S&P Global Mobility is sharing the winners of its 30th annual Automotive Loyalty Awards. There are no big surprises with General Motors and Tesla once again earning the two highest awards for customer retention. GM took top honors as the 'Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer' recipient for the 11th consecutive year.
“This recognition reflects the drive and passion powering every part of our business from the factory to the showroom,” said GM President Mark Reuss. “When people choose GM and our brands with this level of consistency, it tells us we’re delivering something truly special.”
Tesla won the 'Overall Loyalty to Make' category for the fourth year in a row, after a late-year market shift. The EV maker also won 'Highest Conquest Percentage' and 'Ethnic Loyalty to Make.'
S&P Global Mobility says the 2025 awards are based on an analysis of 13.6 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. from October 2024 through September 2025.
"For 30 years, this analysis has provided a fact-based measure of brand health and this year's results are particularly telling," said Joe LaFeir, President of Mobility Business Solutions at S&P Global Mobility. "The data shows the market is not rewarding just one type of strategy. Instead, we see sustained, high-level performance from manufacturers with broad portfolios. In the current market, retaining customers remains a critical performance indicator for the industry."
The analysis also showed razor-thin margins separating winners in multiple segments.
"The data this year highlights how narrow the margins for success have become," said Vince Palomarez, Associate Director, Loyalty Analysis at S&P Global Mobility. "Several categories were contested by less than one percentage point. This level of competition, combined with fewer available awards in 2025, increases the statistical significance of each win and underscores the performance of this year's recipients."
S&P Global Mobility says the data reveals that distinct strategies propelled this year's winners. Product redesigns proved to be a powerful loyalty driver, as seen with Mini's win for 'Most Improved Make Loyalty,' which was spurred by updates to both its Cooper and Countryman models. Similarly, analysts say the Chevrolet Equinox captured 'Overall Loyalty to Model' following its own redesign, which resulted in a notable four-percentage-point increase in model loyalty year-over-year.
Other brands showcased different paths to retention. S&P Global Mobility says Subaru's award for 'Overall Loyalty to Dealer' was anchored by exceptional performance in its high-volume East Coast markets, where dealer loyalty reached 43.7%, well above its national average of 37.9%.
Meanwhile, Tesla's multiple awards highlight a strategy of targeted market appeal and consistent disruption. Its win for 'Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make' was driven by remarkable retention among Asian (63.6%) and Hispanic (61.9%) households—rates that significantly outpace the national averages for those groups. Underscoring its sustained market impact, Tesla also secured the 'Highest Conquest Percentage' award for the sixth consecutive year.
The complete list of 2025 award winners is as follows:
OVERALL LOYALTY AWARDS
Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer: General Motors*
Overall Loyalty to Make: Tesla*
Overall Loyalty to Model: Chevrolet Equinox
Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make: Tesla*
Most Improved Make Loyalty: Mini
Overall Loyalty to Dealer: Subaru
Highest Conquest Percentage: Tesla*
SEGMENT MODEL LOYALTY AWARDS
Mainstream Car: Mini Cooper
Luxury Car: Mercedes-Benz S-Class & Lexus ES* (Tie)
Sports Car:: Porsche 911*
Van: Honda Odyssey*
Light-Duty Pickup: Ford F-Series*
Heavy-Duty Pickup: Ford F-Series*
Mainstream Utility: Chevrolet Equinox
Luxury Utility: Lincoln Corsair*
* Asterisk denotes a repeat winner from the 2024 awards.
Loyalty Awards Methodology based on 30 years of analysis
S&P Global Mobility calls its Loyalty Awards the industry's only fact-based awards of their kind, and says the awards reflect a review of 13.6 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. during the October 2024 through September 2025 timeframe.
S&P Global says automotive loyalty is determined when a household that owns a new vehicle returns to market and acquires another new vehicle of the same make, model or manufacturer. The newly acquired vehicle may be either a replacement or an addition to the household fleet.
