Kia has yet again been rated as the best brand by UK franchise dealers.

Paul Philpott, president and CEO of Kia UK

The Korean brand came out top in the National Franchised Dealers Association’s (NFDA’s) Dealer Attitude Survey (DAS) for winter 2025 with a rating of 9.3/10. Kia has now topped the survey rankings for five editions in a row.

Paul Philpott, president and CEO of Kia UK, said: “This is a truly exceptional result and one we couldn’t be prouder to achieve. We have said that dealers are at the core of our business, so it’s particularly noteworthy that they agree and have now rated Kia the best brand for the fifth consecutive NFDA survey.”

The NFDA also revealed the biggest overall movers and shakers in its latest study. A total of 20 brands improved their overall rating whilst 10 brands saw their rating decline.

Citroën and Peugeot saw the most significant improvement in ratings with an increase of 3.4 and 2.1 points respectively. Citroen had previously been the lowest-rated manufacturer in the last edition.

Mercedes-Benz had the biggest fall in rating of 1.1 points but still held a high score of 8.

The winter 2025 edition of the DAS also revealed significant progress with electric cars, but challenges remain. The survey reveals a trend of how EV-related questions improved the most, but the relative scoring remains stubbornly low compared to other areas.

The total margin on new EV and hybrid sales compared with petrol or diesel new car sales saw a large improvement from a 5.2 to a 6.4, and while remaining one of the lowest scoring sections, there is a clear shift to more positivity around EVs.

The winter 2025 edition of the NFDA survey was carried out over five weeks, from 27 January to 28 February 2025. It features responses from 2,204 sites across 31 franchised networks, equating to a response rate of 61.3%.

Jaguar, currently resetting as an ultra-luxury EV brand, wasn’t included this time but will return for the next survey.