You see a lot of surveys around that measure the rank of a vehicle by number of sales or by reliability but is that the key metric we should consider when making a decision to buy a car. What about how happy the car makes the owner? Wouldn’t it be great if we could find out how contented owners of are vehicle are with their purchase.
Well I came across a survey published in Consumer Reports which does just that. In a nut shell they went out and asked owners of vehicles if they had the chance would they do it all over again? Would you buy the same model?
The survey claims that the survey reflects just how satisfied the owner is in terms of the promises made by the car manufacturer such as promised performance, efficiency, cabin space, luxury, comfort. The report believes that the manufacturer that comes closest to their claims are the ones where the buying public would most likely repeat the same purchase.
So which cars, at least in the USA , have most satisfied their owners? Here is a spoiler alert, Tesla didn’t make the list despite being Americalands darling EV Manufacturer (allegedly) and there are very few EVs on the list, but in tenth position:
#10 Hyundai Ioniq 6
Some 81% of the owners surveyed said that they would buy the car again. The futuristically styled EV from Korea has taken the Mid-range sedan class by storm in the USA but they only managed to shift a total of 6000 units in the first half of this year, when yo compare that to the Tesla 3 which shifted 233,000 last year it really is a paltry amount.
#9 Honda Pilot
With a satisfaction score of 82% Honda are not really making a true off-roader here but certainly have managed to excite those who favour a large on-roader in which you can pretend to be a tough-rough outdoorsy type. In 2023 Honda dealers managed to shift just under 100,000 units making it quite a popular beastie.
#8 Kia Telluride
A stupid name in some senses for yet another soft off-roader, but still they managed to rack up a satisfaction score of 82% like the Honda before it. In 2019 the company managed to sell 59,000 units in Americaland which is not shabby.
#7 Ford Maverick
The only Ford on the list with an 83% satisfaction score, this urban pick-up seems to tick the boxes with the American driving public. For just the first quarter of 2024, they managed to shift almost 25,000 of them, which is a 80% increase over last year.
#6 Rivian R1S
The first of two Rivians on the list, and despite the small issue of the Rivian delivery trucks spontaneously combusting in Amazon parking lots as we previously reported upon in Automology, the R1S has a satisfaction score of 84%. The Rivian is the seventh best selling EV in the US with just under 25k units sold beating Fords Lightening F-150 which sold 24,000 units and tesla Model X which sold 23,000 units.
#5 BMW X5
Been around for some time now but the latest model is still a crowd pleaser with a satisfaction score of 85%. The corporate off-roader managed to sell almost 60,000 units in 2023 in Americaland, this was 30% down from the previous year.
# 4 Lexus NX Hybrid
Looks a little too much like a Toyota Harrier for me but owners seemed to be enjoying their experience and an impressive 87% of them said that they would do it all again if they had to.
#3 Mazda Miata
The car that MG should be building, also the car that if you have never had a test drive in you should stop what you are doing and go and get a drive right now. It is just a fun ride. 88% of customers said that they enjoy their car but the trouble for Mazda is they only managed to shift about 8,000 of them in America last year…
#2 Rivian R1T
Billed as a big Tesla for adventurers with a satisfaction score of 88%, this is a marque that as of yet has not gotten out of the USA and just recently had to be propped up by the VW group to the tune of about USD5 billion.
#1 Chevy C8
Advertised as a mid-engine super-car the Chevrolet Corvette C8 is a beastie that has been making waves globally even though this particular writer has yet to see one in real life. A lot of super car owners tend to be super picky but 93% of owners declared themselves to be satisfied with their purchase.
