Tesla, the maker of the so-called S3XY lineup of all-electric vehicles, together with Lexus, the maker of the RZ450e crossover, are the highest-ranking luxury car brands in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Automobile Study 2022-2023, the results of which were published yesterday.
In this latest installment of the study, Lexus scored 83 percent on a 100 percent scale, down 1 percent from last year, while Tesla gained 4 percent to come to a tie with the Japanese automaker.
Second place went to Cadillac, with 82 percent, up 3 percent from last year, while third place was a tie between Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, all with a score of 80 percent. Acura scored 79 percent, down 4 percent from last year, and occupies last place in the luxury segment of the study.
In the mass-market category, Toyota takes the crown for customer satisfaction, with a score of 84 percent – up 5 percent – followed by Subaru with 82 percent, Honda with 81 percent, and Mazda with 80 percent.
At the same time, Nissan, Volkswagen, Jeep, and Ram saw their scores go down in this year’s edition of the study. Chrysler scored last in the mass-market category, with 71 percent, down 1 percent from last year.
“Satisfaction with the auto industry as a whole has fully rebounded to pre-pandemic levels, and consumer demand is strong despite rising interest rates,” says Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. “The supply chain kinks that slowed production during the pandemic are starting to wane, and more cars are back in stock. Nearly every aspect of the driver experience — including driving performance, safety, dependability, gas mileage, and warranties — is better. And, despite higher prices, value perceptions have improved as well. These factors bode well for automakers — and their sales figures — in the second half of 2023.”
As for the electric versus gasoline debate, the study shows that drivers of both electric and hybrid electric vehicles are more satisfied than customers who own or lease gas-powered cars. However, EVs rank last for dependability and customer expectations for reliability and have the highest complaint rate.
“EVs must improve before automakers can justify the price differential for a broader audience,” notes Morgeson. “Early EV adopters find these vehicles perform well relative to their expectations, yet ACSI data show they are only superior in technology and warranties. That is not enough to convince more consumers to leave gas in the past.”
The ACSI Automobile Study 2022-2023 is based on interviews with 8,941 customers, chosen at random and contacted via email between July 2022 and June 2023.
