Kia is the top brand as voted for by the nation’s car dealers in the latest National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) Summer 2024 Dealer Attitude Survey (DAS).
This marks the fourth consecutive time Kia has been ranked by UK dealers as the best franchise in the DAS. This follows a string of top-three rankings over the past 17 successive NFDA surveys, clearly demonstrating the strength of the brand’s partnership with its dealers.
Overall, Kia scored 9.3 out of 10 in the latest survey, up from the previous survey’s 9.2 points. The average overall score across all brands was 6.7 out of 10. This result is further amplified by a high response rate of 78% (145) of Kia’s 189-strong UK dealer network, which compares to the industry’s 62% average response rate across all 32 UK franchised networks.
Strong across the entire survey – with Kia the top scoring brand in 39 of the 56 questions asked – Kia is the top brand in all but one of the electric vehicle-focused questions, as well as in every question relating to used car sales.
Dealerships were surveyed between mid-August to the end of September for the Summer 2024 edition of the DAS, with questions focused on their ongoing business relationships with manufacturers.
Sue Robinson, Chief Executive of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA), said: “NFDA congratulates Kia, who once again stood out as a leader in the survey, achieving top scores across multiple categories, including the overall manufacturer rating with an impressive score of 9.3, marking a slight increase from the last edition.”
Paul Philpott, President and CEO of Kia UK, said: “We couldn’t be more delighted to once again be named the number one franchise by UK dealers. This is an exceptional result and the fourth consecutive time that Kia has come out on top.
“We work hard at being true business partners with our dealer network and this recognition again reflects the collaborative approach we take together. It also outlines our proud three-decade long history in the UK, where we have grown organically, sensibly and progressively. We would like to thank all of our dealer partners, be them longstanding or new, for the trust, commitment and hard work they put into their Kia business.
“A huge amount of energy goes into ensuring our customers are always kept at the forefront, which is why together we continue to invest heavily in our staff and training. We opened the new Kia Academy at the start of this year to educate and upskill the next generation of technicians, and just last month we hosted around 1,000 dealer staff from across the UK at our Kia Masterclass event at Silverstone, which provided unparalleled access to, and hands-on experiences with, our latest EV products.
“We have just recorded our best-ever September, and year-to-date we are the fourth best-selling brand in the UK. This isn’t isolated growth but the culmination of years of hard work, consistent investment in our people, trust in our product and faith in our loyal customers.”
Kia has gone from strength-to-strength in the UK, having most recently published record-breaking September results with 92,400 cars sold year-to-date, and the family-focused Sportage SUV the UK’s most popular model in the month and second year-to-date.
The National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) represents franchised car and commercial vehicle retailers in the UK. There are more than 4,500 franchise outlets in the UK and over 540,000 people working in the automotive retail sector.
NFDA’s Dealer Attitude Survey (DAS) is a twice-yearly survey of the relationship between franchised dealerships and manufacturers throughout the UK and remains a critical barometer in understanding the intricate dynamics between those franchised dealerships and their respective manufacturers.