Lexus crowned UK's top car brand by drivers

Lexus has been named the UK’s favourite car brand by motorists.

The Japanese premium brand came top for owner satisfaction in a poll of 10,000 drivers carried out for the Honest John website.

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Lexus just held off Skoda and Jaguar in the Satisfaction Index 2020, which asked verified owners about their overall experience. The study covers everything from fuel economy, practicality and safety to performance, ride comfort and reliability.

It also topped the league of most reliable models ahead of South Korea’s SsangYong, with Jeep and Tesla coming out as the least dependable brands.

The Lexus NX was among the top 10 individual models (Photo: Lexus)

The Lexus NX model also made it into the top 10 most satisfying models, although Skoda dominated that table with four models - the Superb hatchback, Superb estate, Octavia and Kodiaq.

Quality and comfort

Lexus topped the table with an overall rating of 89.5 per cent, with owners praising the comfort, reliability and build quality of its range. Skoda’s score of 88.9 percent saw it take second spot, just ahead of Jaguar with 88.6 per cent. SsangYong (88.5 per cent) and South Korean neighbour Hyundai (88.2 per cent) completed the top five.

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The Hyundai Ioniq was crowned the most satisfying individual model, with a score of 93.7 per cent. Available as a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or pure electric car it was praised for its ease of use, handling and build quality. Its city car stablemate the i10 was ranked third, behind the Skoda Superb, with the Toyota Prius, BMW 5 Series and Kia Niro also making it into the top 10.

The Vauxhall Astra (2009-2015) proved to be the worst-rated model, and was singled out for its high repair costs and poor fuel economy, receiving a rating of just 73 per cent. It was followed by the Vauxhall Meriva (2010-2017) with 78.4 per cent and the Citroen C3 Picasso (2009-2017) in third with 80.4 per cent.

The last generation Vauxhall Astra didn't fare well (Photo: Vauxhall)The last generation Vauxhall Astra didn't fare well (Photo: Vauxhall)
The last generation Vauxhall Astra didn't fare well (Photo: Vauxhall)

Most and least reliable

The index also compared brand reliability, with Lexus topping that table too (9.69 out of 10), although two cars from sister marque Toyota - the Prius and Yaris - took top two spots for individual models, ahead of the Mazda CX-5, Kia Sportage and Mercedes E-Class estate.

Behind Lexus, SsangYong (9.59) and Suzuki (9.51) took second and third spots with budget brand Dacia just beating Toyota to fourth place.

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American 4x4 specialist Jeep proved the least reliable manufacturer (8.33 out of 10), followed closely by premium electric car maker Tesla (8.41). Vauxhall took third spot in the list of shame, with a rating of 8.5, ahead of Citroen and Alfa Romeo.

The Citroen C3 Picasso was named the least reliable individual model (8.14), ahead of the much maligned Vauxhall Meriva (8.25) and BMW X3 (8.29). Tesla’s Model S and the Vauxhall Astra rounded out the bottom five.

The Toyota Prius was rated the most reliable individual model (Photo: Toyota)

Dan Powell, managing editor of HonestJohn.co.uk commented: “The nation’s motorists have spoken and top honours in the Honest John Satisfaction Index 2020 goes to Lexus.

“Over 10,000 readers took part in our survey and found a lot to praise the Japanese carmaker for, in particular its commitment to comfort, quality and reliability.

“It was also a strong showing for Hyundai, with the Ioniq being rated as the most satisfying car model overall. Owners say the Ioniq is easy to use, practical and reliable.”

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