JD Power 2026 Automotive Brand Loyalty Survey

Even with affordability challenges and economic uncertainty hanging over the auto industry, more shoppers are sticking with the vehicle brands they already know. According to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Study, average loyalty across all nameplates and segments increased to an average of 50.2%, up from 49% last year. Porsche, Lexus, Toyota and Ford earned the top spots in the study’s five categories, with Toyota winning twice.

JD Power said tariffs and economic uncertainty had the potential to disrupt those relationships, particularly for brands that import popular models. However, automakers largely absorbed additional costs, helping prevent the disruption the company had considered possible. Tyson Jominy, senior vice president of OEM customer success at JD Power, described the period as “a year of avoided chaos.”

The study measures what customers actually buy when they return to the market. Now in its eighth year, it uses transaction information from JD Power’s Power Information Network to determine whether owners purchase the same brand after trading in an existing vehicle for a new one. Only sales at new-vehicle franchised dealerships qualify. This year’s calculations cover transactions from September 2025 through August 2026 and include all model years traded in.

That distinction matters. These percentages reflect repeat purchasing behavior within the study’s scope, rather than a survey asking people which brand they like best or might buy someday. A shopper can praise a vehicle all day, but the loyalty measurement comes down to the brand selected for the next purchase.

Ford led the truck category for the fifth consecutive year with a 66.2% loyalty rate, the highest figure in the study. Toyota finished second at 62.2%. Put another way, Ford’s result represents roughly two-thirds of qualifying owners returning to the brand. Apparently, the friendly arguments over whose truck is better do not end when it is time to visit a showroom.

Toyota also topped both mainstream vehicle categories. It led mass-market cars for the fifth consecutive year at 64.8%, followed by Honda at 57.5%. Among mass-market SUVs, Toyota finished first at 63.8%, narrowly ahead of Honda’s 63%.

Porsche ranked first among premium car brands for the fifth consecutive year, recording 61.3% loyalty. BMW placed second at 49.3%. Lexus earned its third consecutive win among premium SUV brands with a 59.2% rate, followed by BMW at 56.4%.

The results show that strong repeat business extends well beyond pickups. Four of the five category-winning results exceeded 60%, a level Jominy said relatively few brands achieve. Toyota’s mainstream car and SUV results, in particular, were within a few percentage points of Ford’s truck performance.

What keeps people coming back? In comments to Repairer Driven News, Jominy explained that loyalty depends on both the manufacturer and the dealership. The automaker must deliver quality vehicles and a valuable ownership experience, while the dealer must treat customers well throughout the sales and service relationship.

Jominy pointed to different strengths among the winners. Porsche performs well in JD Power’s research measuring owners’ enthusiasm for their vehicles. Lexus benefits from long-term dependability and its dealers’ ability to fix problems correctly the first time. Ford offers trucks across a range of price points.

Toyota shares some of Lexus’ strengths, Jominy told Repairer Driven News, while also offering hybrids throughout its lineup. He said hybrids show a six-percentage-point loyalty advantage over comparable internal-combustion models and noted that Toyota is performing well with younger consumers.

For shoppers, the rankings offer a useful look at which brands successfully retain customers, but they cannot explain every individual purchase. The study tracks the decision; it does not establish why each owner made it. Nor does a high loyalty rate guarantee that every model wearing that badge will suit every buyer.

The practical takeaway is that winning a customer once and keeping that customer are separate accomplishments. These results show which brands are doing particularly well at earning the next purchase, even as buyers face difficult decisions about what they can afford.