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ACSI Results
The ACSI’s (American Customer Satisfaction Index) 2024 Automobile Survey was released in late August. It provides key insights into current automotive consumer brand sentiment and customer satisfaction data. Among mass-market brands, Japanese automakers ranked highest, with Subaru and Toyota sharing top billing, while Mercedes-Benz’s improved rating put it on par with Tesla among luxury brands. The ACSI’s report also confirms the rising popularity of hybrid vehicles as a preferred middle ground between traditional gas-powered cars and full-on EVs.
Mass-Market Brand Satisfaction
Among mass-market automotive brands Subaru and Toyota topped the ACSI survey, tying with an 83-point satisfaction rating (from a 0-100 scale). The survey cited both brands’ reputations for safety and reliability as key factors influencing their customer satisfaction ratings. Honda came in a third place at 82, followed closely by Mazda at 81 and Buick (the first American made marque) at 80. Mid-pack, Ford and Volkswagen managed to improve their ratings the most year-over-year, lifting their scores by three and four points to 79 and 78, respectively. Stellantis’ collection of brands, including RAM, Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler clustered near the bottom of the rankings with RAM scoring the highest at 77.
Luxury Brand Satisfaction
Mercedes-Benz managed to improve its customer satisfaction significantly, up 4 percent year-over-year to a score of 83, tying it with last year’s leader, Tesla. ACSI noted Mercedes-Benz’s hybrids and plug-in hybrids were lauded by customers for their efficiency and, in the case of PHEVs, their electric-only driving range, buoying their score. Lexus and Cadillac tied for third/fourth with a score of 82 while Audi managed a satisfaction score of 80.
Satisfaction Benchmarks
The ACSI survey breaks out a list of satisfaction “Benchmarks” for both mass-market and luxury brands. For mass-market vehicles, there are two key takeaways. First, mass-market brands saw improvements in Reliability, warranties, technology, and most significantly, in gas mileage/efficiency. The second takeaway: driving performance, vehicle safety, and dependability rank as significant positive factors in customer satisfaction i.e., these are the things buyers think carmakers are doing best at right now.
Perhaps not surprisingly, luxury brand benchmark scores were higher on average than mass-market vehicles, 83 points to 81 points. The largest single score disparities between mass-market and luxury brands revolved around the quality and reliability of vehicle related apps which were more highly rated by the luxury vehicle owners. A similar disparity in favor luxury brands was seen for in-car technology ratings. Driving performance and safety also ranked highly for luxury vehicle owners, along with exterior looks.
Hybrids vs Gas vs EV
Another significant data set from the survey involved comparing vehicle powertrains, splitting out between hybrids, gas, and fully electric vehicles. Hybrids scored highest in customer satisfaction across both mass-market and luxury brands. For mass-market vehicles, hybrids attained 81, gas-powered cars got 80, with EVs seeing a significant dip to 73 points. Hybrids were even more highly rated by luxury car buyers with a score of 84 with gas-powered cars and EVs ranking more closely together at 81 and 80, respectively. What accounts for the gulf between mass-market and luxury EVs? Partly quality and partly expense.
As ASCI notes, EVs continue to carry a cost premium, at least early in their ownership cycle. Insurance rates and repair cost tend to be higher for EVs than traditional gas-powered or hybrid vehicles as are initial sticker prices as the total population of EV models skews toward luxury pricing (after all, Tesla’s market share covers nearly half of EV sales in the US). Additionally, the perceived quality of mass-market EVs has lagged that of luxury brand EVs, with less-expensive EVs like the Chevy Bolt failing to stack up (at least in buyers’ minds) to the likes of premium-branded EVs like Tesla.
Meanwhile, hybrid vehicles outpaced both gas-powered cars and EVs in customer satisfaction thanks in part to improved electric-only ranges for plug-in hybrids and increasingly impressive efficiency numbers from traditional hybrids like the new 2024 Toyota Prius. The ASCI satisfaction ratings make clear car buyers are keen to reduce their carbon footprint and reduce their fuel costs even while some remain skeptical of the costs of EV ownership and the spottiness supporting infrastructure.
