The most satisfying automobile manufacturers: Thousands of drivers have their say

How much do you love – or hate – the car you own? 

And would knowing how other drivers feel about certain manufacturers influence your next vehicle buying decision?

Helpfully, some 90,000 motorists have had their say about how satisfied they are with the brand of vehicle they drive – and the results show which are liked most and least.

Here’s a countdown of the top 10 – and we’ll reveal the full order from one to 32 of mainstream brands to see how yours ranks in the eyes of Britain’s motorists.

*Scroll to the very bottom of the page to find the full list of 32 brands 

The poll of UK drivers was conducted by Auto Express as part of its annual Driver Power survey.

Respondents were asked to rate their level of satisfaction across 36 different attributes for cars up to three years old.

These results were then aggregated to produce an overall score out of 100 and decide the ranking of brands to inform other motorists about which are best next time they’re planning a trip to a showroom to buy a new model.

Among the areas car owners were asked to rate their vehicles included the powertrain, exterior look, interior quality and how practical the motor is.

Ride and handling, the number and effectiveness of safety features, fuel economy and running costs, and overall quality and reliability were also scored.

How easy the infotainment system is to use was also part of the poll, as well as the overall feeling of value for money.

Here’s a countdown of the top 10 brands according to the survey results. Scroll down to the bottom to see the full order of 32 manufacturers to see where yours sits in the league table.

10. Land Rover: 87.63%

Land Rover vehicle owners have a lot of positives to say about their motors, but there are three key areas where the brand is let down.

The first is the company’s poor reliability track record, with 40.6 per cent of respondents saying they had experienced a fault with their car in the last 12 months.

High running costs – especially for insurance and servicing – and overall value for money were also attributes owners downgraded.

However, customers love the exterior (first place for all brands) and interior design, fit and finish and the smooth ride.

Strong engines and oodles of practicality are also big positives for Land Rover drivers.

9. Jaguar: 87.72%

Unsurprisingly, Land Rover’s sister brand Jaguar has almost the same satisfaction score from owners.

And it’s mostly the same problems that have cost it points.

In fact, Jaguar drivers reported a higher fault percentage than Land Rover owners, with 43.6 per cent experiencing an issue in the last year.  

Again, fuel economy and running costs were big criticisms.

However, positives included attractive exterior and interior design and drivers were generally happy with the performance from the engines.

8. Toyota: 87.84%

This result comes as a bit of a shock, given Toyota’s glowing track record in satisfaction surveys historically.

And there are still plenty of highs noted by current owners, including it receiving the fourth highest score for quality and reliability. In fact, fewer than one in five (18.1 per cent) of owners said they Toyotas developed a fault last year.

The brand is also among the top five manufacturers for ride and handling, fuel economy and running costs.

One area where Toyota has slipped behind is its technology – particularly the company’s built-in sat-navs. Of the 32 manufacturers ranked, it positioned 27th in this category.

Toyota also trips up a little with 27th for interior cabin storage, and 24th in the practicality and boot-space section.

7. Mazda: 88.01%

In contrast to the critiques of Toyota, fellow Japanese brand Mazda scored the second highest rating for infotainment system, which owners love for its user-friendliness, smartphone connectivity and striking a nice balance between screen and physical buttons.

Mazda is also among the top 10 for safety features and overall value, exterior design and finish, and quality and reliability. 

Where it loses some points is performance and practicality. 

Engine acceleration was ranked among the worst (29th) and the quirky design of some of its cars has compromised all-round visibility, with owners giving it a score only good enough for 26th in the table.

Reliability is relatively good, though. A quarter of owners reported having to deal with a problem last year. 

6. Peugeot: 88.03%

Peugeot has received a sold 88.03 per cent rating from owners for satisfaction – and it’s all thanks to solid consistency across the board.

The French brand clinches sixth spot by performing strongly across all categories, with no major slip-ups. 

Its worst showing is for infotainment, where it can’t break into the top 10 for any attributes, and where user-friendliness is in 22nd place, with similar scores for phone connectivity and the balance between touchscreen and manual controls. 

Fuel economy and running costs were rated seventh overall in the order, along with powertrains, while ride and handling scores are good enough for eighth. 

In terms of value for money, 13 brands scored better than Peugeot, though its reliability record is pretty good with just one in five (20.8 per cent) having to put right issues in the last 12 months.

5. Citroen: 88.22% 

If you thought Peugeot’s sixth place ranking was good news for French car makers, Citroen’s ranking one position ahead is even more impressive.

What bumped Citroen up the table is owners’ satisfaction with how efficient and inexpensive their cars are.

The brand was scored second overall for running costs, with impressive miles per gallon (mpg) and low servicing and insurance costs delighting drivers.

As with sister brand Peugeot, there’s impressive consistency across the rest of the categories too, with owners rating value fifth overall. Reliability is even better too, with just 15.1 per cent of Citroen-owning respondents saying their car had a problem in the previous 12 months.

The brand’s worst area is a still-decent 14th for exterior style and finish.  

4. Porsche: 89.16%

Porsche owners are pretty satisfied with the expensive cars they’ve spent their hard-earned cash on.

However, these are signs that drivers forgive their Porsches for some poor performances. For instance, it has one of the highest reported fault counts in the survey with over a third (36 per cent) of keepers saying their cars had a fault.

Yet owners scored it second overall for both quality and reliability. Out of 32 manufacturers, it was 25th overall for value for money. 

Where Porsche gains big points is around categories linked to driving performance and how its cars made drivers feel.

It was ranked second for ride and handling and exterior design. It was best overall for quality of finish and the interior design.

3. Kia: 89.35%

There’s a lot to like about owning a Kia, it seems.

Drivers of cars that are three years old or younger ranked their motors highly for both value for money and the quality of infotainment systems.

Fuel efficiency and running costs were up among the top five overall, as was exterior design – interiors slightly back in sixth out of all 32 brands.

It also placed in the top 10 manufacturers in a raft of other categories, including ride and handling, safety features and reliability – though a quarter (24.3 per cent) did say they had some form of gremlin to resolve in the previous 12 months.

The only areas where the Korean marque didn’t excel was for engine acceleration (12th) and gearbox smoothness (17th).

2. Tesla: 90.55%

Elon Musk, pull the string on that party popper because UK drivers say Teslas are the second most satisfying car brand to own.

The US maker scored 90.55 per cent overall thanks in part to topping three specific categories: it has the best-rated powertrains with incredible acceleration and smoothness; drivers are happiest with the running costs helped by low electricity costs and no servicing charges; and the best infotainment courtesy of the much-celebrated central tablet control panel. 

Tesla also ranked second overall for boot space and practicality, plus safety features.

Poor ride smoothness (24th overall) was an issue, but not as much as build quality. Exterior finish came bottom overall out of 32 brands and interior fit only 24th. 

Most reported faults are low-impact issues, say owners, who rank the brand’s reliability in a remarkable second place. Yet almost two in five (37.9 per cent) drivers said their Tesla had an issue.

1. Subaru: 90.66%

The most satisfying brand to own might come as a big surprise to many – it’s Subaru with an overall ranking of 90.66 per cent taking top spot from Tesla.

Incredibly, drivers of Subaru cars told Auto Express that they are so satisfied across the board that it rated their cars highest of all in five categories. It was ranked outside of the top 10 in just two of the 36 aspects of ownership.

The Japanese brand has built its reputation for rugged reliability (27.9 per cent of owners had faults last year) and four-wheel-drive capability through a customer base located primarily in more rural locations. And it seems these drivers are extremely happy with their purchases.

Paul Barker, editor of Auto Express, said: ‘Subaru may not be the most high-profile of brands, but owners have made it clear they’re delighted with their car’s practicality, safety, reliability and quality, among other key attributes. 

‘It’s great to hear the people that have put their own money into buying and owning these cars are so happy with their purchase, and it’s interesting that the top five has such a cross-section of brand – with Tesla, Kia, Porsche and Citroen rounding out the top five – showing that satisfaction is far from linked to cost or prestige.’

BRANDS WITH THE LOWEST SATISFACTION SCORES

30. Ford: 84.58% 

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Ford – Britain’s second best-selling car brand – scored a third from bottom score for satisfaction with 84.58 per cent overall.

It was rated low for quality and reliability, ride and handling, practicality and boot space, interiors and exterior finish and its engines.

31. Fiat: 84.13% 

Fiat was second from bottom with a score of just 84.13 per cent.

The Italian marque received such low ratings for practicality and boot space that the scores from owners put it last overall. Quality and reliability results are low too, despite just 11.8 per cent of owners saying their car had a problem in the previous 12 months.

32. MG: 82.01% 

But the lowest rating of all is for Chinese car maker, MG. Its 82.01 per cent satisfaction score suggests it will need to work hard to keep existing customers.

It rated last for powertrains, exterior, ride and handling and reliability categories. Given the widespread criticism of MG4 EV’s lane assist system, as reported by This is Money, it’s not surprising to see it get low marks for safety features too.  

Interior, practicality and boot space, and infotainment were all right near the bottom of the order too.