Last January a big survey was released about 2010 Car Brand Perception. Chevrolet, Ford, and Subaru saw 30-point increase in overall perception scores, while Toyota held on to the number one spot. The survey was comprised of consumer’s brand perceptions based seven categories: Safety, quality, value, performance, design/style, technology/innovation, and environmentally friendly/green.

The scores did not reflect true performance or quality of each brand’s vehicles, but consumers opinion instead. There is an important lesson to be learned from this list – your perceptions of vehicle brands often do not reflect reality. Research multiple vehicles before you buy, compare actual performance, pricing, and reliability ratings.

10 Best Perceived Brands

Brand – Score
Toyota – 196
Ford – 141
Honda – 135
Chevrolet – 124
Volvo – 92
Mercedes-Benz – 92
BMW – 90
Cadillac – 87
Subaru – 81
Lexus – 80


10 Worst Perceived Brands
Brand – Score
Hummer – 11
Saab – 13
Mercury – 13
Mazda – 13
Suzuki – 19
Infiniti – 19
Jeep – 22
Lincoln – 26
Kia – 27
Mitsubishi – 28

Now that six months have passed, do you agree or disagree with the survey results?