Car brand loyalty study shows most love for these five makes

Brand loyalty.

It’s what makes Subaru a Subaru.

OK. So that’s not exactly how the ad slogan goes, but it apparently is how Subaru rolls, based on J.D. Power’s first U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Study.

Followed by Toyota, Honda, Ram and Ford among mainstream brands.

In fact, the five mainstream brands were the only marques that can claim better than 50 percent loyalty when owners are ready to move on to their next vehicle. Although two others – Kia and Chevrolet – also received higher loyalty marks than the highest-rated luxury brand, Lexus, J.D. Power reported.

“When a brand can connect emotionally with owners through the vehicle’s content, capabilities or prestige level, owners are much more likely to come back and purchase that same brand again,” said Tyson Jominy, vice president of data and analytics at J.D. Power.

“Also, that customer could be more likely to recommend the brand to acquaintances and family members who are looking for a new vehicle,” reported Auto Remarketing online.

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The J.D. Power brand loyalty results, indeed, track well among mainstream brands, in particular, with a recent Consumer Reports ranking of owner satisfaction. Subaru achieved the highest ranking for mainstream brands, followed by Ram, Toyota, Honda, Kia and Ford.

Following are JDP’s top 10 brands for each mainstream and luxury vehicles, and loyalty percentages:

Mainstream vehicles

1. Subaru, 61.5 percent
2. Toyota, 59.5 percent
3. Honda, 57.7 percent
4. Ram, 56.2 percent
5. Ford, 54 percent
6. Kia, 49.4 percent
7. Chevrolet, 49 percent
8. Nissan, 45.8 percent
9. Hyundai, 44.8 percent
10. Jeep, 40.9 percent

Luxury vehicles

1. Lexus, 47.6 percent
2. Mercedes-Benz, 44.2 percent
3. BMW, 43.6 percent
4. Porsche, 43.5 percent
5. Audi, 44.3 percent
6. Land Rover, 40.3 percent
7. Maserati, 38 percent
8. Acura, 36.1 percent
9. Lincoln, 35.5 percent
10. Cadillac, 34.1 percent

Power calculated brand loyalty based on the percentage of owners who chose the same brand when trading in an existing vehicle on a new vehicle purchase or lease.

The study was based on transactions from June 2018 through May 2019 and included all model years.