Which Kiwi car owners are most satisfied?

A survey has revealed which New Zealand car owners rate their vehicle as the most reliable and satisfying.

Conducted by Consumer NZ, the survey reported on 72 different models and questioned more than 8,000 New Zealanders on the topic.

It found that manufacturers like Honda, Tesla and BYD stood out for the “right reasons.”

Meanwhile, brands including Ford, Volkswagen, Holden, Chrysler Jeep, Ssangyong, Mitsubishi and Mercedes-Benz scored “poor” for reliability and owner satisfaction, according to Consumer NZ product testing manager James le Page.

Le Page added: “Obviously, satisfaction depends on the owner’s needs and expectations. One person may be interested in a comfortable ride and a good stereo. Another may value driving performance above all else.”

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In the survey, the Mazda6 earned one of the lowest scores for satisfaction and reliability.

Only 30% of respondents said their Mazda6 was fault-free.

“Mazda6 owners also rated their car poorly for comfort, fuel economy and driving performance,” le Page said.

Hyundai Santa Fe owners were also among the least satisfied owners.

Le Page said owners felt their vehicle offered “poor value for money, due to the costs required to maintain and repair it”.

Mitsubishi Outlander owners also reported that their vehicle’s fuel economy and driving performance were “worse than expected, making them dissatisfied.”

Electric vehicles occupy a good position

Although only 13% of gasoline and diesel owners said they were likely to purchase an electric vehicle in the future, electric and hybrid vehicle owners were the most satisfied overall.

Le Page said: “EV owners are generally reluctant to adopt an electric vehicle, but once they do, it is difficult to go back to driving a petrol or diesel car.”

He pointed to “range anxiety” as one of the main barriers to electric vehicle ownership.

“While price and lack of range are the obvious barriers, environmental factors, such as how we dispose of or recycle electric vehicle batteries, have moved up the list of concerns.”

Nissan Leaf owners did not rate the vehicle’s real-world range or battery life. However, they were among the most satisfied drivers.

Le Page stated that the ownership experience of this vehicle “compensates” for its shortcomings and highlights the importance of “superficial” attributes, such as a spacious trunk or comfortable seats.

Consumer NZ surveyed 8,527 people, including followers, members, newsletter and survey subscribers and social media followers, about their experience owning their current car.

Satisfaction measures included satisfaction attributes such as fuel economy, overall satisfaction, likelihood to recommend the vehicle, and likelihood to repurchase the vehicle.