Car Buyer Loyalty in 2025
Modern new car buyers are more likely to switch manufacturers compared to previous years, however, some brands continue to demonstrate high customer dedication. According to a new study, overall brand loyalty in the first half of 2025 decreased slightly, but General Motors topped the ranking among multi-brand manufacturers. Ford, in turn, showed the highest level of loyalty among individual brands.
These figures indicate that the automotive industry continues to stabilize after the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, although some positive trends from last year have already begun to fade. It is also evident that customer loyalty is distributed unevenly: some brands are growing, others are losing ground.
Data from S&P Global shows that in January-June, GM led among manufacturers with multiple brands, while Volkswagen Group showed the lowest result at 43%. Although the study does not reveal detailed data for each GM brand, the Chevrolet Equinox was the leader among models with a loyalty rate of 42.7% — owners of this model are willing to buy it again.
Positions of Individual Brands
Among individual brands, Ford took first place with a loyalty rate of 58.9%. It is followed by Chevrolet, Toyota, Tesla, and Honda, although Tesla’s figure fell by more than 12 points — to 56%. Ford’s success was ensured by models such as the F-series, Expedition, and Bronco Sport, each with loyalty over 60%.
Mini demonstrated the strongest growth, increasing loyalty by 4.6 points compared to last year. In contrast, VinFast experienced the sharpest decline — almost 34 points, to 36%. Fiat showed the lowest result in the entire market — only 4.3% loyalty.
Overall, in the first half of 2025, the average loyalty level in the automotive industry was 51.1%. This is lower than in 2021 (52.7%) and 2020 (54.8%), but higher than in 2023 and 2022, when the figure was 50.6%.
Competition and Cross-Brand Choice
About half of all brands experienced a decline in loyalty of at least one point compared to last year, affecting both mass-market and premium segments.
Vince Palomares, Associate Director of Loyalty Management at S&P Global Mobility, noted: “This year’s change in loyalty levels reflects a balance between a stable volume of return to the market and strong competition between brands. Households are returning to the market, but many are open to cross-brand choice, which we did not observe at the peak of pre-pandemic loyalty.”
As buyers have become less inclined to stay within one brand, new customer acquisition activity has increased. In the first half of 2025, the volume of “conquests” for mass-market brands grew by 7.6%, and for premium brands by 6.2%.
These trends indicate that the market is becoming more dynamic and competitive. Manufacturers have to not only retain existing customers but also actively attract new ones by offering innovations, quality, and compelling advantages. The growing popularity of models like the Equinox or Bronco Sport shows that even in conditions of general loyalty decline, individual products can remain extremely attractive to buyers.