Chinese automakers are closing in on American rivals in customer experience, slashing the gap to just five points this year from 29 points in 2025, with BYD posting the biggest improvement among 11 brands assessed in the Philippines.
Chinese brands gained 50 points to score 889 in Differential Singapore’s 2026 Customer eXperience Index, jumping from fourth to second place among four country-of-origin groups and overtaking Japanese and Korean manufacturers.
American brands held on to the top spot with 894 points. Korean brands improved by 24 points, while Japanese brands managed a modest three-point gain.
BYD emerged as the highest-rated individual brand with 900 points, ahead of Ford at 894 and Isuzu at 885. Its 52-point improvement was the biggest among the 11 brands assessed in both 2025 and 2026, outpacing Kia’s 38-point gain, Isuzu’s 31 and Ford’s 26.
The results point to a growing competitive battleground beyond vehicle specifications and pricing, as dealerships become increasingly important in winning customers through sales, servicing and ownership support.
The industry’s overall customer experience score rose eight points to 864. Sales experience improved by 24 points and after-sales service by 21, dwarfing the two-point increase in product satisfaction.
“As competition intensifies, manufacturers and dealer networks are raising the bar for sales and service,” said Differential Singapore country manager Sigfred M. Doloroso.
BYD’s improvement was broad-based, with after-sales service gaining 63 points, sales experience 61 and product satisfaction 48.
Conducted from April to July, the study surveyed 1,200 vehicle owners nationwide across 11 mass-market brands. Respondents had purchased vehicles between January and December 2025 and brought them in for servicing during the same period.
The index measures customer experience across three areas: dealership sales, after-sales service and product satisfaction.
