Owners of cars from budget brands tend to be less satisfied with their purchase than those with vehicles from mainstream or premium manufacturers.
Analysis of Auto Express’ recent 2026 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey revealed that brands with line-ups featuring a median price point 30 per cent lower than the typical price of a new car were statistically more likely to receive low satisfaction scores than those with more expensive offerings.
Of the 30 manufacturers that appeared in our survey, six – Citroen, Dacia, Fiat, SEAT, Suzuki and Vauxhall – were classified as ‘budget’ brands, given that the median starting price across their entire line-ups fell below the threshold of £28,000. This is 30 per cent less than the average UK new-car price of around £40,000.
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