Big Owner Satisfaction Survey Suggests Big Problems For These Luxury Brands

According to a new customer satisfaction survey, Americans putting a luxury vehicle in their garages are increasingly less satisfied with the experience. In 2025, 2024, and 2023, luxury car brands topped the list when it came to customer satisfaction over their mass-market counterparts. This year was different, with the 2026 American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) study showing a 3% decline in overall luxury satisfaction, compared to a 1% drop for mass-market nameplates. 

The changing of the guard this year is enough to tie things up between premium brands and the higher-volume mass-market badges at 78 on the index's scale, rated from one to 100. Several high-end badges dropped their year-over-year scores in the 2026 ACSI study, including Lexus and Cadillac.

Interestingly enough, the slipping satisfaction rates put the auto industry behind some unexpected market benchmarks. The aggregate 78 score means consumer satisfaction with automobiles falls one point short of the cell phone market, fast-food establishments, and vacuum cleaners. At least cars came out ahead of airlines, which landed at 76. It's a very real possibility that your worst experiences on a budget airline are more severe than your luxury car gripes. Either way, this year's ACSI satisfaction decline for the luxury segment is a bit of a black eye.

Last year, Lexus held the top luxury spot with an 87 out of 100 score, establishing a commanding lead over Mercedes-Benz's 82. Since 2025, Lexus dropped a massive 10% to 78, placing it in the number-three spot behind Mercedes-Benz and Audi, scored at 81 and 80, respectively.

Though satisfaction scores for Lexus plummeted 10%, the brand's parent company, Toyota, managed to pick up a percentage point in 2026. Buick, another General Motors automaker alongside Cadillac, was the biggest loser at 16%. Luxury brands like Lexus also fared far better than competitors such as Cadillac. Nobody did luxe land yachts like Cadillac during decades such as the 1970s, but the brand's fans aren't quite so enamored these days. Cadillac shed 15% of its customer satisfaction score from 2025 to 2026, putting it squarely in last place at 69 out of 100. 

Audi and BMW enjoyed modest increases in overall satisfaction at 4% and 1%, respectively, but Tesla didn't do quite so well. The EV manufacturer shed 4% in 2026, leaving it with a score of 78 and in fourth place ahead of BMW, Lincoln, Acura, Infiniti, and Cadillac. Of course, Elon Musk and company axed some of the brand's prestige in the luxury car market by killing its two original halos, the Model S and Model X, to make room for robots. In terms of individual customer experience metrics, the luxury segment falters in every category, from fuel economy to mobile app quality. Even overall comfort fell 1% from 2025 to 2026.