The results of the latest dealer attitude survey from the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) are now out, revealing that Kia retained its top spot.

Paul Philpott, president and CEO of Kia UK

The survey, first started 1989, is a biannual study of the relationship between franchised dealerships and manufacturers throughout the UK.

The summer 2024 edition reveals that Kia took the highest overall manufacturer rating with a rating of 9.3/10. It’s the fourth consecutive time that Kia has come out on top.

Mercedes-Benz came second with 9.1/10, followed by Suzuki with 7.9/10.

Jaguar saw the most significant improvement in ratings compared to the winter 2024 survey, with an increase of 2.3 points. The brand had previously been the lowest-rated manufacturer in that edition.

Cupra had the biggest increase in ranking – climbing 13 places to 13th in the latest survey.

In comparision, Ford had the biggest decrease in ranking – dropping 14 places to 29th place in the summer 2024 edition, while Citroën decreased the most by 2.0 points, also posting the lowest score at 3.4.

The overall rating for the summer 2024 survey was 6.7; marginally higher than the 6.6 average in the winter survey.

Paul Philpott, president and CEO of Kia UK, commented: “We work hard at being true business partners with our dealer network and this recognition again reflects the collaborative approach we take together. It also outlines our proud three-decade long history in the UK, where we have grown organically, sensibly and progressively. We would like to thank all of our dealer partners, be them longstanding or new, for the trust, commitment and hard work they put into their Kia business.”

This edition of the survey shows advancements in key areas, particularly regarding apprenticeships and electric vehicles. Most areas of EV sentiment have increased, showing some interesting results.

But EV profitability still appears to be of concern to the franchise body with EV & Hybrid margin (vs. ICE) showing the lowest rating of all questions in the survey – after a fall of 0.4 points since the last edition. Dealers also highlighted limited product range as a major issue.

The research also looked at the impact of the ZEV mandate on obtaining new vehicles for customer orders and while the results were stable overall, they showed significant variances across brands.

Sue Robinson, chief executive of the NFDA, said: “With the new government announcing its first budget on 30 October, NFDA submitted its Budget proposal to the Chancellor last month with growth, restimulation and clarity being key themes. This included measures such as harmonising VAT between public and domestic charging at 5% and improving charging infrastructure to incentivise consumers during the transition to electric whilst also providing support to the important UK automotive sector.”

The summer 2024 edition of the survey was carried out over six weeks, from the start of August 2024 and concluding in the middle of September 2024. This edition received responses from 2,238 sites across 32 franchised networks, equating to a response rate of 62%.

The full report is online here.