Drivers have voted for the best car brands that money can buy and the crown has been taken by a Japanese marque for the second time in a row.
Each year Auto Express asks motorists to take part in its annual Driver Power new car customer satisfaction survey to distinguish the good from the bad.
Using data collected from owners from each manufacturer’s entire line-up, Driver Power compiles the results together to get an overall perspective of the general satisfaction level for each brand.
The Driver Power scoring list is split into 10 categories. Each brand ends up with a final percentage score out of 100, with the top 10 all achieving over 85 per cent.
With a total of 31 different marques making the final list there’s stiff competition as well as a few surprises thrown in.
Here is the top ten in reverse order – and the reasons they score big – along with the expert view of Auto Express’s consumer editor Tom Jervis.
10. Honda – 85.77 per cent
Tom Jervis said: ‘Honda, like other Japanese manufacturers, has a strong reputation for building high-quality, reliable cars that don’t cost the earth to run.’
Honda was a top-five finisher in both the build quality and running costs categories with the latter helped by a first-place ranking for servicing costs.
Exterior styling and ride comfort took a hit, with the Civic suspension a little uncomfortable in particular.
Mr Jervis concluded: ‘Otherwise, it’s a very strong showing for a brand that is keeping somewhat of a low profile during the ongoing EV transition.’
9. Suzuki – 85.79 per cent
Suzuki just pipped its Japanese rival, with owners impressed the most by its safety systems. It came fourth in this vital category.
There weren’t any other stand-out performances, but Auto Express call it a ‘jack-of-all-trades’.
The worst performance came in the infotainment category, where its built-in sat-nav pulled it down the rankings.
Mr Jervis said: ‘Nevertheless, strong showings in the braking, road manners and steering sections result in a respectable sixth-place overall for ride and handling.’
8. BMW – 86.00 per cent
BMW came third for the powertrain category – not surprising considering BMW is known for building ‘Ultimate Driving Machines’ but its poor handling made drivers mark it down to 12th in this chart, putting it in the midfield marques.
Mr Jervis said: ‘Top-10 finishes for safety, practicality, interior and infotainment is nothing to sniff at.’
BMW’s always been praised for its infotainment systems and survey respondents unsurprisingly said the iDrive tech was very user-friendly, with strong smartphone connectivity and decent built-in sat-nav.
But highly divisive exteriors are the downfall of the German marque, with Mr Jervis commenting: ‘Really, lacklustre performances for exterior styling – likely no thanks to the controversial kidney grilles – and high running costs were the only areas that kept the German stalwart from the sharp end of this list.’
7. Peugeot – 86.12 per cent
Proving you don’t have to be an expensive brand to have mass appeal, Peugeot claimed seventh place.
Mr Jervis said: ‘Peugeot is on a roll at the moment – especially in the design department – so it’s no wonder that the French firm scored third place in the exterior category.’
Peugeot did well in handling set-ups, coming in fourth, with a third-place finish for steering thanks to the small steering wheel set within the i-Cockpit cabin layout.
The interior design has been an equally big hit with customers, with Peugeot coming in the top 10 for interiors and also for practicality.
Unfortunately 25th place for value for money was the French brand’s let down.
6. Renault – 86.29 per cent
Another French brand coming in just under halfway, Renault has been having a stellar time of late.
The only reason it missed the top five is because of its wide ranging scores – some great, some terrible.
Owners weren’t thrilled by the interiors, practicality, ride or reliability of their Renault models.
And yet Renault clinched second-place finish for running costs and a third-place ranking for its Google-powered infotainment systems.
Mr Jervis said: ‘Positioned within the top 10 also for safety features, exterior and value, Renault earns its place within the overall top 10 – despite its inconsistencies in some areas.’
5. Land Rover – 86.52 per cent
Land Rover are making strides – or leaps and bounds really.
Last year the British brand just squeezed into the top 10 and now its into the top five – ‘impressive moment’, Mr Jervis says.
Once a Land Rover buyer always a Land Rover buyer it seems with customers voting it second best for practicality and third place for its interiors – some of the most luxurious out there.
And its looks helped it get fourth place for exterior.
Mr Jervis said its ‘unsurprising’ that ‘fuel economy, reliability and value continue to be the British maker’s biggest letdowns’ – scoring lacklustre 30th, 24th and 28th respectively.
4. Vauxhall – 86.80 per cent
Vauxhall smashed it in the Driver Power model survey, and did equally well in the brand survey.
Mr Jervis pointed to Vauxhall’s ‘line-up full of either fuel-sipping hybrids or zero-emissions EVs’ that put the British brand in ‘first-place for economy and running costs’.
As efficient as they are to run, drivers don’t love spending time in a Vauxhall though because of the poor interior fit and finish inside, which left these cars with low interior scores. In fact it’s worse score was for interiors.
The British brand also scored outside the top 10 for safety features and value for money, but with strong ratings everywhere else, its good work for the Coventry crew.
3. Lexus – 87.06 per cent
Lotus has been a long-time Driver Power favourite and yet again it lands itself a spot on the podium.
Toyota’s premium brand finishes 11 places ahead of its cheaper sister brand, with Lexus owners happy in almost every category of marking.
Lexus finished in the top-five for value, infotainment, interior and quality and reliability.
Reliability, as ever, was Lexus’ best result, finishing third because the cars feel so well built.
Mr Jervis said: ‘Being a more luxurious brand, it’s not shocking to see Lexus score outside of the top 10 for running costs, although one might raise an eyebrow at its 13th-place ranking for ride and handling. Otherwise, however, an impressive run for Japan’s finest.’
2. Mercedes – 89.26 per cent
We’re into the top two now, and this year’s runner-up for the Driver Power brands ranking, is Mercedes.
Expectation is high for premium brands but Mercedes appears to deliver, reaching the podium in an impressive nine out of 10 categories.
Mercedes owners say that the German marque has the best safety systems, as well as the finest infotainment systems – its MBUX is both intuitive and sleek. Taking second place for exterior and interiors also showcases how Mercedes delivers only the finest interior comfort and style to its owners and lives up to being a luxury brand.
Mr Jervis said: ‘Poor fuel economy and expensive servicing were the only real smears on what was otherwise a strong performance.’
1. Subaru – 90.30 per cent
Not a car make you see on the road everyday but Subaru continues to be a shining star for its loyal drives; Subaru has topped the Driver Power brand list for the second year in a row.
Why has it earned the top spot on the podium? Mr Jervis said it’s because of its ‘stellar performances in nearly every single category’.
Subaru finished first in seven out of 10 categories, ‘absolutely dominating this year’s list’: Top scores were dolled out for ride and handling, quality and reliability – both likely due to the brand’s rally heritage.
As with Mercedes the only downside for Subaru was its high running costs, with the brand taking 18th place mainly because of its lack of hybrid or electric models on offer.
Mr Jervis commented: ‘Still, with this being the only finish outside the top 10, Subaru is undoubtedly a worthy winner of this year’s crown.’
11. Tesla
12. Skoda
13. Volvo
14. Toyota
15. Nissan
16. Citroen
17. Mazda
18. Kia
19. Audi
20. Hyundai
21. Fiat
22. Mini
23. Ford
24. Seat
25. Jaguar
26. Jeep
27. Volkswagen
28. Cupra
29. Dacia
30. BYD
31. MG
Source: AutoExpress Driver Power 2025