Lithia Motors, Inc. 401(k) Review & Grade
Lithia Motors, Inc. 401(k) Plan
Medford, ORRetail Trade24,060 active participantsPlan year 2024✓ Auto-enroll
Estimate from the plan's Form 5500 filing · How we grade
$1,589Employer $ per active participant
$4,361Employee $ saved per active participant
0.18%Direct admin cost, % of plan assets
$1.0BNet plan assets, end of year
$38,437Average balance per account
Score breakdown
- Employer generosity43.5 / 5087th percentile for employer $ per participant
- Low cost5.1 / 2520th percentile for low admin cost vs. same-size plans
- Employee saving14.0 / 1593th percentile for employee $ per participant
- Plan features10 / 10Auto-enrollment, Default investment
- Red-flag deductions-3 pts1 issue reported on the filing
Total score70 / 100 · Grade B
This plan vs. peers
Peers: Retail Trade plans with 10,000+ active participants (124 plans).
| Measure | Percentile |
|---|---|
| Employer $ per participant | 87th |
| Lower admin cost | 20th |
| Employee saving | 93th |
| Peers that auto-enroll | 32% |
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Red flags from the filing
Corrective distributions: the plan refunded $19,419 in contributions, which usually means it failed annual nondiscrimination testing.
What to do if you're in this plan
- Lithia Motors put in about $1,589 per active participant, more than the typical peer ($689). Contribute at least enough to collect the full match. Skipping it leaves part of your pay on the table.
- The filing shows total dollars, not the match formula. Ask HR for the Summary Plan Description so you know the exact match and vesting schedule.
- Direct plan expenses (0.18% of assets) are well above similar-size plans (0.09%). Check your annual fee disclosure, choose low-cost index funds if you can, and think about whether savings beyond the match belong in an IRA.
- The plan auto-enrolls employees. Check your default contribution rate. Defaults are often lower than what it takes to get the full match.
- Changing jobs? You can usually leave the money in the plan, move it to your new employer's plan, or roll it into an IRA. Don't cash out: you'd owe taxes and possibly a 10% penalty.
The raw numbers from the filing
| Employer contributions | $38,229,156 |
| Participant (employee) contributions | $104,932,723 |
| Other contributions (incl. rollovers in) | $28,692,867 |
| Administrative expenses paid from the plan | $1,716,511 |
| Investment advisory & management fees | $58,500 |
| Benefits paid out | $136,807,825 |
| Net assets, start / end of year | $862.2M / $1.0B |
| Active participants, start / end of year | 24,675 / 23,444 |
| Participants with account balances | 26,680 |
| Auto-enrollment (feature code 2S) | Yes |
| Auditor | KBF Cpas - Audit, LLP |
| Employer stock held by plan | $36,976,215 |
Largest service providers (Schedule C)
| Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner and S | $1,633,011 reported compensation |
| Deschutes Investment Consulting, LL | $58,500 reported compensation |
| KBF Cpas LLP | $25,000 reported compensation |
Source: DOL EFAST2 Form 5500 filing, acknowledgment ID 20251015142206NAL0002561763001, received 2025-10-15, EIN 93-0572810, plan #003, plan year 2024-01-01 to 2024-12-31. Verify at efast.dol.gov.