S&P Global Mobility today announced the winners of its 30th annual Automotive Loyalty Awards, with General Motors and Tesla again earning the two highest awards for customer retention. The winners were celebrated during a ceremony at the Detroit Auto Show on January 14, 2026.
General Motors received the Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer award for the 11th year in a row. Tesla was the recipient of the Overall Loyalty to Make award for the fourth consecutive year.
The 2025 awards are based on an analysis of 13.6 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. from October 2024 through September 2025, according to S&P Global Mobility officials in a press release.
“For 30 years, this analysis has provided a fact-based measure of brand health, and this year’s results are particularly telling,” said Joe LaFeir, president of mobility business solutions at S&P Global Mobility. “The data shows the market is not rewarding just one type of strategy. Instead, we see sustained, high-level performance from manufacturers with broad portfolios. In the current market, retaining customers remains a critical performance indicator for the industry.”
Razor-Thin Margins Separate Winners in Multiple Segments
“The data this year highlights how narrow the margins for success have become,” said Vince Palomarez, associate director, loyalty analysis at S&P Global Mobility. “Several categories were contested by less than one percentage point. This level of competition, combined with fewer available awards in 2025, increases the statistical significance of each win and underscores the performance of this year’s recipients.”
S&P Global Mobility says a closer look at the data reveals the distinct strategies that propelled this year’s winners. Product redesigns proved to be a powerful loyalty driver, as seen with Mini’s win for Most Improved Make Loyalty, which was spurred by updates to both its Cooper and Countryman models. Similarly, the Chevrolet Equinox captured Overall Loyalty to Model following its own redesign, which resulted in a notable 4% increase in model loyalty year-over-year.
Different Paths to Retention
Other brands showcased different paths to retention, officials said. Subaru’s award for Overall Loyalty to Dealer was anchored by exceptional performance in its high-volume East Coast markets, where dealer loyalty reached 43.7%, well above its national average of 37.9%.
Meanwhile, Tesla’s multiple awards highlight a strategy of targeted market appeal and consistent disruption. Its win for Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make was driven by strong retention among Asian (63.6%) and Hispanic (61.9%) households—rates that significantly outpace the national averages for those groups. Underscoring its sustained market impact, Tesla also secured the Highest Conquest Percentage award for the sixth consecutive year.
The complete list of 2025 award winners is as follows:
Overall Loyalty Awards |
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Category |
Winner |
|
| Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer | General Motors* | |
| Overall Loyalty to Make | Tesla* | |
| Overall Loyalty to Model | Chevrolet Equinox | |
| Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make | Tesla* | |
| Most Improved Make Loyalty | Mini | |
| Overall Loyalty to Dealer | Subaru* | |
| Highest Conquest Percentage | Tesla* | |
Segment Model Loyalty Awards |
||
Category |
Winner |
|
| Mainstream Car | Mini Cooper | |
| Luxury Car | Mercedes-Benz S-Class & Lexus ES* (Tie) | |
| Sports Car | Porsche 911* | |
| Van | Honda Odyssey* | |
| Light-Duty Pickup | Ford F-Series* | |
| Heavy-Duty Pickup | Ford F-Series* | |
| Mainstream Utility | Chevrolet Equinox | |
| Luxury Utility | Lincoln Corsair* | |
Note: Asterisk denotes a repeat winner from the 2024 awards.
Loyalty Awards Methodology Based on 30 Years of Analysis
The S&P Global Mobility Loyalty Awards are the industry’s only fact-based awards of their kind, reflecting a review of 13.6 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. during the October 2024 through September 2025 timeframe, S&P Global Mobility said. Loyalty is determined when a household that owns a new vehicle returns to market and acquires another new vehicle of the same make, model or manufacturer. The newly acquired vehicle may be either a replacement or an addition to the household fleet.
LexisNexis Risk Solutions also recently released its third annual U.S. Automotive Brand Loyalty Study.