Hybrid Car Review

According to the latest J.D. Powers Survey, What Car?, the Lexus RX and the Toyota Prius are the first and second ranking models in the UK.

The Prius, in particular, scored well on running costs and vehicle quality/reliability. The RX scored highly on quality/reliability and appeal, as well as servicing at the dealership.

"Sales of SUVs may be on the slide, but it’s clear that owners of the Lexus RX 4x4 would gladly recommend their car to others," said Steve Fowler, editor of What Car? "Many of the RXs in the survey were hybrid models, and with the hybrid Toyota Prius in second place, it’s clear that environmentally friendly cars are hugely satisfying to own."

The Toyota Prius ranked highest in the upper medium car model.

According to the survey, satisfaction levels and brand loyalty are strongly linked, with more than 59 percent saying they "definitely will” consider buying the same vehicle make in the future. Only 18 percent of those who reported a less satisfying experience intend to buy the same.

The redesigned 2009 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study (VOSS) is the successor study to the UK Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) and is based on the evaluations of more than 15,700 online interviews from UK car owners after an average of two years of ownership. The study includes 29 brands and 101 models. Owners provide detailed evaluations of their vehicles and dealers, which cover 67 attributes grouped in four measurements of satisfaction. In order of importance, they are: vehicle appeal (37%), which includes performance, design, comfort and features; vehicle quality and reliability (24%); ownership costs (22%), which includes fuel consumption, insurance and costs of service/repair; and dealer service satisfaction (17%).