Tesla takes customer loyalty title from Ford, ending Dearborn automaker’s 12-year streak

Ford Motor Co. often touts its customer loyalty but Tesla just stole the crown for “Overall Loyalty to Make” from the Dearborn automaker after 12 years of Ford domination, according to the S&P Global Mobility annual Automotive Loyalty Awards announced Monday.

Meanwhile, General Motors retained the title for “Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer” for the eighth year in a row, and 19th win during the past 27 years. Rising inventory levels met demand for sport utility vehicles and pickups built by GM, and led to strong loyalty gains, S&P Global Mobility said in its news release.

GM’s manufacturer loyalty rate was 65.4% in 2022 while Tesla’s make loyalty rate was 67.2%, confirmed S&P Global Mobility to the Detroit Free Press. Ford placed second in “loyalty to make.”

Data was unavailable for Ford and others who did not win overall categories.

The industry saw customer loyalty wane for the third year in a row as customers dealt with another year of supply chain, manufacturing and delivery disruptions related to the COVID-19 pandemic and other global issues.

S&P Global Mobility, which analyzed 11.7 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. from January 2022 through December 2022, has been tracking automotive loyalty for 27 years. Loyalty is determined when a household that owns a new vehicle then acquires another new vehicle of the same make, model or manufacturer. The newly acquired vehicle may be either a replacement or an addition to what’s owned already. For this, the industry analyst did not supply raw data for the outcomes.

Automakers view customer retention as essential because retaining customers is far more cost-efficient than attracting new customers. The “conquest,” when one automaker steals from another, is viewed as a big win.

Why Tesla?

Tesla also snagged repeat wins for “Highest Conquest Percentage” and “Alternative Powertrain Loyalty to Make.”

Tesla decreased and then increased the price of its Model Y. The cost of the Model Y Long Range has increased by $1,500 to $54,990, while the Model Y Performance is up $1,000 to $57,990. The SUV competes with the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

The Austin, Texas-based automaker can credit its active return-to-market consumer base and majority share of electric vehicle sales last year, according to S&P Global Mobility.

Tesla, GM, Subaru win top honors

Below is the full list of winners in each major category with 2021 repeat titleholders marked with an asterisk: