2020 What Car? Servicing Satisfaction Survey

How satisfied are you with your car servicing? We investigate which brands are best at keeping owners happy...

MOT technician

Franchised dealers in detail: cars from four to 20 years old 

Although Lexus dealerships are rated best overall for older car servicing, Subaru isn’t far behind, bolstered by its score of 99% for the attitude of its staff.

Lexus and Subaru were rated highly by owners of cars of all ages, but some brands that didn’t score highly for new car servicing come into their own when it comes to older vehicles. Fiat makes a spectacular leap up the table, from 27th place for newer car servicing to 10th place for older cars, its service departments being regarded highly for attitude and workmanship.

In contrast, while Hyundai and Peugeot dealers are great at keeping newer car owners happy, their ratings dip when cars get older, and value is the issue that owners of cars from both brands are least satisfied with.

Service costs put Land Rover at the bottom of the older car table,the same factor being why Audi and Mercedes aren’t rated more highly. Renault’s satisfaction levels, though, are low across all categories. 

Rank Brand Score
1. Lexus 93.8%
2. Subaru 92.6%
3. Suzuki 91.3%
4. Honda 90.6%
5. Toyota  89.2%
6. Skoda 88.6%
7. Volvo 88.4%
8. Kia 88.3%
9. Citroen 87.5%
10. Fiat 87.4%
11. Hyundai 86.8%
12. Peugeot 86.7%
13. Mini 86.6%
14. Dacia 86.2%
15. Jaguar 86.1%
16. Ford 85.8%
=17. BMW 85.5%
=17. Volkswagen 85.5%
19. Mazda 85.3%
=20. Mitsubishi 85.2%
=20. Vauxhall 85.2%
22. Porsche 84.6%
23. Alfa Romeo 84.5%
24. Seat 84.2%
25. Nissan 84.1%
26. Audi 83.8%
27. Mercedes-Benz 83.4%
28. Renault  83.1%
29. Land Rover 82.0%

What Car? says…

We take our hats off to Lexus for the extremely high level of satisfaction it provides for customers with cars of all ages. It tops the rankings in all of our franchised dealer tables, while Lexus owners are almost as happy if they go independent instead. 

In many cases, servicing satisfaction depends on the make and age of the car, and having a premium brand is no guarantee that you’ll get top-notch service. So, whether you change your car every few years or keep it for a decade or more, it’s worth checking out its brand satisfaction rating. 

If your brand’s franchised service department is at the bottom of the chart, you might be happier to switch to an independent service agent. However, if it’s a brand that keeps owners happy as the years roll by, it could be worth staying loyal to your franchised dealership. 

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