LEXUS is the key car brand to deliver customer satisfaction.

For the 10th successive year, Lexus has been ranked the highest in satisfying new-vehicle owners in the latest J D Power and Associates/What Car? 2010 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS). Lexus scored 846 on a 1,000-point scale in the J D Power survey.

Rounding out the highest-ranked five car makers in the J D Power survey were Honda (825), Jaguar (818), Mercedes-Benz (817) and Toyota (814). The survey was compiled before the high-profile recalls affecting Lexus and Toyota cars.

The study measured customer satisfaction with dealer service based on evaluation of 67 attributes grouped in four key measures. In order of importance, they were: vehicle appeal (37%) – performance, design, comfort and features; vehicle quality and reliability (24%); ownership costs (22%) – fuel consumption, insurance and costs of service/repair; and dealer service satisfaction (17%).

Lexus performed particularly well in three of the four key measures, said J D Power: vehicle quality and reliability; vehicle appeal; and service satisfaction.

“Rising to the top of the manufacturer’s ranking in ownership satisfaction requires a concerted customer focused approach throughout the vehicle life cycle, from the product concept stages to servicing customers during the ownership period,” commented Martin Volk, senior research manager at J D Power and Associates.

“Earning industry-benchmark status year after year demands an in depth understanding on how to match and further exceed customer expectations in an ever-changing and challenging environment within the automotive industry,” Mr Volk added. Most improved brand was Jaguar.

The survey also assessed most satisfying cars to own. Lexus won the compact executive car category (Lexus IS) and SUV (Lexus RX). Jaguar’s XF won the executive car category.

The top 10 car brands for customer satisfaction

• 1 Lexus 84.6%

• 2 Honda 82.5%

• 3 Jaguar 81.8%

• 4 Mercedes-Benz 81.7%

• 5 Toyota 81.4%

• 6 Skoda 81.3%

• 7 BMW 80.9%

• 8 MINI 80.8%

• 9= Audi, Volvo 80.7%

Source: J D Power and Associates/What Car? 2010 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS)

The J D Power top-ranked car models by segment

City Car

• 1 Toyota Aygo

• 2 Fiat Panda

• 3 Smart fortwo

Small Car

• 1 Honda Jazz

• 2 Toyota Yaris

• 3 Mazda 2

Lower Medium Car

• 1 Kia c’eed

• 2 BMW 1 Series

• 3 Skoda Octavia

Upper Medium Car

• 1 Honda Accord

• 2 Toyota Prius

• 3 Volvo S40

Compact Executive Car

• 1 Lexus IS

• 2 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

• 3 Audi A5

Executive/Luxury Car

• 1 Jaguar XF

• 2 Audi A6

• 3 Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Sports Car

• 1 Mazda MX-5

• 2 Mercedes-Benz SLK

• 3 Volkswagen Eos

MPV

• 1 Mercedes-Benz B-Class

• 2 Citroen C4 Grand Picasso

• 3 Toyota Corolla Verso

SUV

• 1 Lexus RX

• 2 Honda CR-V

• 3 Toyota RAV4

Source: J D Power and Associates/What Car? 2010 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS)

Tenth successive year at top of J D Power charts