From value for money to quality of workmanship, these are the car brands with the most satisfied drivers when it comes to getting service.
Our experiences when taking our motor for an essential full car service can vary widely, depending on how we are treated by staff and whether the charge is reasonable.
WhatCar looked into the matter by surveying motorists across the country to get a better idea of what drivers of different types of cars can expect when they go to a franchise or independent garage for their service. .
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crush numbers
More than 18,000 motorists took part in the study and were asked to rate their experience according to three main criteria: the politeness of the staff, the quality of the work carried out and the value for money.
For each of them, drivers had to rate the garage as very good, average, bad or very bad.
The WhatCar team used these ratings to collate scores from each of the major car brands operating in the UK to create a ‘satisfaction index’.
Of course, not all drivers stick to franchised garages as there may be savings to be made by heading to an independent garage.
To account for this, drivers were also asked about their experiences at non-franchised service agents, with ratings recorded again by car brand.
Let’s start with franchise dealers.
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The best franchise garages
First, let’s look at the garages that provide the best experience for drivers.
Brand |
Satisfaction rating |
Lexus |
94.1% |
Subaru |
91.8% |
Honda |
91.3% |
Suzuki |
90.6% |
VOLVO |
89.7% |
Toyota |
89.7% |
Skoda |
89.2% |
KIA |
89.1% |
Peugeot |
88.9% |
hyundai |
88.2% |
Lexus clearly sets the tone here, with a massive 94% rating from car owners up to 20 years old.
It’s worth noting that the brand wasn’t rated as good in any of the categories – in fact, the vast majority rated it “very good” for staff attitude and quality of work.
Honda, Subaru and Suzuki also stood out in these two categories according to WhatCar.
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The worst franchise garages
Here’s what things look like on the other end of the scale, with the 10 worst performers.
Brand |
Satisfaction rating |
Mazda |
85.6% |
BMW |
85.4% |
Vauxhall |
85.4% |
Mitsubishi |
85.2% |
Nissan |
84.5% |
Porsche |
84.1% |
Renault |
83.7% |
Mercedes-Benz |
83.5% |
Audi |
83.3% |
land rover |
82.7% |
According to respondents, Audi, Land Rover and Mercedes-Benz performed particularly poorly in terms of value for money. This is remarkable when you consider that these are premium brands.
Renault finished in the bottom four, having performed poorly in both build quality and staff attitude.
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Become independant
It should be noted that the overall scores were much higher for independent garages than for franchisees.
In fact, no brand finished with an average score of less than 90%, demonstrating that whatever brand of car you have, you’re more than average likely to leave an independent garage happy with the service. received.
Here’s what the top 10 looks like:
Brand |
Satisfaction rating |
Suzuki |
95.8% |
Lexus |
95% |
Citroen |
93.9% |
Honda |
93.8% |
Jaguar |
93.6% |
Mercedes-Benz |
93.5% |
hyundai |
93.2% |
volkswagen |
93.1% |
Mazda |
93% |
Audi |
92.8% |
Ford |
92.8% |
Suzuki’s owner satisfaction rating is truly impressive, but the scores in all areas are very good.
It’s also worth noting that owners of more luxurious cars, who were so disappointed with franchise garages, seem to be having a much better time with independents.
Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Mazda, which were all at the bottom of the satisfaction ranking for franchised garages, are among the top when it comes to independent garages.
And here are the worst performers:
Brand |
Satisfaction rating |
Alfa Romeo |
92.3% |
Porsche |
91.9% |
land rover |
91.8% |
Nissan |
91.7% |
Peugeot |
91.6% |
BMW |
91.5% |
Seat |
91.5% |
Vauxhall |
91.2% |
Renault |
91.1% |
Decree |
90.7% |
Renault is again towards the bottom of the table, as are Land Rover, Nissan and BMW.
Obviously, it’s worth researching the quality of your local independent garages before heading straight to a franchise dealership to have your service performed.
You may enjoy a much higher level of work, while saving money in the process.
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