Lexus and Mazda top satisfaction charts

LEXUS and Mazda owners have been revealed as the country’s most satisfied car buyers at this year’s Roy Morgan Annual Customer Satisfaction Awards.

The two Japanese brands were awarded the Car Manufacturer of the Year and Major Car Manufacturer of the Year gongs respectively with Lexus also claiming the Best of the Best award.

According to a Roy Morgan, the ‘Best of the Best’ award goes to “the company that achieved the highest customer satisfaction of all 41 winners at the Annual Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards”.

The premium brand netted a total satisfaction score of 96.8 per cent and took over the mantle as ‘Best of the Best’ from last year’s winner, Isuzu Ute.

This is the second time Lexus has taken the overall title – the first being in 2017 – with this year also being the fifth time in six years it has been named Car Manufacturer of the Year.

Lexus Australia chief executive Scott Thompson thanked customers for their feedback and said 2020 would provide more enhancements to the brand’s owner benefits program, Lexus Encore.

“As the leader in luxury experience, Lexus is determined to continue to deliver new benchmarks in customer service and satisfaction,” he said.

Roy Morgan chief executive Michele Levine congratulated Lexus and described its triumph as “stunning”.

“Lexus has returned to the winner’s circle in 2019 with a stunning victory as the ‘Best of the Best’ at the Annual Roy Morgan Customer Satisfaction Awards held in Melbourne,” she said.

“Roy Morgan’s Annual Customer Satisfaction Awards are the gold standard in recognising companies and brands that stay ahead of the pack by knowing what their customers want and delivering it consistently.

“Other companies to not only win their individual category but also perform exceedingly well when measured against other category winners include Major Car Manufacturer of the Year Mazda with a customer satisfaction rating of 93.8 per cent and Pharmacy of the Year Guardian on 93.1%.”

Despite only taking away the one award as opposed to Lexus’ two, Mazda also triumphed overall, ranking third in the ‘Best of the Best’ standings – just 0.1 per cent off second.

Mazda Australia director of marketing Alastair Doak said the Major Car Manufacturer of the Year award represented the brand’s ongoing commitment to its customers, especially after being ranked first in the J.D. Power 2019 Australia Customer Service Index Study in August last year.

“Mazda Australia has long focused on providing exceptional customer service, and to have that confirmed by customers through Roy Morgan’s independent research tells us that we’re on the right track,” he said.

“And, for the remainder of 2020 and beyond, we’ll continue to innovate in pursuit of the ultimate customer experience and bring new and exciting products to market.”

The Roy Morgan Annual Customer Satisfaction Award winners were decided upon by analysing the feedback from some 50,000 consumers around the country who rated companies based on their customer experience.