The results of the annual Ipsos South African Competitive Customer Experience survey are out and once again it is Volkswagen and Audi that occupy the top spots.

Looking at the market overall, it is noteworhty thatsatisfaction levels continue to rise steadily across the board as South African car dealers improve their sales efforts. On the servicing side, however, the survey shows a static satisfaction graph for passenger vehicles, and a slight dip for LCVs (light commercial vehicles).For the public, though, the most interesting results will be the brands' individual performances. Note, however, that not all brands participate in the Ipsos study.

How does it work? Ipsos measures thepurchasing aspect of the customer experience through a telephonic interview that takes place 10 to 35 days after delivery has been taken of a new vehicle, while the customer’s experience with dealer servicing is evaluated in an interview, also 10 to 35 days after a service transaction has taken place.

Sale & Servicing Experience

Audi and Volkswagen received Gold awards in both the sales and servicing survey categories. For both the German brands it is the fifth year in a row that the Gold sales award has been achieved. Audi also received the Goldaward for the fifth year for passenger car servicing, while Volkswagen achieved the Gold standard for the second year running in the passenger car servicing category, and for the fourth time in LCV servicing.

So, a dominant performance, then. What about the others?From the brands that participated in the survey, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Opel, Toyota and Volvo received a Silver award in the passenger car purchasing category, while Ford, Honda and Renault received Bronze. Besides VW, 4 other brands also received Goldin the LCV Sales category, namely Chevrolet, Isuzu, Nissan and Toyota. Ford was the only brand to received a Silver award in the LCV purchasing category.

When it comes to servicing, Nissan claimed Gold with Audi and VW in the passenger car category, while Chevrolet, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Opel and Toyota qualified for Silver and Honda, Renault and Volvo collected Bronze.

In the LCV servicing category, VW was joined by Chevrolet, Isuzu, Nissan and Toyota while Ford got Silver.

Note that major brands such as BMW, Kia, Hyundai, Land-Rover/Jaguar, Mazda and others do not participate in the Ipsos study.

Tell us what you think of your car, and the people that service it, to help us provide the best buying advice in South Africa. By completing this 10-minute survey, you will have a very real impact on everything we do, from the outcome of Cars.co.za Consumer Awards – powered by WesBank, to new buyer's tools and other insightful content.

Related content:

New Car Sales in SA for June 2017

Petrol Price Increase Likely In August 2017

Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient Budget Cars

6 Most Fuel-Efficient Double-Cab Bakkies in SA

Interested in buying a new/used car?

Find one for sale on Cars.co.za