive Brand (2.15%).

The top automaker ads by likeability among the top 20 most-seen ads in May was Subaru: Dog Tested: On Repeat (+16.2% more likeable than May automotive norm), Volkswagen: The Dogs (+8.2%). Toyota: All the Way to Here (+4.6%), Mercedes-Benz: Many Forms (+3.4%) and Kia: The Next Movement (+2%).

Top automaker ads by positive purchase intent among the top 20 most-seen ads in May were Subaru: Dog Tested: On Repeat (54%), Ford: Committed to America (53%), Genesis: No Old Ideas (53%), Chevrolet: Unplug and Unlock (52%) andVolkswagen: The Dogs (49%). 

Volkswagen’s “The Dog” stood out in May from a likeability and positive purchase intent standpoint. In the spot, humans and dogs alike can’t help but stare as a ’25 Tiguan cruises down the street, with Jean Knight’s “Mr. Big Stuff” as the soundtrack. 

These elements resonated with viewers: 18% of survey respondents said the music was the “single best thing” about the ad, while 16% preferred the characters. In addition to surpassing the auto norm for likeability, this ad scored notably well for attention, according to iSpot.tv.