(May 31, 2012) LONDON — Jaguar has been named as the top manufacturer in the annual J.D. Power and Associates/What Car? 2012 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS).
The study was based on the evaluations of nearly 18,000 people in the UK after an average of two years ownership.

Every aspect of vehicle ownership was rated from performance, design and comfort to quality, reliability, cost of ownership, economy and dealer service satisfaction. The resulting data allowed the study to be the most comprehensive of its kind.

Following Jaguar in the rankings were Lexus and Škoda (each with a score of 801). Rounding out the top five ranked positions were Honda (797) and Mercedes-Benz (794).

Overall satisfaction among vehicle owners in the UK averages 770 (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2012. On average, owners express the highest overall satisfaction with quality and reliability (852), while ownership costs has the lowest score (696).

As well as heading the rankings for manufacturers, Jaguar was also successful in the individual categories. The XF gained 15 places within 12-months to claim the ‘Executive Car of the Year’ title.

The Kia Sportage (compact SUV), pictured at left, achieved the highest score in the study (838).

At the segment level, Toyota and Volkswagen each had four models ranking in the top three in their respective segments, while Mercedes-Benz and Škoda each had three models ranking in the top three.

The study also found that aftermarket/independent service centers have increased their share of average total vehicle service events to 39 percent in 2012, up 6 percentage points from 2011. Authorized dealer service centers' share of average total vehicle service events has decreased to 61 percent in 2012, down from 67 percent in 2011.
 
"Aftermarket/independent service centers are gaining market share from authorized service centers, as they have ramped up their efforts to expand or improve services and have added facilities," said Marcus Behrendt, head of European operations for J.D. Power and Associates. "Other improvements possibly contributing to their growth rate are a focus on retail maintenance advertising and creating more customer-centric services, such as extended weekend hours and vehicle collection and delivery services."

Achieving service retention and loyalty is a key factor in improving the likelihood to repurchase the same brand of vehicle next time. The study found the top five most impactful drivers of service retention are (in order of importance and the current level of occurrence):

    1.    All of the work completed right the first time (accomplished 93 percent of the time)
    2.    Immediately able to speak to service adviser (33%)
    3.    Vehicle ready when originally promised (85%)
    4.    Service adviser completely focused on you and your needs (81%)
    5.    The vehicle was returned cleaner than when brought in (59%)

"When these expectations are not met, they negatively impact owners' service satisfaction, as well as the likelihood to repurchase the same brand of vehicle next time," said Behrendt. "Currently, the ability to speak directly to a service adviser is the second-most-important driver, but occurs the least often. This is clearly an area where service centers can enhance vehicle owners' experience and directly impact their level of satisfaction."