Toyota has pulled ahead in customer satisfaction, while luxury brands no longer hold an advantage over mass-market automakers, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).
The details: The 2026 ACSI study found customer satisfaction in the luxury segment fell 3% to a score of 78 (on a 100-point scale), matching the mass-market segment, which slipped 1% to 78 as affordability pressure intensifies.
Toyota gained 1% to an industry-leading score of 83, while Honda slipped 1% to 80. Both brands outperformed competitors with lineups that include lower-priced sedans.
Mercedes-Benz, down 1% to 81, led the luxury segment, followed by Audi, which jumped 4% to 80 after a 4% decline in 2025.
Buick posted the largest decline among mass-market brands, while Cadillac ranked last in the luxury segment after plunging 15% to an ACSI score of 69.
What they’re saying: “Customers are increasingly evaluating vehicles through a value-for-money lens rather than a brand-prestige lens,” Forrest Morgeson, Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI, told CDG News via email. “Long loan terms, higher monthly payments, and concerns about future service costs are causing buyers to scrutinize reliability, fuel economy, resale value, and total cost of ownership more closely than ever.”
OUTSMART THE CAR MARKET IN 5 MINUTES A WEEK
Get insights trusted by 55,000+ car dealers. Free, fast, and built for automotive leaders.
Why it matters: The narrowing gap between luxury and mass-market brands increases the pressure on dealers, “to be able to justify the value at point of sale and then for service over time,” said Morgeson, who is also an associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University.
Between the lines: Among all powertrains, hybrids earned the highest customer satisfaction scores, reinforcing their growing appeal.
Hybrid owners rated driving range highest at 76, followed by gasoline vehicles at 74 and EVs at 64. Expected resale value followed a similar pattern: 75 for hybrids, 71 for gasoline and 63 for EVs.
In the luxury segment, hybrids again led in both driving range (74) and expected resale value (75), followed by gasoline vehicles (72 for both) and EVs (71 for both).
Bottom line: The latest ACSI results reinforce that customer satisfaction is increasingly driven by value, quality, and ownership experience rather than vehicle segment alone, signaling that delivering a strong customer experience and aligning inventory with consumer preferences may be as important as the badge on the hood.
A quick word from our partner
Faster time-to-line. Every RO managed to the penny.
Time-to-line shows how long a car sat. It doesn't show what it cost.
Repair360 gives you both: move vehicles through recon faster while building the full, accurate repair order, from digital inspection to a penny-perfect close. Labor, parts, and sublet, captured and costed, then written back into supported DMS platforms.
Faster cycle time, real costs, no surprises.
