Purpose The main aim of this paper is to measure customers’ perception of car Ijarah financing transactions services provided by the Islamic banks and financial institutions in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses two research methodologies: Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney test (non-parametric) and logit regression model (parametric). Both methods are then applied to a real data set of 300 respondents from various cities of Pakistan in the car Ijarah financing industry. The demographic effects are also investigated to see the perception about the degree of Shari’ah compliance and the quality of service of transaction offered by banks. Findings Main finds of the paper reveal that the customers who used the car Ijarah facility from Islamic banks have positive attitude toward this sort of transaction. In addition, gender, income, marital status affect the perception about the quality of Shari’ah compliance, and the quality of service of transaction issues are very important to selected clients in the industry. Research limitations/implications These findings are limited to the car Ijarah financing industry and may not be applicable in other banking products in Pakistan and elsewhere. Practical implications Based on the results of this study, potential Islamic bank customers may find it helpful choose products or make product decisions conveniently. The findings of the paper also support Islamic banks in improving the Ijarah facility to increase their customer base in the geo-political locality with similar characteristics as Pakistan. Social implications Shari’ah compliance in the Islamic finance industry is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, and hence, car Ijarah’s Shari’ah compliance can affect banks’ reputation and sensitivity. Originality/value The work reported in this paper is original, unpublished and the paper is not submitted elsewhere for publication.