Satisfaction with 2024 model-year GMC vehicles is well above average among mass-market brands, according to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, at the same time that overall automobile satisfaction is bouncing back among U.S. vehicle owners in general.
GMC vehicles ranked fifth after Mini, Ram, Kia, and Hyundai with a score of 845 out of a possible 1,000 points, still considerably higher than the 838 points average satisfaction across the whole vehicle market, per J.D. Power reporting.
While GMC performed well, customer satisfaction with its vehicles fell slightly compared to last year in both absolute and relative terms. The brand’s 2023 performance saw it with an 858 APEAL score, above the 845 rating in 2024. It also took third place, instead of fifth, among 2023 mass-market vehicles, beaten only by Dodge and Ram. Last year’s industry average, 837, was practically identical to this year’s satisfaction.
While none of its vehicles won the top place in individual vehicle segments, several made the “top three” in these smaller categories. Top three Big Red vehicles include the GMC Yukon in the “Large SUV” segment and the GMC Sierra truck in the “Large Light Duty Pickup” segment.
J.D. Power points out that customer satisfaction with vehicles is increasing across the board following several years of decreased satisfaction. The research firm ascribes this to automakers’ recent responsiveness to customer preferences. Senior director Frank Hanley says that car companies are “launching enhanced vehicles that are more in line with what customers want,” with improved materials, storage, and “ensuring features have ease of use” helping make owners happier.
However, infotainment systems are still annoying many owners, with satisfaction weakest in regard to this technology. Hanley observed that the companies continue “pouring additional features into their vehicle infotainment systems, but it appears to be creating needless complexity.” Owners report “struggling” with use of these systems.
The APEAL study uses reported customer satisfaction with 37 different aspects of their vehicle to determine an overall score. The answers were drawn from surveys of 99,144 new 2024 vehicle owners who had owned their vehicle for at least 90 days at the time of participation.
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