Kia rated top brand by car dealers in latest NFDA Survey
Kia UK has been named the top rated brand overall in the Winter 2022/23 edition of the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) Dealer Attitude Survey.
The survey measures car dealers' satisfaction with their franchise partners. Kia's average score of 8.7 out of 10 was a 0.3-point improvement over the previous NFDA survey. Kia came out top in five key questions that were posed to franchised car dealers, including the all-important question of “How would you rate your manufacturer overall?”. Kia saw an improvement in their score across all but one of the 19 questions surveyed.
2022 was a huge year in the UK for Kia, seeing the launch of the next-generation Sportage and Niro models, as well as hitting 100,000 sales for the first time ever. It was also the first full year of sales for the all-conquering EV6 GT. Kia topped the question about how satisfied dealers are with battery electric products, scoring a highly impressive 9.3 out of 10.
The EV6 GT is not just Kia's most powerful electric car on sale today, but its most powerful car ever.
It has a dual electric motor that can produce 577bhp and has a fantastic driving range of up to 263 miles from a single charge. You won't be tied to the charging point either, as the ultra-fast charging capability will have you back on the move in no time. The EV6 GT can be charged from 10-80% in just 18 minutes!
The Kia EV6 GT is a direct replacement for the Stinger GT, and Kia recently paid tribute to its outgoing Grand Tourer in loving fashion.
Paul Philpott, Kia UK President and CEO, commented: “We have worked very closely with our dealer partners for many years and always strive to achieve the best for both our customers and our dealers. Seeing out dealers' views represented in the NFDA survey is such a valuable asset and one that helps us plan further improvements to our products and services. It is rewarding to see our efforts result in Kia being positioned as the no.1 brand in the UK.
“While 2022 was a challenging year, we and our dealer partners achieved our long-term goal of selling over 100,000 vehicles in the UK. These survey results prove that this record achievement was delivered with true partnership and to our mutual benefit.
“Kia is not a company to rest on its laurels and we are excited to bring a host of innovations and new products to market, including the new seven-seat EV9 SUV, that has just been unveiled.”
The Kia EV9 is the newest electric SUV to hit the UK market and is scheduled to land in showrooms in the latter half of 2023. It's built on Kia's E-GMP platform that allows for greater cabin space and refined, ultra-reliable EV motoring.
It is Kia's largest EV to date and the first to have seven seats. The middle row of seats can even independently rotate 180 degrees so you can have a face-to-face with those sitting in the rear seats! You can read more about the EV9 here.
Kia has now achieved a top three ranking in no less than the last 14 successive NFDA surveys, and the Korean brand improved 36.8 points in total over the previous one. By contrast, the all-brands average rating increased by only six points. The scoring was made even more representative thanks to more than 80% of Kia's dealers responding to the survey - a new record response rate.
