Lexus and Hyundai rank highest among automotive manufacturers based on consumer-written dealership reviews, according to the Consumer Rating Index (CRI) for Auto Manufacturers released by DealerRater today.
CRI rankings were calculated by averaging consumer ratings of individual dealerships posted to DealerRater.com. Ratings are based on a five-point scale, representing consumer feedback on all levels of the buying experience, including customer service, quality of work, friendliness, price and overall experience.
Along with overall rankings, the CRI ranked automotive manufacturers within the “Luxury” and “Mass Market” brand categories. Lexus ranked highest in the “Luxury” category, with a score of 4.741, followed by Volvo (4.704), Mercedes-Benz (4.703), Audi (4.693) and Acura (4.687). Among “Mass Market” brands, Hyundai was top ranked with a score of 4.719, followed by Buick (4.709), Honda (4.695), Kia (4.687) and Subaru (4.686).
“The CRI provides a comprehensive view of consumer sentiment because feedback is not limited to customers who purchased a vehicle and includes shoppers as well as service customers,” explains DealerRater CEO Gary Tucker. “A consumer can write a review about all aspects of their experience with a dealer on DealerRater. With this level of insight, dealers have a metric indicating whether they should reevaluate their business practices. Consumers can also use this index as a starting point when looking for a dealership that will provide the best shopping experience.”
The CRI is based on 330,000 verified reviews gathered during a 12 month period from March 2013-2014. For consideration, Mass Market OEMs must have received 1000 reviews and Premium OEMs must have received 500 reviews during this time period. The rankings are based on numerical averages of all reviews that are attributed to a specific OEM. The full CRI is available at http://www.dealerrater.com/company/reports/cri-march14.pdf.
About DealerRater
DealerRater was founded in 2002 as the first car dealer review website worldwide. DealerRater is the world’s #1 online resource for anyone seeking trusted third-party information on automobile dealerships. DealerRater features nearly 41,000 U.S. and Canadian car dealers, more than 1.4 million consumer reviews and over 1 million cars for sale. DealerRater attracts more than 10 million consumers every year who visit the site to search for car dealerships, read reviews, write their own descriptive reviews, and find car deals – all for free.
In addition, DealerRater offers qualified car dealers a Certified Dealer Program as a reputation management tool to help them grow their online presence and achieve higher SEO rankings across the Web. Today, nearly 5,100 dealers are members of the award-winning DealerRater® Certified Dealer Program. DealerRater is proud to have earned the #137 position on the 2012 Inc. 500 list, an exclusive ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. And with a recent equity investment from Great Hill Partners, a Boston-based private equity firm focused on growth companies, DealerRater is well poised to continue its global expansion, accelerate product innovation and evaluate strategic acquisition opportunities. DealerRater was also recently awarded a Technology Leadership Award from Dealer Marketing Magazine and another “Top Rated” Reputation Management award in the fourth annual DrivingSales Dealer Satisfaction Awards. For more information, visit www.DealerRater.com or call 800-266-9455.