Tesla is the brand of car that owners love the most, according to a Consumer Reports survey.
Consumer Reports asked owners whether they would buy same car again if they had the chance.
The publication based its results on surveys that included 369,000 vehicles from the 2018 to 2020 model years, with a few 2021 models tossed into the mix.
Each brand included in the owner satisfactions ranking received an overall score as well as scores for five factors:
- Driving (acceleration and handling)
- Comfort (includes seats, noise and ride)
- Value (whether owners felt they got what they wanted relative to the purchase price)
- In-car electronics (the ease of using infotainment systems and Bluetooth)
- Cabin storage (storage spaces between seats, in cup holders and the dashboard, and other non-trunk storage)
Tesla scored especially high for driving (5 out of 5), comfort (4 out of 5) and in-car electronics (4 out of 5).
The top 11 most-liked car brands, and their overall scores, are:
- Tesla: 88 out of 100
- Lincoln: 79
- Ram: 76
- Chrysler: 76
- Subaru: 75
- Hyundai: 75
- Porsche: 74
- Dodge: 74
- Mazda: 72
- Toyota: 71
- Kia: 71
Interestingly, for each of the more than two dozen brands in the survey, most current owners said they would buy again.
Also of note, some of the most beloved brands — including Tesla and Lincoln — are near the bottom of Consumer Reports’ vehicle reliability ratings.
Several brands were excluded from the owner satisfaction rankings due to insufficient sample sizes. They are: Acura, Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Genesis, Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati and Mitsubishi.
Cutting the cost of car ownership
Cars are expensive. Next to buying a house, purchasing a car is likely to be the costliest purchase we ever make.
So, you should never overlook any opportunity to cut costs. For example, using a car-sharing service like Turo to rent out your vehicle when you are not using the car can put money back in your pocket.
Shopping around for the best insurance rate is another way to trim expenses. You can do this the old-fashioned way, by calling insurance agents or visiting insurer websites for quotes. Or, you can let a service like The Zebra gather quotes for you.
To use The Zebra, visit the website and enter your ZIP code. Answer some basic questions, and get your quotes.
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