Prius ranked highest in J.D. Power & Associates' "What Car?" CSI study
The Toyota Prius has gained a second J.D. Power and Associates award after emerging as the highest scoring individual model in the 2008 UK Customer Satisfaction Index Study, retaining the position it held in 2007.
J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction.
The Prius earned a score of 901 on a 1,000-point scale, with owners reporting particularly high satisfaction with the model’s quality and reliability. “The Prius already has iconic status because of its green credentials; now it’s demonstrating that it’s also the watchword for reliability and satisfaction,” said Steve Fowler, editor of What Car?. “It delivers on many of the points that matter most to car buyers today: it’s environmentally friendly and reasonably frugal, yet it’s also reliable and a great car to own.”
Among brands, Toyota was fourth overall thanks to strong rankings throughout the range. Aygo was, like Prius, the top model in its segment while Yaris, Corolla and RAV4 ranked second in their respective categories and Verso third among MPVs. Miguel Fonseca, Toyota (GB) Managing Director, said: “We place a high emphasis on customer satisfaction in every aspect of the ownership experience. For us, the findings of the J.D. Power and Associates study and the award for Prius are a vindication of the work done throughout our company and our centre network to support great products with exceptional service. I view this as an endorsement by customers of hybrid technology as a powetrain for today as well as the future."
The J.D. Power and Associates 2008 UK Customer Satisfaction Index Study was produced from more than 16,000 responses from owners of cars registered between September 2005 and August 2006, representing 28 brands and 100 individual models.
