Nearly 79% of Powersports Dealer Websites Failed Google Core Web Vitals in 2026
Douglas Karr January 30, 2026
For the second consecutive year, Overfuel audited the powersports industry’s digital performance—and the results are clear: most dealer websites are still failing where it matters most.
In our 2026 Powersports Core Web Vitals Performance Report, we analyzed 1,519 powersports dealer websites across North America to understand how well the industry is meeting Google’s performance standards on mobile and desktop.
What we found should concern every dealer investing in SEO, paid media, and digital retailing.
The 2026 Core Web Vitals Results: A Breakdown
Out of the 1,519 websites audited, 679 sites had sufficient real-world Google Chrome User Experience (CrUX) data to receive an official Core Web Vitals assessment.
Among those measurable sites:
- 667 websites (78.7%) failed Core Web Vitals on mobile, desktop, or both
- 372 websites (54.8%) failed on both mobile and desktop
- Only 180 websites (21.3%) passed Core Web Vitals on both mobile and desktop
In other words, nearly four out of five powersports dealer websites are underperforming in the eyes of Google—and shoppers feel it too.
Why Core Web Vitals Matter (More Than Ever)
Google’s Core Web Vitals measure three things shoppers experience instantly:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): How fast the main content loads
- Interaction to Next Paint (INP): How responsive the site feels
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): How stable the layout is while loading
These metrics are confirmed Google ranking signals. When a website fails them, Google limits organic exposure—and paid traffic becomes more expensive and less effective.
According to Shift Digital’s 2025 Pulse Report, $30 of every $100 spent driving traffic to a website is wasted when that site fails Core Web Vitals. That waste compounds quickly for dealers relying on paid search, marketplace listings, and OEM traffic programs.
Mobile Performance Is the Biggest Liability
While failures occurred across both device types, mobile performance remains the largest weakness in the powersports industry.
This is especially damaging because:
- Mobile traffic represents the majority of early-stage shoppers
- Google evaluates Core Web Vitals primarily from mobile user data
- Poor mobile performance leads to higher bounce rates and fewer leads
When a site is slow, unstable, or unresponsive on mobile, shoppers don’t browse—they leave.
The Root Cause: Technology, Not Traffic
These failures aren’t caused by a lack of marketing spend or inventory depth. They’re caused by technology decisions.
Legacy platforms, excessive third-party scripts, bloated plugins, unoptimized media, and outdated architecture continue to drag down performance. In contrast, websites built with Core Web Vitals as a non-negotiable foundation consistently pass—unless performance safeguards are overridden by bad practices.
Two years of data now confirm this isn’t a one-off problem—it’s a systemic failure across the powersports industry. Dealers are investing heavily to drive traffic, but when their websites fail Core Web Vitals, Google suppresses visibility and shoppers abandon the experience. Performance is no longer a technical nice-to-have; it’s the gatekeeper to growth, efficiency, and trust.
Alex Griffis, Overfuel CEO
Performance Failure Is Revenue Failure
When a website fails Core Web Vitals:
- Organic rankings suffer
- Cost per click increases
- Lead conversion rates drop
- Shopper trust erodes
Dealers don’t lose business because their inventory is worse—they lose because their website experience is slower, less stable, and harder to use than the competition.
The Path Forward for Powersports Dealers
The takeaway from the 2026 report is simple: Core Web Vitals can’t be treated as an afterthought.
Speed, stability, and responsiveness must be:
- Engineered into the platform from day one
- Protected from performance-killing add-ons
- Tied directly to visibility, conversion, and revenue
At Overfuel, every website ships CWV-ready out of the box, with performance as the foundation—not an optimization project after launch.
