Toyota Just Lost To Subaru And Mazda At Its Own Game
"A recent survey reveals that car buyers’ satisfaction has dipped slightly compared to last year."
The latest survey of automotive customer satisfaction shows an unexpected brand taking the lead, proving it can compete at the top. Meanwhile, Ram and Chrysler experienced notable drops in their scores. Overall, both luxury and mainstream brands are closing the gap, bringing more drivers closer than ever to full satisfaction.
Rising prices, higher monthly payments, and longer loan terms are taking a toll on car buyers, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) study. Overall, consumers reported being slightly less satisfied with their most recent vehicle purchases compared to last year.
Japanese Brands Lead the Pack
Subaru tops this year’s rankings, rising 2% to an 85 score and continuing its strong performance in customer satisfaction surveys. Toyota, which shared the top spot among mainstream brands with Subaru last year, slipped 1% to 82, landing in third place. Mazda sits in the middle with a score of 83.
The overall industry average for customer satisfaction was 79, with Ford, Nissan, Volkswagen, Kia, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, and Ram all falling below that mark. Ram saw the largest decline, dropping 10% to 69—a significant setback.
Toyota can celebrate as Lexus jumped 6% to claim the top spot among luxury brands, overtaking Mercedes-Benz. The luxury segment had fewer survey responses, resulting in only seven brands making the chart. Notable absences included Lincoln, Alfa Romeo, and Infiniti. Among the brands that did appear, Acura, Audi, and BMW all scored below the segment average.
When it comes to what buyers liked about their new vehicles this year compared to last, the news isn’t great. According to the ACSI results, every measure either stayed the same or declined compared to 2024, for both mainstream and luxury brands.
Range continues to be a sticking point for both gas and electric vehicle drivers. Among mainstream buyers, 74% were satisfied with the maximum distance their gasoline cars could travel before refueling, compared with just 64% for EVs. In the luxury segment, satisfaction was slightly closer, at 74% for gas and 71% for electric vehicles. Overall, EV satisfaction fell from 73% to 68%, while satisfaction with gasoline vehicles remained steady at 80%.
Handling Shines, Hybrids Continue to Impress
Mainstream car buyers reported the highest satisfaction with driving performance, particularly handling, braking, and steering. Dependability came in second, followed by mobile apps in third place. Categories like resale value, driving range, warranties, and technology scored lowest this year.
Last year, hybrid owners—both in luxury and mainstream segments—were the most satisfied with their vehicles. This year, their satisfaction slipped slightly, putting them on par with gasoline car owners. Electric vehicles, meanwhile, lagged behind with a satisfaction rate of 73% compared to 80% for gas-powered cars.
With an overall score of 79%, vehicle satisfaction sits on par with life insurance and supermarkets in the ACSI index—a middling position. Soft drinks led the ranking, followed by sneakers, non-hospital medical care, and breweries. At the bottom were traditionally “beloved” industries, including subscription TV, the postal service, and internet service providers.
The ACSI automobile satisfaction study is based on 9,949 completed surveys. Participants were contacted via email between June 2024 and June 2025 and asked to evaluate their recent experiences with various car brands.
