A study by CarGurus UK has revealed that Mercedes-Benz is the most trusted car brand in the UK.
The German manufacturer heads a list of 21 car brands as part of a study carried out by CarGurus and researchers at GlobalWebIndex. Called the CarGurus Car Buyer Trust Index 2020, the study explores how consumer trust impacts decision-making when it comes to choosing and buying a car.
THE FIVE FACTORS OF TRUST
To do this, researchers asked 2,183 car-buyers to rank the top 20 brands in the UK according to new and used car sales, plus Tesla as a brand of topical interest, according to five factors that build trust:
Integrity: delivering on promises
Transparency: being transparent about problems and taking responsibility
Genuineness: genuinely concerned about consumer needs and acting in their best interest
Social conscience: showing commitment to social causes and the environment
Reliability: providing a problem-free ownership experience
Respondents were asked about their perceptions of (and trust in) different car brands based on these trust factors. Weighting the results according to how important respondents regarded each of the five trust factors allowed researchers at GlobalWebIndex to determine a trust index score for every brand included in the study. The higher the trust index score, the higher the indicated level of consumer trust in the brand.
THE RESULTS
In the study, Mercedes-Benz receives a trust index score of 73.6. As a result, it is rated by consumers as the most trusted car brand in the UK. It is followed by Audi (70.6) and Ford (70.2), Toyota (69.4) and Volvo (67.9), which join Mercedes as some of the most trusted car brands in the UK. At the other end of the chart, Renault, Peugeot and Fiat scored 59.8, 58.8 and 55.4 respectively. This is because consumers indicated they had lower levels of trust in these brands than they did in others.
| Brand | Trust Index Score | |
| 1st | Mercedes-Benz | 73.6 |
| 2nd | Audi | 70.6 |
| 3rd | Ford | 70.2 |
| 4th | Toyota | 69.4 |
| 5th | Volvo | 67.9 |
| 6th | BMW | 66.7 |
| 7th | Kia | 66.7 |
| 8th | Vauxhall | 66.4 |
| 9th | MINI | 65.7 |
| 10th | Honda | 65.5 |
| 11th | Volkswagen | 65.2 |
| 12th | Tesla | 64.4 |
| 13th | Nissan | 64.4 |
| 14th | Land Rover | 64.2 |
| 15th | Hyundai | 63.7 |
| 16th | SEAT | 63.1 |
| 17th | Skoda | 62.7 |
| 18th | Citroën | 60.8 |
| 19th | Renault | 59.8 |
| 20th | Peugeot | 58.8 |
| 21st | FIAT | 55.4 |
The Car Buyer Trust Index also examines gender differences when it comes to consumers’ most trusted car brands. Here Mercedes-Benz, Kia and Volvo score highest with male car buyers, while female car buyers rate Audi, Ford and Toyota at the top.
For further details you can register for a free download of the CarGurus Car Buyer Trust Index.
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