The National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) has published its latest survey on dealer sentiments and perspectives on manufacturers.

Mini and Kia were named as the top brands to work with

The Dealer Attitude Survey (DAS) is a twice-yearly survey of the relationship between franchised dealerships and manufacturers throughout the UK and has been running for 43 years.

The Winter 2024 edition of the survey saw both Mini and Kia named as the top brands to work with. The duo secured joint first place with a rating of 9.23/10, followed by Lexus (9.0).

Jeep received the most improved rating compared to the Summer 2023 survey with an improvement of 3.8pts. The lowest overall manufacturer rating was Jaguar with 2.9/10.

The survey also explored dealer sentiments on electric vehicles and saw improvements across the board in average scores. Despite this, worries remain among dealers with manufacturer support for onsite EV charging infrastructure, receiving an average of 5.2 out of 10, the lowest returning score for the entire survey.

A new question on EVs for this edition also highlighted that over a third of dealers were dissatisfied with how the ZEV mandate is affecting new vehicle orders.

The survey reveals that despite some progress from the previous edition, there is still room for improvement as EV topics again featured among the lowest-scoring questions. Despite substantial investments made by dealers during the transition to electric vehicles, concerns continue regarding manufacturer support and profitability.

The research, carried out over a five-week period between the end of January and the start of March 2024, also explored attitudes to supply of new cars, satisfaction with manufacturers’ used car standards and apprenticeship programmes. The survey attracted 2,321 responses from 32 franchised networks.

Sue Robinson, chief executive of NFDA, said: “The Winter 2024 NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey paints a clear picture highlighting both strides forward and hurdles to overcome for manufacturers in their relationships with their respective dealers.

“It is extremely positive to see NFDA’s Dealer Attitude Survey continue its trend of strong response rates, demonstrating the automotive industry’s unwavering commitment to sharing its valuable insights and attitudes shaping the retailing sector.”

The Winter 2024 NFDA Dealer Attitude Survey can be accessed here.