Toyota Takes Auto Industry Lead as Luxury Brands Lose Their Satisfaction Edge Over Mass Market, ACSI Data Shows

About this update from Toyota Motor Corp.

ANN ARBOR, Mich., July 21, 2026 --( BUSINESS WIRE )--For the first time in recent measurement history, luxury automakers offer no customer satisfaction advantage over their mass-market counterparts. According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI ® ) Automobile Study 2026 , the luxury segment drops 3% to an ACSI score of 78 (on a scale of 0-100), falling into a tie with the mass-market segment, which dips 1% to 78. The overall automobile industry declines 1% to 78. The convergence comes as affordability pressure intensifies across the industry. Average monthly new car payments reached $767 in the fourth quarter of 2025 , up 2.8% year over year according to Experian data, with average transaction prices surpassing $50,000 . A CarEdge consumer survey found that 42% of prospective new-car buyers have already canceled their purchase plans due to high prices, while 65% said they would exit the market if monthly payments rose by just 5%. These pressures, compounded by tariff-related uncertainty, are reshaping who buys new vehicles and what they expect for their money. Across fuel sources, hybrid vehicles continue to deliver the highest customer satisfaction with an ACSI score of 80, unchanged from last year, outscoring both gasoline vehicles (down 3% to 78) and electric vehicles (EVs) (down 1% to 72). "The luxury mass-market convergence is the headline, but the real story is what's driving it," said Forrest Morgeson, Associate Professor of Marketing at Michigan State University and Director of Research Emeritus at the ACSI. "Customers at every price point are rethinking what they expect for their money, and luxury brands are finding they're not immune to that pressure. When someone is making payments on a vehicle for six or seven years, reliability and value matter more than the nameplate. Hybrids have quietly become the most compelling value proposition in the market. They deliver fuel savings without the range concerns or infrastructure demands of EVs, and they do it at price points closer to conventional vehicles." Other key takeaways from the study include: Mass-Market Nameplates Luxury Nameplates Vehicle Fuel Source The ACSI Automobile Study 2026 is based on 6,699 completed surveys. Customers were chosen at random and contacted via email between July 2025 and June 2026. Download the full study and follow the ACSI on LinkedIn . No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the data and information in this release without the express prior written consent of ACSI LLC. About the ACSI The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) is a national economic indicator and a leading provider of customer analytics products that help organizations build lasting customer relationships and prove ROI on experience investments. ACSI's AI-enhanced platform delivers intuitive dashboards and cause-and-effect analytics that pinpoint the quality drivers most predictive of customer allegiance, retention, price tolerance, and financial performance. ACSI data has been shown to correlate strongly with key micro and macroeconomic indicators, including consumer spending, GDP growth, earnings, and stock returns. Founded in 1994 at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, the ACSI measures customer satisfaction with more than 400 companies in over 40 industries, including federal government services, based on approximately 200,000 annual interviews. Learn more at https://www.theacsi.com/ . ACSI and its logo are Registered Marks of American Customer Satisfaction Index LLC. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260721328917/en/ Contacts Christian Rizzo [email protected]

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