S&P Global Mobility 2025 Loyalty Awards Reveal Divergent Paths to Customer Retention; General Motors and Tesla Secure Top Honors

• General Motors recognized for 'Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer' for 11th consecutive year
• Tesla secures 'Overall Loyalty to Make' after a late-year market shift; also wins for 'Highest Conquest %' and 'Ethnic Loyalty to Make'

SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Jan. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- S&P Global Mobility today announced the winners of its 30th annual Automotive Loyalty Awards, with General Motors and Tesla again earning the two highest awards for customer retention. The winners were celebrated during a ceremony at the Detroit Auto Show on January 14, 2026.

General Motors received the 'Overall Loyalty to Manufacturer' award for the 11th year in a row. Tesla was the recipient of the 'Overall Loyalty to Make' award for the fourth consecutive year.

The 2025 awards are based on an analysis of 13.6 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. from October 2024 through September 2025.

"For 30 years, this analysis has provided a fact-based measure of brand health and this year's results are particularly telling," said Joe LaFeir, President of Mobility Business Solutions at S&P Global Mobility. "The data shows the market is not rewarding just one type of strategy. Instead, we see sustained, high-level performance from manufacturers with broad portfolios. In the current market, retaining customers remains a critical performance indicator for the industry."

The analysis also showed razor-thin margins separating winners in multiple segments.

"The data this year highlights how narrow the margins for success have become," said Vince Palomarez, Associate Director, Loyalty Analysis at S&P Global Mobility. "Several categories were contested by less than one percentage point. This level of competition, combined with fewer available awards in 2025, increases the statistical significance of each win and underscores the performance of this year's recipients."

A closer look at the data reveals the distinct strategies that propelled this year's winners. Product redesigns proved to be a powerful loyalty driver, as seen with Mini's win for 'Most Improved Make Loyalty,' which was spurred by updates to both its Cooper and Countryman models. Similarly, the Chevrolet Equinox captured 'Overall Loyalty to Model' following its own redesign, which resulted in a notable four-percentage-point increase in model loyalty year-over-year.

Other brands showcased different paths to retention. Subaru's award for 'Overall Loyalty to Dealer' was anchored by exceptional performance in its high-volume East Coast markets, where dealer loyalty reached 43.7%, well above its national average of 37.9%.

Meanwhile, Tesla's multiple awards highlight a strategy of targeted market appeal and consistent disruption. Its win for 'Ethnic Market Loyalty to Make' was driven by remarkable retention among Asian (63.6%) and Hispanic (61.9%) households—rates that significantly outpace the national averages for those groups. Underscoring its sustained market impact, Tesla also secured the 'Highest Conquest Percentage' award for the sixth consecutive year.

The complete list of 2025 award winners is as follows:

Loyalty Awards Methodology based on 30 years of analysis: The S&P Global Mobility Loyalty Awards are the industry's only fact-based awards of their kind, reflecting a review of 13.6 million new retail vehicle registrations in the U.S. during the October 2024 through September 2025 timeframe. Loyalty is determined when a household that owns a new vehicle returns to market and acquires another new vehicle of the same make, model or manufacturer. The newly acquired vehicle may be either a replacement or an addition to the household fleet.

About S&P Global Mobility: At S&P Global Mobility, we provide invaluable insights derived from unmatched automotive data, enabling our customers to anticipate change and make decisions with conviction. Our expertise helps them to optimize their businesses, reach the right consumers, and shape the future of mobility. We open the door to automotive innovation, revealing the buying patterns of today and helping customers plan for the emerging technologies of tomorrow.

S&P Global Mobility is a division of S&P Global (NYSE:SPGI). S&P Global is the world's foremost provider of credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help many of the world's leading organizations navigate the economic landscape so they can plan for tomorrow, today. For more information, visit www.spglobal.com/mobility.

Media Contact:  

MobilityComms@spglobal.com

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SOURCE S&P Global Mobility