Twice a year – in the summer and the winter – J.D. Power releases its U.S. Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study, which measures customer satisfaction with the websites operated by automotive manufacturers and individual brands. Historically speaking, Ford has produced some very mixed results, ranking below the mass market segment average in the Summer 2024 version of the study with a score of 701 out of 1,000 possible points – ahead of only Mini and Mitsubishi – but in the Winter 2024 study, Ford ranked above the average with a score of 715 – putting it in sixth place. This trend continued in the latest U.S. Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study, too.
In the 2025 Winter version of the J.D. Power U.S. Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study, Ford actually ranked first among all mass market manufacturers with a score of 719, which is a rather stunning rebound from its summer results, yet again. However, it’s also worth noting that J.D. Power gave this study a bit of an overhaul for 2025, with the intentions of better measuring newer aspects of the vehicle shopping experience such as build and price tools. As has historically been the case, this study measures customer satisfaction with automotive manufacturer websites while shopping for a new vehicle by examining five key measures – visual appeal; navigation; speed; vehicle research; and research tools.
This year’s study is based on responses from 11,406 new-vehicle shoppers who indicated they will be in the market for a new vehicle within the next 12 months. Overall, J.D. Power found that only 50 percent of mass market shoppers felt that their manufacturer’s website was more organized and modern than other sites they visited, however, highlighting the need for some to make critical updates.
“Visual appeal is one of the most important aspects for website visitors,” said Kristen Coffin, analyst of digital solutions at J.D. Power. “The auto industry is falling short on modernization and organization of their websites. Consumer expectations are high and having an updated, organized and aesthetically pleasing site is one of the most important things manufacturers can do to drive site satisfaction.”
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