U.S. Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) is a study that analyzes the customer’s experience when buying a car, his experience of shopping at the dealership and the brand’s relationship with him as a customer. The study is conducted every year, and this year’s study showed surprising results. Based on the experience of 36,879 customers who bought a car from March to May this year, the most satisfied were Alfa Romeo customers.

The study was based on six factors: delivery process (26 percent), dealership staff (24 percent), purchasing process (19 percent), paperwork completion (18 percent), dealership infrastructure (10 percent) and dealership website (3 percent). So, this is not about the quality of the vehicle, but the relationship with the customers, and it seems that Alfa Romeo made an effort to be the best.

The greatest dissatisfaction was shown by the buyers of electric vehicles, as 38 percent of them did not receive proper charging instructions. Only buyers of premium electric vehicles received hands-on vehicle demonstrations and their satisfaction with the purchase was far greater. Buyers of cars with an internal combustion engine were more satisfied, although car prices are higher and waiting lists are getting longer.

“With the supply chain being an ongoing issue and with no near-term solution, dealerships have had to use additional tools at their disposal, such as special orders and more personal customer handling, to maintain sales satisfaction. However, when dealers charge more than MSRP, particularly with long-term loyal customers, they risk a potential long-term negative effect on customer advocacy and service business,” said Chris Sutton, vice president of automotive retail at J.D. Power.

When it comes to other car manufacturers, Porsche (831) ranks second and Lexus (819) ranks third among premium brands. Among mass market brands, Buick ranks highest, while Dodge (816) ranks second and Subaru (804) ranks third.

Source: J.D. Power