JD POWER 2011

The J.D. Power UK Car Customer Satisfaction Index reviews all cars that have reached two years of age at the time of publication. The UK car survey consists of comments and ratings entirely from the members of the public who bought the cars new two years previously. Satisfaction is based on vehicle quality and reliability, vehicle appeal, service satisfaction and ownership costs, and when the numbers behind the 16,840 survey results were crunched, the cream inevitably rose to the top. The ten best cars of 2011 are listed below.

Japanese manufacturers have traditionally done well in the JD Power survey and Lexus is synonymous with a long record of excellence. The Lexus IS remains the go-to car in the compact executive class if peerless reliability, quality of finish and quality of servicing is key. In fact, this model has never fallen outside JD Power's top five in any year of manufacture. Lexus dealers continuously score highly for their attention to detail and value and the IS isn't the only Lexus model to make the final ten. Also scoring well is the Lexus RX SUV, helped in no small part by the huge take-up of the clean yet swift RX450h hybrid model.

Honda has also been very well represented with no fewer than three cars in the top ten. Should your saloon car budget be unable to stretch to a Lexus IS, you wouldn't be disappointed by the latest Honda Accord, if JD Power's respondents are to be believed. Scoring top marks in 17 of the 25 categories, the Accord drew praise for its refinement and Honda dealers were commended for the transparency of their servicing and repair procedures.



The Honda CR-V demonstrated the importance of not having a significant Achilles heel. It scored well across the board, with the interior being deemed quiet and comfortable. Modest running costs and that no-nonsense dealer service have been making CR-V owners purr. The Honda Jazz also scored well, with no other supermini getting anywhere near its overall score. Reliability, versatility and quality of finish were all given a major thumbs up.



It hasn't been the easiest time for Toyota is late but look beyond the tabloid headlines and the company is still building cars that its owners love. One could almost be dubbed an icon. The Toyota Prius hybrid has done more than any other vehicle to wean us off our preoc...