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Interim Financial Statements (Policies)
 3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2026
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]  
Basis of Presentation
The accompanying Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of AutoNation, Inc. and its subsidiaries; intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated. The accompanying Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) for interim financial information and in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). Accordingly, they do not include all of the information and notes required by GAAP for complete financial statements. Additionally, operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results that can be expected for a full year. The Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements herein should be read in conjunction with our audited Consolidated Financial Statements and notes thereto included within our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. These Unaudited Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements reflect, in the opinion of management, all material adjustments (which include only normal recurring adjustments) necessary to fairly state, in all material respects, our financial position and results of operations for the periods presented.
Use of Estimates The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. In preparing these financial statements, management has made its best estimates and judgments of certain amounts included in the financial statements. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experience and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable. However, application of these accounting policies involves the exercise of judgment and use of assumptions as to future uncertainties and, as a result, actual results could differ materially from these estimates. We periodically evaluate estimates and assumptions used in the preparation of the financial statements and make changes on a prospective basis when adjustments are necessary. Such estimates and assumptions affect, among other things, our goodwill, indefinite-lived intangible asset, and long-lived asset valuations; inventory valuation; equity investment valuation; assets held for sale; assessments of variable consideration and related constraints associated with retrospective commissions; accruals for chargebacks against revenue recognized from the sale of finance and insurance products; accruals related to self-insurance programs; certain legal proceedings; assessment of the annual income tax expense; valuation of deferred income taxes and income tax contingencies; the allowance for expected credit losses; and measurement of performance-based compensation costs.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
In November 2024, the FASB issued ASU 2024-03, Income Statement—Reporting Comprehensive Income—Expense Disaggregation Disclosures (Subtopic 220-40): Disaggregation of Income Statement Expenses, that requires disclosure of the amounts of purchases of inventory, employee compensation, depreciation, and intangible asset amortization included in each relevant expense line item on the income statement. The accounting standard update also requires a qualitative description of other amounts included in each relevant expense line item on the income statement that are not separately disclosed. In addition, entities are required to disclose the nature and amount of selling expenses. The amendments in this accounting standard update are effective for annual reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2026, and interim reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2027. Early adoption is permitted. We do not expect the adoption of this accounting standard update to have an impact on our consolidated financial statements, but will require certain additional disclosures.
Capitalization of Internal-Use Software
In September 2025, the FASB issued ASU 2025-06, Intangibles - Goodwill and Other - Internal-Use Software (Subtopic 350-40): Targeted Improvements to the Accounting for Internal-Use Software, that amends the accounting guidance on the timing of capitalization of internally-developed software costs by removing references to software development stages, and provides guidance on how to determine when it is probable that a project will be completed and a software will be used to perform the function intended. The accounting standard update must be applied using either of the following transition methods: (i) a prospective transition method, (ii) a modified transition approach based on the status of the project and whether software costs were capitalized before the date of adoption, or (iii) a retrospective transition approach.
The accounting standard update is effective beginning after December 15, 2027, with early adoption permitted as of the beginning of an annual reporting period. We adopted the accounting standard update effective January 1, 2026, using the modified transition approach. Under this approach, the amendments are applied to new software costs on a prospective basis, except for capitalized software costs for in-process projects that did not meet the capitalization requirements under the new guidance on the date of adoption. We derecognized capitalized software costs for in-process projects through a net after-tax cumulative effect adjustment to retained earnings of $10.5 million as of the date of adoption. The adoption of the accounting standard did not have material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Earnings Per Share Basic earnings per share (“EPS”) is computed by dividing net income by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for the period, including vested restricted stock unit (“RSU”) awards. Diluted EPS is calculated using the treasury stock method by dividing net income by the weighted average number of shares outstanding, noted above, including the effect of dilutive unvested RSU awards.
Allowance for Credit Losses
The allowance for credit losses represents the net credit losses expected over the remaining contractual life of our auto loans receivable. The allowance for credit losses is determined using a vintage-level statistical model that captures the relationship between historical changes in gross losses and the lifetime loss curves by month on book, credit tiers at origination, and seasonality, adjusted for expected recoveries based on historical recovery trends. The credit loss model also considers reasonable and supportable forecasts about the future based on a forecast of various macroeconomic variables that we believe are strongly correlated to evaluating and predicting expected credit losses of our auto loans receivable. We utilize a reasonable and supportable forecast period of one year, after which we immediately revert to historical experience.
We periodically consider whether the use of alternative variables would result in improved credit loss model accuracy and revise the model when appropriate. We also consider whether qualitative adjustments are necessary for factors that are not reflected in the quantitative methods but impact the measurement of estimated credit losses. Such adjustments include the expectations of the impact of changes in underwriting standards and recent economic trends.
Impairment of Long-Lived Assets
Nonfinancial assets such as goodwill, other intangible assets, and long-lived assets held and used, are measured at fair value when there is an indicator of impairment and recorded at fair value only when impairment is recognized or for a business combination. The fair values less costs to sell of long-lived assets and disposal groups held for sale are assessed each reporting period they remain classified as held for sale. Subsequent changes in the held for sale long-lived asset’s or disposal group’s fair value less cost to sell (increase or decrease) are reported as an adjustment to its carrying amount, except that the adjusted carrying amount cannot exceed the carrying amount of the long-lived asset or disposal group at the time it was initially classified as held for sale.