New Report: Best Car Brands for Customer Satisfaction

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Some people are very loyal to one car brand, while others are just looking for the best deal they can find. Regardless of which camp you fall into, you may be wondering: What is the best car brand?

A recent report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) sought to answer this question. The ACSI Automobile Study 2022-2023 ranks how happy consumers are with their recent experiences with major automobile brands. The study separated the cars into two categories: mass-market brands and luxury brands, and judged them on performance, technology, dependability, comfort, safety and more.

The study is based on interviews with 8,941 customers between July 2022 and June 2023.

What Are the Top Car Brands According To Customers?

Here are some key findings from the report, which ranked the vehicle brands on a 100-point scale.

  • Overall customer satisfaction with automobiles improves 3% for an ACSI score of 79 out of 100. 
  • In the mass-market segment, Toyota outranks all the others in the report with a score of 84 — a 5% surge compared to last year. 
  • In the luxury segment, Lexus descends 1% and Tesla ascends 4% to tie for the lead with a score of 83.

Now let’s take a look at the top mass-market car brands, and then we’ll move on to the luxury brands.

These Are the Top Mass-Market Car Brands According to Customers

Car Brand2023 ScoreGain/Loss From
Previous Year
Toyota845%
Subaru823%
Honda815%
Mazda803%
Buick (GM)793%
Chevrolet (GM)791%
GMC (GM)794%
Hyundai780%
Ford771%
Kia771%
Nissan76-1%
Average 793%

“Satisfaction with the auto industry as a whole has fully rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, and consumer demand is strong despite rising interest rates,” Forrest Morgeson, ACSI director of research emeritus, says in a news release

Morgeson, who also is an associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University, says, “Nearly every aspect of the driver experience — including driving performance, safety, dependability, gas mileage, and warranties — is better. And, despite higher prices, value perceptions have improved as well. These factors bode well for automakers — and their sales figures — in the second half of 2023.”

These Are the Top Luxury Car Brands According to Customers

Car Brand2023 ScoreGain/Loss From
Previous Year
Lexus (Toyota)83-1%
Tesla834%
Cadillac (GM)823%
Audi (Volkswagen)80-2%
BMW801%
Mercedes-Benz801%
Acura (Honda)79-4%
Average811%

Read the full report at ACSI.org.

No matter which brand you like, money expert Clark Howard says you should keep in mind that car prices (for both new and used vehicles) are still out of whack right now as a result of several issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The average price of a new car has hovered above the $48,000 mark for more than a year now, but Clark says good news for your wallet is coming.

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“The best advice I can give you in today’s car market is to wait,” Clark says.

“The best thing in an ugly market is that if what you have is working, keep driving it,” he adds. “The ugly will fade, and supply and demand will come back into balance.”

Wondering when car prices will ease? Read up on when Clark expects prices to fall.

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