Overall customer satisfaction with the purchase experience among internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle buyers has declined for the first time since 2017 with an industry-wide satisfaction score of 758 (on a 1,000-point scale), down 3 points from 2024, according to the J.D. Power 2025 China Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study,SM released today. Furthermore, premium and mass market brands score 762 and 757 points, respectively, declining 5 and 2 points year over year. The gap between the two segments has further narrowed to 5 points in 2025 from 8 points in 2024.
The study measures customer satisfaction with the purchase experience among new-vehicle buyers and rejectors, defined as those who seriously consider a brand but ultimately purchase another brand.
The study finds that the online shopping experience scores the lowest among all factors (780 for premium and 782 for mass market brands). Meanwhile, satisfaction among rejectors drops. The average satisfaction score among rejectors has decreased 24 points, compared with a 5-point drop a year ago. Among rejectors of mass market brands, the decline is 26 points. Compared with 2024, the largest declines in satisfaction among rejectors are seen in the communication before visit and reception factors (down 23 and 24 points, respectively, for premium brands and 32 points each, respectively, for mass market brands).
“Traditional sales service models are being restructured as vehicle shoppers gain more access to information on brand APPs, automotive media and community application. All these channels accelerate their decision-making processes” said Ann Xie, general manager of the digital retail consulting practice at J.D. Power China. “Brands and dealerships need to reconstruct a seamless end-to-end service experience that integrates online and offline channels to improve satisfaction. For example, by gathering shoppers’ preferences as they browse vehicles online via brand apps, predicting their needs, and promptly synchronizing this data with in-store sales teams, brands can create a seamless information flow from online inquiries to offline test drives—ultimately elevating the experience across the entire purchase journey. Following in-store test drives, brands can leverage digital tools like post-test-drive satisfaction check-ins to develop agile service responses based on real-time feedback data, further boosting satisfaction with the car-buying process.”
Following are some key findings of the 2025 study:
- More defined purchase decisions and shorter decision cycles: The vehicle purchase process is accelerating as shoppers become more informed. In 2025, 76.4% of shoppers already had a clear brand/model in mind when shopping, up 7 percentage points from 2024. Additionally, 52% of buyers reached a purchase agreement within a week with the first dealership they visited, compared with only 40% in 2024.
- Test drives and professionalism of sales staff are key factors: The proportion of buyers this year who say the test drive was the decisive factor has risen 4.6 percentage points compared to 2024. The salesperson’s ability to explain features and provide professional insights during the test drive becomes more important—40% of buyers say the professionalism of the salesperson during the test drive had the greatest impact on their decision, up 4.5 percentage points from 2024.
- More ICE owners consider NEVs but reject before dealership visit: The proportion of ICE vehicle owners considering new energy vehicles (NEVs) has risen to 21.4% this year from 15.7% in 2024. However, 50.2% of them rejected the purchase before the static in-store viewing phase—up from 42.2% in 2024. Notably, reasons related to salespeople and dealerships (e.g., slow response, poor understanding of needs, lack of available vehicles) account for a growing proportion of rejection, increasing 3.8 percentage points year over year.
Study Rankings
Land Rover ranks highest among premium brands with a score of 775. Audi (772) ranks second. Porsche (767) ranks third.
GAC Honda ranks highest among mass market brands with a score of 779. Dongfeng Honda and GAC Toyota rank second in a tie, each with a score of 776.
Chery ranks highest among Chinese domestic brands with a score of 766. GAC Trumpchi (765) ranks second. CHANGAN and Haval rank third in a tie, each with a score of 760.
The China Sales Satisfaction Index (SSI) Study measures sales satisfaction among new-vehicle buyers and rejectors. Buyer satisfaction is based on seven measures: delivery process (19%); deal (17%); showroom visit (15%); online experience (14%); reception (14%); test drive (11%) and communication before visit (11%). Rejector satisfaction is based on six measures: online experience (24%); reception (19%); communication before visit (21%); showroom visit (15%); test drive (11%) and negotiation (10%).[1]
The 2025 study is based on responses from 9,773 vehicle owners in 81 major cities who purchased their new vehicle between July 2024 and March 2025. The study was fielded from January 2025 through May 2025. The 2025 study Includes 36 buyer brands and 74 rejector brands; among them, 33 brands achieved sufficient samples in both the buyer and rejector components.
[1] The weights are presented in rounded form, and the actual calculation is based on decimal places.
SOURCE: J.D. Power
