You’ve seen the car commercials where the drivers are cruising down the road or on the trail, beaming from ear to ear in their shiny new vehicles. Does anyone really smile that much when they’re driving?
How real is it? Lately, not very. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) reports in its latest annual automobile study that car buyers are less happy with their car purchases than they used to be, with overall driver satisfaction slipping 1% to a score of 79 on a 100-point scale.
Still, the ACSI says customer satisfaction with mass-market cars as a whole is stable, with a score of 79 out of 100 in 2024 and 2025. Satisfaction with luxury cars is down 1%, though, slipping to a score of 80 out of 100.
In a summary of the results, Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI, says:
“Automakers are navigating a market where innovation and practicality collide. Customers expect advanced technology and efficiency, but they’re also scrutinizing every dollar spent. The brands that thrive will be those that can deliver meaningful improvements without losing sight of what matters most to drivers right now.”
The ACSI interviewed over 9,900 customers and got their feedback for both mass-market and luxury car brands for its annual study.
Read on to see which automakers put big smiles on their customers’ faces, followed by the brands with the lowest customer satisfaction scores.
Lexus
This car brand’s American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 87 out of 100
Type of car brand: Luxury
This division of Toyota had a large 5-point jump in satisfaction from 82 in 2024. Lexus also ranked highest overall in vehicle dependability in J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, for the third year in a row.
Subaru
This car brand’s American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 85 out of 100
Type of car brand: Mass market
Subaru customer satisfaction is up once again, rising two points from 2024. Subaru also ranked highest in customer satisfaction for dealer service in 2025, according to J.D. Power.
Mazda
This car brand’s American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 82 out of 100
Type of car brand: Mass market
Satisfaction increased by one point in 2025, but not so much for sales. Compared to October 2024, Mazda sales in October 2025 decreased 32.6% and year-to-date sales decreased 1.7%.
Toyota
This car brand’s American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 82 out of 100
Type of car brand: Mass market
Toyota tied for first place in customer satisfaction in 2024, and now it’s tied for second with Mazda, after Subaru took the lead in the ACSI ranking. Multiple Toyota models made J.D. Power’s list of most dependable cars in 2025, and some models have a higher chance of lasting 250,000 miles, according to a recent analysis by iSeeCars.
Mercedes-Benz
This car brand’s American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 82 out of 100
Type of car brand: Luxury
Lexus bumped Mercedes-Benz out of its top spot in the luxury segment in 2024. The automaker’s score dropped from 83 then to 82 in 2025.
Still, its E-Class model won MotorTrend’s 2025 Car of the Year award.
The lowest-scoring car brands
We now turn to the vehicle brands that didn’t bring as much delight to their owners. We count down the five most disappointing names, according to the ACSI report.
BMW
This car brand’s American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 75 out of 100
Type of car brand: Luxury
BMW’s score dropped from 79 in 2024 to 75 in 2025. Still, its sales are growing, with U.S. sales rising 24.9% in the third quarter of 2025. ACSI’s report says most dissatisfaction seems to be with the company’s electric vehicles.
Jeep
This car brand’s American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 74 out of 100
Type of car brand: Mass market
This former symbol of rugged American individualism on all types of terrain is withering, and its sales growth has declined for six years straight. In 2025, the company announced the reintroduction and redesign of the 2026 Jeep Cherokee after the model’s three-year hiatus, in hopes of turning things around.
Dodge
This car brand’s American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 72 out of 100
Type of car brand: Mass market
Despite being in the bottom five, this automaker — founded in 1900 and now a division of Stellantis North America (the company that resulted from the Chrysler Group and Fiat Group merger) — has won numerous awards.
Chrysler
This car brand’s American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 71 out of 100
Type of car brand: Mass market
This American subsidiary of Stellantis is one of the car brands prone to giving owners the most headaches, as we recently reported.
Ram
This car brand’s American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 69 out of 100
Type of car brand: Mass market
This manufacturer of trucks and commercial vehicles dropped 9 points in the 2025 ACSI survey, making this brand not just the lowest rated, but also the brand with the largest one-year drop.
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