Volvo has topped the rankings for brand loyalty in the UK, according to new consumer research by JudgeService.
The first JudgeService Car Brand Tracker polled the views of 1,244 owners to measure their perceptions and awareness of all car manufacturers active in the UK.
The top 10 for brand loyalty, based on responses to how likely owners are to purchase the same make again, featured an eclectic mix of premium, mainstream and budget brands.
Volvo took the top spot followed by Land Rover, Dacia, Suzuki, Mini, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, Skoda and Mazda.
The degree of satisfaction among owners was also measured by their likelihood to recommend their chosen brand to family and friends.
Suzuki, a perennial award winner for customer satisfaction, was the highest ranked make in the top 10 for recommendations, followed by Volvo, Dacia, Nissan, Seat, Volkswagen, Mini, Toyota, Skoda and Mazda.
The research also measured the spontaneous awareness of brands with Ford dominating the listings followed by BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota.
“Premium and value brands are able to elicit satisfaction and recommendations; it is the middle ground brands that look likely to suffer,” said Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService.
“Car brands invest heavily in marketing campaigns to maintain awareness among buyers and our research reveals just how satisfied owners are after they have made a purchase,” he added.
“Brand loyalty is built on customer satisfaction with their vehicles and interactions with the franchised dealer looking after them. The best performing marques recognise just how precious a commodity loyalty is and the need to nurture it at every possible customer touchpoint through buy-in from their dealer partners.”
Service vs price
Addley said the results from the poll validate Volvo and Suzuki as “formidable brands in the UK who punch above their wight when it comes to delighting their customers”.
He added: “With the arrival of new entrant brands into the UK market it will be fascinating to see how the landscape changes. If a brand is not doing well in terms of awareness, loyalty or recommendation it needs to decide where it will set the battleground. If it comes down to a battle on price it is likely the new entrants will win.”
