Best of Car, SUV and Truck of the Year, Satisfaction, Retention & Best Buy Awards

It’s the time of year when publications, organizations and others announce their awards for the best car, truck and SUV awards.  Included in the winners are the Honda Civic, Honda CR-V, Honda Accord, Hyundai Kona, and more. Top brands include Porsche, Lexus,  INFINITI, MINI, GMC and Buick. We listed all the winner here to help car buyers see all the winners to help make car-buying decisions.

Car of Year Finalists

MotorTrend announced its finalists for “Golden Calipers” for Car of the Year, Truck of the Year, and SUV of the Year.

2019 MOTORTREND Car of the Year Podium Finalists
Twenty all-new or significantly updated cars with 36 variants representing the 2019 model year were in contention for MOTORTREND Car of the Year. After a week of exhaustive testing and evaluation at the Hyundai-Kia California Proving Grounds, three podium finalists were chosen:

Genesis G70
Challenging the long-standing European hegemony in compact luxury sedans, the G70 features punchy powertrains that support an agile, sporty chassis that’s a ton of fun, wrapped in classy exterior styling with strong graphics, and a well-appointed interior. Hyundai’s luxury brand has created a premium car that is very good at almost everything.

Honda Insight
This affordable, smartly packaged hybrid boasts thoughtful style and storage solutions, seamless/silent adaptive cruise control performance, and beautiful road manners. The Insight’s lane-keeping assist is among the industry’s best, while its smooth ride isn’t just tops among hybrid vehicles—it’s better than that of many luxury cars. Oh, and it gets 50 mpg without trying hard.

Volvo S60/V60
A fresh, modern interior with supremely comfortable seats and a thunderous Bowers & Wilkins stereo gives the platform-sharing Volvo S60 sedan and V60 wagon top marks. The base 2.0-liter turbo delivers solid all-around performance, meaning you don’t have to pay extra for power. The V60’s styling is so cool it could prompt a resurrection of the wagon.

2019 MOTORTREND Truck of the Year Podium Finalists
Based on testing staged from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Arizona proving grounds, the three podium finalists for MOTORTREND’s 2019 Truck of the Year represent the best of Detroit’s truckmaking capabilities

Chevrolet Silverado
With a fabulous new exterior design, a fancy cylinder deactivation system, and an automatic trailer light test, the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 shows great improvement. Every judge applauded the smoothness of the High Country’s 10-speed automatic transmission. Rear bumper corner steps and three cargo hooks at each bed corner are great for functionality.

GMC Sierra
The MultiPro tailgate, adaptive ride control, and the late-available carbon-fiber bed help differentiate and elevate GM’s premium truck. The 6.2-liter growls and pulls hard, and combined with the 10-speed transmission, it provides a powerful drive. A big, clear head-up display, sharp, flat handling, and excellent body control while towing will be a boon to long-distance cargo hauls.

Ram 1500
The styling of the Ram is best-in-class: very sophisticated and well executed without going over the top. More impressive is an interior outfitted with the tools needed for both work and play. Coil-spring dampers and an optional air suspension provide a luxury car-like ride, and segment-first mild-hybrid powertrains boost both power and fuel economy.

2019 MOTORTREND SUV of the Year Podium Finalists
Automakers are developing powertrains that are smaller, smarter, more efficient, and more complex, making the SUV of the Year contest that much more challenging for the judges. Testing was staged out of Honda’s proving grounds near Mojave, California, and after lengthy deliberation, three podium finalists were chosen from a field of 26 nameplates representing 36 variants:

Jaguar I-Pace
The first all-electric SUV with adjustable ride-height for added off-roading capability, the I-Pace boasts about 200 miles of real-world battery range. Arguably the best-looking and most original automotive design in years, the I-Pace is a lovely handling machine with fantastic traction and instant electric power and torque—a rocket on the road.

Jeep Wrangler
The Wrangler is a thoughtful, thorough rework of an American original, configured to suit the ambitions of the off-roading neophyte and expert alike. The Wrangler is what crossovers want to be when they grow up, while resisting the temptation to dilute its climb-that-mountain capabilities for crossover softness.

Volvo XC40
With jazzy, fun styling to appeal to millennials, the XC40 offers a great package, and a ride that drivers of any age can appreciate. The familiar turbo-four engine and eight-speed automatic transmission provides quick acceleration, while the chassis delivers spirited steering response. The XC40 has an impressive array of safety features to go with its pugnacious swagger.

More Satifaction

Overall satisfaction in several studies is generally higher among customers who communicate via text message. In the 2018 U.S. SSI Study, overall buyer satisfaction is 19 points higher among customers who texted with their selling dealer (839) than among those who did not (820). Other J.D. Power studies show increases in satisfaction when customers communicate via digital channels/text message vs. traditional phone calls, such as the J.D. Power 2018 U.S. Customer Service Index (CSI) Study^SM (+29 points) and the J.D. Power 2018 U.S. Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study^SM (+26).

Following are some of the key findings of the 2018 study:

• Implementation of cross-channel communication is beneficial: Face-to-face communication is still the most common method for customers to connect with their selling dealer: 89% of the time in the luxury segment and 90% of the time in the mass market segment. However, satisfaction is higher when buyers email, call or text with their dealer personnel, indicating that using additional communication channels helps to increase customer satisfaction and improve understanding and engagement. Among additional channels, text messaging is used least often (21% by luxury dealers and 15% by mass market dealers), but satisfaction is highest among buyers who text with the dealer.

• When dealers text, customer satisfaction increases: Dealers using text messages are getting ahead of most of their competitors and are creating more satisfied customers. Luxury dealers use email and text messaging more frequently than mass market dealers (25% and 21% of the time vs. 17% and 15% of the time, respectively), so mass market dealers have an opportunity to increase engagement through these channels.

• Use pre-visit communication effectively: A significant number of buyers make first contact with their dealership through a variety of channels before visiting the dealership in person. These early interactions can have a noticeable effect on the buying experience. Overall, only 8% of buyers communicate with their dealer via text message before visiting the dealership. Gen Y and Gen X buyers (11% and 10%, respectively) are more likely to text before visiting than Boomers and Pre-Boomers (6% and 3%, respectively). Overall buyer satisfaction is higher among buyers who text before visiting (850) than industry average (823), further stressing the importance of text messaging communication. Among buyers who communicate with a dealer before visiting, it is critical that pre-visit information be used effectively during the in-dealer experience. Overall satisfaction among buyers who say their dealer is “very effective” in using the information provided pre-visit is 875, compared with just 715 among those who say their dealer is only “somewhat effective.”

• Proactive follow-up after vehicle delivery improves satisfaction: Key Performance Indicators are dealership processes that have the greatest effect on the sales experience and overall satisfaction scores. An area in which dealers can improve is after the delivery process is completed. The study finds dealerships only contact customers post-sale 79% of the time to ensure that everything with the sales process was satisfactory with this important, large-ticket purchase. When contact is made, satisfaction improves by 38 points.

Brand Sales Satisfaction Ratings

Porsche ranks highest in sales satisfaction among luxury brands, achieving a score of 828. Infiniti ranks second with a score of 824 and Lexus ranks third with 823.

MINI ranks highest in sales satisfaction among mass market brands, achieving a score of 798. GMC ranks second with a score of 797, while Buick and Chevrolet rank third in a tie with a score of 792.

The U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study—redesigned in 2017 and now in its 32^nd year—measures satisfaction with the sales experience among new-vehicle buyers and rejecters, who are those who shop a dealership and purchase elsewhere. Buyer satisfaction is based on six measures: dealer personnel (28%); delivery process (21%); working out the deal (18%); paperwork completion (16%); dealership facility (13%); and dealership website (4%). Rejecter satisfaction is based on five measures: salesperson (40%); fairness of price (15%); experience negotiating (15%); variety of inventory (15%); and dealership facility (14%).

The study is based on responses from 25,748 buyers who purchased or leased their new vehicle in April or May 2018. The study is a comprehensive analysis of the new-vehicle purchase experience and measures customer satisfaction with the selling dealer (satisfaction among buyers). The study also measures satisfaction with brands and dealerships that were shopped but ultimately rejected in favor of the selling brand and dealership (satisfaction among rejecters). The study was fielded from July through September 2018.

Pre-Owned Values

The 2019 POVAs are awarded to vehicles with the lowest forecasted depreciation from two years of age to five years of age, during the period 2018-2021. Vehicle segmentation is based on ALG’s proprietary automotive segmentation, which takes into account information such as vehicle size, transaction price, and cross-shop information. The awards will be highlighted at Used Car Week.

“With both Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales and used vehicle values transacting near record highs, the importance of retained value among used vehicle shoppers is more important than ever,” said Eric Lyman, SVP of ALG.

“New vehicle transaction prices and rising interest rates are making late model CPO vehicles a more attractive option for traditional new car buyers. ALG’s Pre-Owned Value Award measures depreciation and resale value, two leading drivers of purchase consideration in the new vehicle market, and applies them to used vehicles, creating a beacon for value-oriented buyers,” continued Lyman.

Nissan leads with three vehicle segment awards for the first time, unseating Toyota with the GT-R, Quest and Altima in the Premium Sportscar, Minivan and Midsize segments.

Although unseated as the overall Premium Brand winner by Jaguar, Mercedes boasts three awards in the Midsize Commercial, Fullsize Commercial and Premium Midsize segments.

Award winners are determined through careful analysis of used vehicle performance, brand outlook and product competitiveness. Eligibility for a brand award requires a manufacturer to have vehicle entries in at least four different segments. To account for differences across trim levels, model averages are weighted based on percentage share relative to the entire model line.

Below is the full list of 2019 POVA winners:

About ALG
Founded in 1964 and headquartered in Santa Monica, California, ALG is an industry authority on automotive residual value projections in both the United States and Canada. By analyzing nearly 2,500 vehicle trims each year to assess residual value, ALG provides auto industry and financial services clients with market industry insights, residual value forecasts, consulting and vehicle portfolio management and risk services. ALG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of TrueCar, Inc., a digital automotive marketplace that provides comprehensive pricing transparency about what other people paid for their cars. ALG has been publishing residual values for all cars, trucks and SUVs in the U.S. for over 50 years and in Canada since 1981.