Consumers are still buying vehicles, but are staring down longer periods of larger payments, which is impacting customer satisfaction.

That’s according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) annual automobile study, which measures U.S. driver satisfaction across luxury and mass-market vehicle brands.

The study features rankings and performance trends and also introduces new benchmarks for driving range and expected future resale value, and offers insights into fuel source satisfaction, comparing gas, hybrid and electric vehicles.

Overall driver satisfaction slipped 1% to a score of 79 (on a 100-point scale) as inventory levels return to normal. The luxury segment dipped 1% to 80 while the mass-market segment is unchanged at 79. Smaller brands (both mass market and luxury) that comprise the “all others” measure slid 9% to 74.

After tying for first place last year, Subaru (up 2%) and Toyota (down 1%) moved in different directions in 2025.

Subaru now leads with an ACSI score of 85, while Mazda (up 1%) has pulled into a second-place tie with Toyota at 82. Three nameplates are close behind at 81: Buick (up 1%), GMC (up 3%), and Honda (down 1%).

Subaru leans into a reputation for safety and dependability and has enjoyed strong sales growth in recent years, which could carry over into 2025 with offerings like a redesigned Forester, the availability of a more powerful Crosstrek engine, and new trim options for the Ascent and Outback.

Hyundai improves 3% this year, climbing to a score of 80. Meanwhile, Stellantis nameplates, Jeep, Dodge, Chrysler, and Ram all slip.

Most customer experience metrics were unchanged this year. Driving performance remains high at 84, followed by dependability, mobile app quality, and vehicle safety at 83 each. Vehicle safety is one of the three scores that declined 1%, along with exterior at 82 and technology at 79.

Surprisingly, satisfaction declined for electrified vehicles, both hybrids and EVs, according to Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI.

While the share of U.S. light-duty vehicles that are hybrid or electric is up from about 18% in Q1 2024 to roughly 22% in Q1 2025, driver satisfaction is lower this year. Satisfaction with hybrids retreats 2% to 80; it plunges 5% to 73 for EVs. While unchanged, gas vehicles score the same as hybrids.

“Hybrids in particular had been gaining market share and satisfaction might theoretically increase as technology improves,” Morgeson tells Marketing Daily. “This speaks to the potential for value concerns as consumers take on longer, costlier new car loans, but also to the move beyond the early adopters for these vehicles to new customers who may be less excited about the potential benefits.”

Recent Kelley Blue Book news indicates a jump in EV sales in Q3 before the federal tax credit expires and prices rise. 

“Expectations for them are likely to be even higher” once the prices rise, Morgeson says. 

In the luxury segment, Lexus surges 6% to the top spot with an ACSI score of 87, leapfrogging last year’s co-leaders Mercedes-Benz (down 1% to 82) and Tesla (down 2% to 81). Mercedes-Benz now holds the second spot, with Tesla and Cadillac (down 1%) tied for third.

Lexus is finding success with hybrid customers, as hybrid sales have helped propel the brand to its best ever first-quarter sales in the U.S. for 2025. Five Lexus models were among the top 15 most popular luxury hybrids, according to late 2024 data, including the Lexus RX as the clear market-share leader, with the Lexus NX and Lexus ES both ranking in the top five. The brand’s electrified sales were also up over 13% year over year in Q1 2025. Driver satisfaction for Audi backtracks 4% to 77, while BMW finishes last in luxury, stumbling 5% to an ACSI score of 75.

The ACSI Automobile Study 2025 is based on 9,949 completed surveys. Customers were chosen at random and contacted via email between July 2024 and June 2025.