GM car buyers most loyal in 2024; Ford wins pickup and SUV categories

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General Motors had the most loyal customers of any auto manufacturer last year, the Detroit automaker’s 10th consecutive year to tout that distinction, according to a customer buying analysis that S&P Global Mobility released Wednesday.

S&P Global Mobility, a Southfield-based automotive data and research firm, based its findings on an analysis of more than 13.1 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. in 2024. 

S&P Global Mobility's U.S. Automotive Loyalty Awards, now in its 29th year, define brand loyalty as the rate at which a household that owns a new vehicle returns to the market to acquire another vehicle of the same make, model or manufacturer. 

The Chevrolet Equinox secured most loyalty among buyers in the small utility category, but Ford Motor Co. swept the pickup categories and luxury midsize and full-size utility vehicles. The Lincoln Nautilus won Overall Loyalty to Model; Lincoln’s second win in a category introduced last year. The Lincoln Corsair won in 2023.

Stellantis won in just one category: midsize utility, with its Jeep Grand Cherokee. Tata Motors' Land Rover won most improved for make loyalty, largely due to larger inventory levels and an uptick in vehicle incentives, Vince Palomarez, S&P Global Mobility associate director for loyalty analysis, told the Detroit Free Press. In May, October and November, Land Rover saw double-digit percentage point increases in loyalty year-over-year.

Loyalty levels have increased steadily since dropping significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic, when manufacturing delays and supply shortages forced buyers to defect to other makes and models to stay in the market.

Overall brand loyalty across automakers rose from the previous year, as the volume of customers returning to the car market rose 4%. More often than not, those buyers returned for more of the same.

That uptick shows customers are naturally inclined to stay with the brand they’re familiar with, Palomarez said, but “now the question will be, will that eventually reach a point that inventory goes up, but loyalty stays static? Will incentives tick up to recapture that?” 

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The rise in alternative powertrain vehicles entering the market prompted analysts to remove the alternative powertrain category altogether, Palomarez said, as more and more customers adopted hybrid and all-electric vehicles.

“This will be important as we navigate a period of uncertainty in our industry assessing tariff and trade impacts on vehicle demand, making retention an even greater indicator of brand health,” Joe LaFeir, president of automotive insights at S&P Global Mobility, said in a statement.

Overall loyalty to make went to Tesla, another consecutive win for the electric vehicle company. It also had the highest conquest percentage of any company. Ford had secured top loyalty to make for 12 consecutive years before Tesla took the title in 2022.

Yet loyalty to Tesla is on the decline. Starting in the fourth quarter of 2024, fewer Tesla buyers returning to market opted for another Tesla than in previous years, the study found. Competition is tightening as more electric vehicles proliferate the market and consumer habits change, which likely drove the downward trend away from Tesla, Palomarez said.

There isn't any loyalty data for recent weeks that include reported instances of Tesla vehicles and dealerships vandalized in protest of Elon Musk's close involvement with President Donald Trump's crusade to reduce the size of the U.S. government. It's unclear how much these concerns will rattle current and future Tesla owners, Palomarez said, especially given that “Tesla still remains the leader in loyalty relative to other brands — and by a wide margin.”

The complete list of 2024 winners, with an asterisk noting 2023 sales year winners:

• Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer: General Motors
• Overall Loyalty to Make: Tesla
• Overall Loyalty to Model: Lincoln Corsair
• Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make: Tesla
• Most Improved Make Loyalty: Land Rover
• Overall Loyalty to Dealer: Subaru
• Highest Conquest Percentage: Tesla

Segment-level winners:

• Small Utility: Chevrolet Equinox
• Midsize Utility: Jeep Grand Cherokee
• Full-size Utility: Ford Expedition
• Light-Duty Pickup: Ford F-Series
• Heavy-Duty Pickup: Ford F-Series (250/350)
• Van: Honda Odyssey
• Sports Car: Porsche 911
• Passenger Car: Nissan Sentra
• Luxury Small Utility: Lincoln Corsair
• Luxury Midsize Utility: Lincoln Nautilus
• Luxury Full-Size Utility: Land Rover Range Rover
• Luxury Car: Lexus ES

Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@freepress.com.