The Kelley Blue Book Consumer Choice Awards — formerly known as the Brand Image Awards — recognize automakers whose model lines of cars, trucks, and SUVs shoppers are enthusiastic about. The winners of these awards are determined by the opinions of in-market car shoppers. For decades, Kelley Blue Book has researched this data as part of its annual study of new-car shoppers’ perceptions. The brands that win these awards excite and attract new car shoppers, and doing this is essential when it comes to success in the marketplace.
The Consumer Choice Awards cover 14 categories for mainstream and luxury brands, including overall winners for EV/hybrid and truck. Categories cover key attributes like value, trust, and the in-vehicle experience. Here are this year’s Consumer Choice Award winners, based on Kelley Blue Book data from our annual Brand Watch Study.
Best Brands
Best Performance Brand: Honda
When it comes to performance, Honda’s track-ready 315-horsepower Civic Type R is at the top of the list. And excellent steering and handling are hallmarks of Honda’s entire vehicle lineup.
Best Luxury Brands
Best Overall EV/Hybrid Brand
Best Overall Truck Brand
About the Consumer Choice Awards
New cars, trucks, and SUVs represent a lot more than mere transportation. They serve as ways for consumers to say something about themselves while going from Point A to Point B. For many drivers, the goal is to get away from it all. For others, an SUV is essential for an active outdoor lifestyle. And for others yet, having an all-electric vehicle is the ultimate goal.
With this wide variety of shoppers’ interests, gauging this popularity is no easy task. The Kelley Blue Book Consumer Choice Awards use the opinions from more than 12,000 in-market, new-vehicle shoppers, tracking 14 key factors that are important to shoppers. These are informed consumers who extensively research their vehicle purchases on KBB.com. We follow this audience through our annual Brand Watch Study, which compiles consumer trends and attitudes on new vehicles available today.
The Brand Watch Study samples both mobile and desktop users. This allows the study to reflect the views of a more diverse group of respondents. Since 2007, the brand-level study has included more than 180,000 interviews. Since 2012, the model-level study has included more than 500,000 interviews.