Lexus leads luxury brands in driver loyalty

Japanese automaker Lexus leads in customer loyalty among luxury brands, according to a recent study by market researcher J.D. Power.

The J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Study calculates whether a driver purchases a vehicle from the same automaker when trading in or purchasing their next car. Once an owner is loyal to a specific brand, it is more difficult to convince them to purchase from a different automaker.

“There are many factors that contribute to brand loyalty, ranging from the experience a customer has when purchasing the vehicle to how driving it makes them feel,” said Tyson Jominy, vice president of data & analytics at J.D. Power, in a statement. “Automakers are really focused on customer retention, as evidenced by the payment plans and incentives they’ve offered since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.

“Many have gone above and beyond to offer customers financial assistance during a period of economic uncertainty, which does a lot to bolster consumer confidence in their chosen brand and repurchase it in the future,” he said.

Leading in loyalty
Lexus topped luxury carmakers with a loyalty rate of 48 percent, closely followed by German automaker Mercedes-Benz at 47.8 percent. Mass market automaker Subaru had the highest overall loyalty rate at 60.5 percent.

In the luxury segment, German automakers BMW, Porsche and Audi rounded out the top five brands. Across the 13 luxury and premium automakers included in the study, the average loyalty rate was 35 percent.

J.D. Power 2020 U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Study. Image credit: J.D. Power

J.D. Power also recently examined which automakers have the most satisfactory Web sites.

Mercedes-Benz posted the highest overall U.S. customer satisfaction among luxury automakers’ Web sites measured by J. D. Power.

Mercedes-Benz scored 850 on a 1,000-point scale, slightly ahead of Land Rover’s 847 and BMW’s 846 on J. D. Power’s 2020 Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study for the summer. The COVID-19 pandemic’s lockdowns of dealerships made customers more willing to buy their vehicles online, making Web sites key in car selection (see story).