U.S. car buyers exhibit fierce loyalty to brands with strong reputations, according to J.D. Power’s latest annual U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Study. However, just one American automaker earns that level of affection from drivers.
Foreign carmakers such as Honda, Lexus, Toyota and Porsche continue to rank highly with car owners. But Ford is the only American brand that can claim such a lofty status.
In a summary of the study findings, Tyson Jominy, senior vice president of data and analytics at J.D. Power, says:
“Brand loyalty matters to vehicle buyers because it’s often associated with higher residual values, making vehicles from trusted brands a more financially sound choice over time.”
J.D. Power examined data from the Power Information Network to determine whether an owner purchased the same brand when trading in an existing vehicle. It then ranked brands for customer loyalty based on the percentage of vehicle owners who chose the same brand when buying their next vehicle.
The brands that generate the most loyalty are:
Mass-market car brands
- Toyota: 62% loyalty rate
- Honda: 55.5%
Mass-market SUV brands
- Honda: 62%
- Subaru: 60.6%
Premium car brands
- Porsche: 58.2%
- Mercedes-Benz: 49.7%
Premium SUV brands
- Lexus: 57.4%
- BMW: 54%
Truck brands
- Ford: 66.6%
- Toyota: 61.2%
The highest-ranking brands tend to earn top honors year after year. Ford, Porsche and Toyota all won their categories for the fourth straight year, and Lexus and Honda were repeat winners for a second consecutive year.
The study was based on transaction data from September 2024 through August 2025. It includes all model years traded in during that time.
How to save on your next car
Buying a car is not cheap, but a little extra knowledge can help you save on your next purchase.
For example, some of today’s cars are built to last for 200,000 miles or more. So, don’t be afraid to purchase a car with mileage exceeding five digits. As we wrote in “8 Tips for Buying Your Next Car for Less:”
“For many models, the price starts dropping through the floor once the mileage goes north of 100,000. By saying no to these high-mileage cars, you’re rejecting a lot of good deals.”
Find out which cars are likely to have longer lifespans in “7 Car Brands Most Likely to Last 250,000 Miles.”
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