According to the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Study, more consumers are opting to forgo brand loyalty as new car inventory and sales in the U.S. continue to return to pre-pandemic levels.
Tyson Jominy, vice president of data & analytics at J.D. Power, claimed that this year’s fall in brand loyalty was due to increasing consumer choice and car availability. “Additionally, owners were more likely to have vehicle issues because of persistent supply chain interruptions, which kept them confined to them for longer than usual.
“Consumers are seeking new vehicles to drive and are no longer being as devoted to a brand now that some issues have eased. However, many of the top-performing brands exhibit consistent performance over time. Owners are more likely to reward businesses with loyalty when cars exceed their expectations, such as by having a superior build quality.
- Porsche maintains its top spot among owners of premium brand vehicles with a 56.8% loyalty rate. Second place goes to Mercedes-Benz (50.5%).
- With a 56.5% loyalty percentage, Volvo leads among premium brand SUV owners. BMW comes in second (56.1%).
- Toyota maintains its top spot among mass-market brand car owners with a 60.0% loyalty rate. Honda comes in second (55.0%).
- Subaru SUV owners have the highest loyalty percentage of any mass-market brand, at 61.1%. Toyota comes in second (60.5%).
- Ford maintains its top spot among truck owners for a second year in a row, with the greatest loyalty rating in the poll at 64.6%. Toyota comes in second (60.4%).
The calculations for the 2023 research are based on transaction data from September 2022 to August 2023 and consider all model years traded in.