• by Tanya Gazdik , January 8, 2020

As automakers look to improve the shopping experience with enhanced digital features, their websites have taken on increasing importance. 

Land Rover and Mitsubishi ranked highest in their respective segments in the J.D. Power 2020 Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study (Winter), released today. 

The semiannual study measures the usefulness of automotive manufacturer websites by evaluating four key factors, in order of importance: information/content, appearance, navigation and speed.

This year’s study was redesigned to underscore the digital advancements automakers are implementing to evolve the automotive shopping experience, said Jon Sundberg, senior manager of digital solutions at J.D. Power. 

“Items like personalization, customization and digital retailing are being implemented or are on the digital road map for many [automaker] sites, and we wanted to ensure the customer has a voice in these areas,” Sandberg says in a release.

This year’s study finds that overall satisfaction averages 834 (on a 1,000-point scale) for the luxury segment, while the mass-market segment averages 826. Land Rover (864) ranked highest in the luxury manufacturer brand segment and Mitsubishi (848) is the highest-ranked mass-market brand.

Other top finishers in the luxury segment are Lincoln (855), Audi (849), Cadillac (844), Lexus (842), Porsche (837), Genesis (836), Infiniti (835) and Jaguar (835). Luxury brands that finished below average are BMW (831), Acura (823), Alfa Romeo (820), Mercedes-Benz (817), Volvo (809) and Tesla (806).

Behind Mitsubishi, the top finishers in the mass market segment are Ram (848), Buick (836), Chrysler (833), Honda (832), Dodge (831), Fiat (831), GMC (831), Chevrolet (827), Hyundai (826) and Subaru (826). Mass-market brands that finished below average are Kia (825), Volkswagen (823), Jeep (821), Toyota (819), Ford (818), Mazda (818), Nissan (804) and Mini (801).

The Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study, first released in 1999, is based on responses from 10,031 shoppers who indicate they will be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 24 months. The study was fielded in November 2019.