Want to know which auto brand ranks highest in U.S. buyer satisfaction with dealerships? Then the 36th edition of the J.D. Power U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI), released for 2021, can provide valuable insight on the new vehicle purchase experience from the point of view of a customer.
The study is based on responses from approximately 35K new vehicle owners who purchased or leased their vehicle from March 2021 through May 2021. The key performance indicators (KPIs) of the study include inventory shortages, battery-electric vehicle charging and after-sales requirements, BEV knowledge and expertise of dealership personnel, digital retailing, etc.
Buyer satisfaction in the United States (wrt. the new vehicle purchase experience) is measured based on six factors (in order of importance): delivery process (28%), dealer personnel (21%), working out the deal (19%), paperwork completion (19%), dealership facility (10%), and dealership website (4%).
The 2021 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study also measures Rejecter Satisfaction, i.e., satisfaction among auto brands and dealerships that were shopped but ultimately rejected in favour of the selling dealership. Satisfaction among rejecters is based on five factors: salesperson (40%), price (23%), facility (15%), variety of inventory (12%), and negotiation (10%).
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Best Automotive Brand In Sales Satisfaction
So, here are the Premium car brands and Mass market auto brands in USA in overall sales satisfaction at the time of new-vehicle purchase in 2021:
J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index Study for Premium & Mass Market Brands
In the Premium Brand Segment, Porsche tops the list with 833 points (on a 1,000-point scale), followed by Infiniti with 825 points, and Lexus secures third place with 820 points. Comparing with last year’s J.D. Power 2020 U.S. SSI, we note that Porsche has done an incredible job this year, ranking highest in satisfaction with dealer service.
The “premium segment average” this year was 807 points, and nine luxury car brands, including Porsche, Infiniti, Lexus, Cadillac, Lincoln, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Alfa Romeo, were able to surpass it with their exemplary new-vehicle purchase experience at the brand dealership. Comparing it to last year (2020), where the segment average was 816 points and six luxury brands made the cut: Lincoln, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Infiniti, and Porsche,
| Rankings | Car Brand (J.D. Power 2021 U.S. SSI) | Car Brand (J.D. Power 2020 U.S. SSI) |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Porsche (833) | Lincoln (827) |
| 2nd | Infiniti (825) | Lexus (826), Mercedes-Benz (826) |
| 3rd | Lexus (820) | Cadillac (825), Infiniti (825), Porsche (825) |
| 4th | Cadillac (814) | Acura (813) |
| 5th | Lincoln (813) | BMW (810) |
| 6th | Jaguar (812) | Audi (804) |
| 7th | Mercedes-Benz (810) | Jaguar (801) |
| 8th | BMW (809) | Land Rover (800) |
| 9th | Alfa Romeo (808) | Volvo (798) |
| 10th | Acura (799) | Alfa Romeo (797) |
| 11th | Land Rover (796) | Genesis (773) |
| 12th | Volvo (792) | |
| 13th | Audi (787) | |
| 14th | Genesis (738) |
In the Mass Market Car Brands, GMC tops the list with 812 points (on a 1000-point scale) in sales satisfaction with the brands’ dealership, followed by Buick with 806 points and Chevrolet with 804 points. Comparing it to the J.D. Power 2020 U.S. SSI, MINI made a substantial drop from ranking highest to 6th place this year, while GMC and Buick are the brands that were successful in securing the top 3 places both years.
The segment average this year was 785 points, and 11 mass market car brands—GMC, Buick, Chevrolet, Dodge, Nissan, MINI, Honda, Jeep, Subaru, Ford, and Volkswagen—were able to surpass it with their exemplary sales processes that resonated with buyers. Comparing it to last year (2020), where the segment average was 784 points and 10 mass market brands made the cut: MINI, GMC, Ford, Subaru, Nissan, Honda, Chevrolet, Mazda, and Volkswagen,
| Rank | J.D. Power 2021 U.S. SSI | J.D. Power 2020 U.S. SSI |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | GMC (812) | MINI (824) |
| 2nd | Buick (806) | GMC (804) |
| 3rd | Chevrolet (804) | Buick (803) |
| 4th | Dodge (796) | Ford (798) |
| 5th | Nissan (795) | Subaru (793) |
| 6th | MINI (794) | Nissan (792) |
| 7th | Honda (792), Jeep (792), Subaru (792) | Honda (790) |
| 8th | Ford (790) | Chevrolet (787) |
| 9th | Volkswagen (787) | Mazda (785) |
| 10th | RAM (782) | Volkswagen (784) |
| 11th | Mazda (775) | Dodge (779) |
| 12th | Toyota (772) | Mitsubishi (778) |
| 13th | Hyundai (761) | Toyota (777) |
| 14th | KIA (756) | Hyundai (773) |
| 15th | Chrysler (755) | KIA (771) |
| 16th | Jeep (768), RAM (768) | |
| 17th | Chrysler (756), Fiat (756) |
Further including the results of J. D. Powers 2021 U.S. CSI (Customer Service Index), measuring after-sale satisfaction, reveals that Porsche, Lexus, and Infiniti (in the premium segment) and Buick (in the mass market segment) are the brands securing the top 3 spots in both the SSI and CSI 2021 lists, acing on both the “sales” and “customer satisfaction” fronts.