Click to enlarge,
S&P Global Mobility* has announced the winners of its 30th annual Automotive Loyalty Awards. General Motors and Tesla again earning the two highest awards for customer retention. The winners were celebrated during a ceremony at the Detroit Auto Show. General Motors received the ‘Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer’ award for the 11th year in a row. Tesla was the recipient of the ‘Overall Loyalty to Make’ award for the fourth consecutive year. 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.”
Click to enlarge.
A closer look at the data reveals the distinct strategies that 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, 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.”
“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.”
“Other brands showcased different paths to retention. 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,” S&P Global Mobility said.
*AutoInformed on
**S&P Global Mobility Loyalty Awards
Methodology is based on 30 years of analysis. S&P Global Mobility says its Loyalty Awards are the industry’s only fact-based awards of their kind, reflecting a review of 13.6 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. during the October 2024 through September 2025 time-frame. Automotive loyalty is defined as 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. S&P Global Mobility is not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
S&P Global Mobility – GM Tops Maker Loyalty Ratings Again
Click to enlarge,
S&P Global Mobility* has announced the winners of its 30th annual Automotive Loyalty Awards. General Motors and Tesla again earning the two highest awards for customer retention. The winners were celebrated during a ceremony at the Detroit Auto Show. General Motors received the ‘Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer’ award for the 11th year in a row. Tesla was the recipient of the ‘Overall Loyalty to Make’ award for the fourth consecutive year. 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.”
Click to enlarge.
A closer look at the data reveals the distinct strategies that 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, 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.”
“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.”
“Other brands showcased different paths to retention. 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,” S&P Global Mobility said.
*AutoInformed on
**S&P Global Mobility Loyalty Awards
Methodology is based on 30 years of analysis. S&P Global Mobility says its Loyalty Awards are the industry’s only fact-based awards of their kind, reflecting a review of 13.6 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. during the October 2024 through September 2025 time-frame. Automotive loyalty is defined as 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. S&P Global Mobility is not by S&P Global Ratings, which is a separately managed division of S&P Global.
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.