Marques share customer satisfaction crown

Ford and Hyundai have shared the spoils in the new car category of a New Zealand customer satisfaction survey.

The marques both scored five stars for overall satisfaction in the Canstar Blue study and clocked top scores for reliability, driving experience and value for money.

Ford NZ and Hyundai NZ could only be separated in two categories. Ford scored five stars in point-of-sale service, while Hyundai was awarded four stars, and those scores were reversed for the marques in the after-sale service section.

Mazda, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Holden, Honda, Toyota and Suzuki all achieved four-star ratings for overall satisfaction, while BMW propped up the table with a three-star ranking.

Canstar Blue says the overall satisfaction category is an individual rating and not a combined total of all ratings. Marques with equal overall satisfaction ratings were sorted by the mean overall satisfaction score as rated by consumers.

Besides ranking experiences at new-car dealerships, Canstar Blue’s latest research shows car ownership is increasing with at least 70 light vehicles for every 100 New Zealanders.

The company’s survey of 925 people revealed 77 per cent of Kiwis drive themselves to work each day and more than half people’s total travel time is spent driving. 

Vehicle reliability was chosen by 30 per cent of respondents as the number one driver of customer satisfaction, with the physical driving experience a priority for 28 per cent, followed by value for money, at 27 per cent.

The study also found 30 per cent of people questioned agree safety features are the most important features of a new car, and a further 34 per cent say they look up the ANCAP safety rating for the vehicles they buy.

Other crucial features influencing the purchase of a new vehicle include fuel efficiency, on 19 per cent, and price, 17 per cent.

Meanwhile, 62 per cent of the survey’s respondents said third-party insurance should be compulsory.

New cars rankings