The unusual car brand has the most satisfied customers

For a long time, Subaru has had the most satisfied owners. KIA has been second and Toyota third. But now the order has changed – quite significantly, too.

Seat has sailed up

Seat is the winner for the first time in our consumer survey of which car brand has the most satisfied owners. In the survey, over 1,000 car owners were asked to rate their car on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best. 95 percent of Seat owners gave a rating between 8-10, a satisfaction level the brand has never been close to before.

– Seat is taking a giant leap and can now boast of having Sweden's most satisfied car owners, says Daniel Odsberg, Sales Manager Kvdbil .

In second place is Mercedes (94%), which is also improving significantly. But while Seat is a relatively uncommon brand, Mercedes cars are a common sight on Swedish roads. Other brands in the top 5 are BMW (88%), Nissan (87%) and Volvo (84%). In total, 79 percent give their car a rating between 8-10.

Previous favorites have fallen

Subaru, which has long had the most satisfied customers, is falling down the list. When the last survey was conducted three years ago, a full 95 percent of Subaru owners said they were very or fairly satisfied with their car ownership – by far the most. Now, only 77 percent give a rating between 8-10, which places Subaru in eleventh place. Toyota (78%) and Kia (76%), which then held the positions behind Subaru, are also dropping sharply, to ninth and twelfth place respectively. At the bottom are Citroën (62%), Ford (67%), Renault (70%) and Audi (70%).

– There are very big reversals and several favorites are falling heavily. Exactly what is causing this is difficult to say. It is possible that previous top rankings have raised expectations. That customers have become more discerning, says Daniel Odsberg.

Women and the elderly most satisfied

The responses show that owners of plug-in hybrids and electric cars are generally more satisfied than those who have petrol or diesel cars. But there are still subtle differences. More remarkable is the low rating that gas car owners give their cars – only one in two is satisfied. Women and older people also tend to be more satisfied. 83 percent of women are satisfied compared to 73 percent of men. In the 56-79 age group, 86 percent are satisfied compared to 68 percent among 18-34 year olds.

The happiest car owners in Sweden

Percentage (%) who rated their car 8-10 on a 10-point scale, where 10 is the best. Previous ranking in parentheses.

Note: Some brands had 100%satisfaction ratings, including Tesla and Mini. However, the number of respondents was too low (fewer than 10) to be included on the list.

About the survey
The survey was conducted in Kantar Sifo's web panel during the period 12–16 January 2023. A total of 1020 people aged 18–79, all of whom have access to a car, were interviewed. The web panel is nationally representative and recruited based on random selection. There is no self-recruitment in Kantar Sifo's web panel.