Domestic automotive industry is catching up with the Japanese leader in terms of service quality

The Romir Research Holding has conducted an annual study to assess the quality of service of various automakers.   

The leader of the rating is the Japanese brand Lexus. The manufacturer took the first place by the quality of customer service, having risen by one line, and retained its position in terms of customer service.

The Russian Lada showed the most active growth. Having moved up by four lines, the domestic brand took the 2nd place in the ranking by quality of customer service, leaving behind Nissan, Volkswagen, and Subaru.

Volkswagen (+6) broke into the top 5 in terms of sales department service quality, while Renault (+5) and Skoda (+5) added to the list of the best in terms of service. The same, as well as Mitsubishi entered the top 5 in terms of service, displacing the brand Lada.

What is remarkable, the top lines are occupied mostly by Japanese brands, while the Chinese brands are at the bottom of the rating.

The industry index of service quality remained about the same as last year. For sales, it decreased by 3 p.p. and was 75%, while for service, on the contrary, it increased by the same amount and was 71%.

Speaking of sales, the main changes were caused by the shortage of cars. In only 37% of cases sales assistants created an urgency to buy a car in the near future, compared to 93% in 2020. The main argument employees made was the availability of a small number of cars. It was used 56% of the time, three times more often than in the same period last year. In addition, in 39% of cases, cars from availability were only offered with additional equipment. The average waiting time for a car without it is 1-2 months, and a third of dealers didn't provide an opportunity to order a car with a basic configuration. It should also be noted that employees began to offer various additional services and products more actively, especially trade-in (+10% YoY), since the used cars market is also experiencing a rush and lack of offers.

The policy of dealerships, combined with a shortage of supply and rising prices, in turn, affects the willingness of Russians to buy cars - 70% of motorists think that the current situation is not the best for shopping.

The level of customer service remained almost at the same level. Employees in 92% of cases offered an appointment within a week, this figure decreased by 6 p.p. compared to 2020. In nearly half of the cases (45%), the service advisor voiced various promotional programs and discounts for owners, the same as the year before. Most often it was a discount on work and spare parts.