Toyota has topped JudgeService’s first brand-level ranking of franchised dealer networks, achieving a used car Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 89.
The research analysed 12,996 customer reviews and assessed whether dealers offered finance and test drives, made buyers aware of service plans and followed up after vehicle handover.
Toyota established a substantial lead over the market’s average NPS of 79.2, with the lowest-performing brand scoring 74.2.
Its dealers offered finance to 88.1% of respondents and test drives to 93.7%, while 95.3% were told about service plans. Post-purchase follow-up was recorded for 78.5% of Toyota customers.
Ford and Honda complete top three
Ford placed second with an NPS of 83.7, followed by Honda on 82.8, Suzuki on 82.4 and Nissan on 81.9.
Hyundai was sixth with 81.6, followed by Land Rover on 81.3 and BYD on 80.9. Volkswagen scored 78.3, while Seat completed the top 10 with 77.
Neil Addley, managing director of JudgeService, said: “Our research identifies the importance of the Big Four customer satisfaction drivers and how Toyota dealers have processes in place to ensure customers are offered finance and test drives, made aware of service plans and contacted after purchase.
“Toyota dealers’ high NPS is also the result of having consistent campaigns and products which resonate with sales staff and rewards them, making them less likely to move to brands that provide less clarity.”
JudgeService said the 15-point gap between the highest and lowest brand scores demonstrated the effect that network processes and manufacturer support can have on used car customer satisfaction.
Follow-up remains dealer weakness
The research identified post-sale contact as the least consistent part of the customer journey.
More than a quarter of used car buyers, 27.2%, said they had not been contacted after taking delivery. By comparison, only 8% had not been offered a test drive.
Addley said: “The research also highlights that the badge on the dealership can make a 15-point NPS difference in used car customer satisfaction. While dealers often excel at the sale, it is the lack of follow-ups that is having the biggest negative impact on NPS.
“We found over a quarter (27.2%) of customers were not contacted after purchase, while only 8% were not offered a test drive; showing the customer journey becomes less consistent once the vehicle has left the forecourt.”
Separate JudgeService research published in September found that customers contacted after delivery gave dealers an NPS of 85.5, compared with 63 among buyers who received no follow-up.
The findings suggest that a consistent post-handover call or email could help dealers identify problems earlier, improve retention and create opportunities for future aftersales work.