7:15 am, June 26, 2025
Car dealers have been voting on the best and worst car manufacturers to represent and there’s been a shock drop to the bottom in 2025 – Ford.
The Blue Oval has placed plum last in our annual survey of dealers which asks what car makers are really like to represent.
Ford fell a worrying 10 places in this year’s survey, plummeting to the bottom of the pile for a variety of reasons.
Dealers were particularly unhappy with the manufacturer’s forward planning, giving it the lowest score out of the 13 categories each car firm is rated for.
It also scored the lowest marks in the survey for manufacturer requirements and return on investment. Overall it clocked up a disappointing score of 59.2% from its dealers.
You can watch Car Dealer Magazine’s editors discuss the winners and losers in this year’s Car Dealer Power survey in the awards video above – click the video and it will start at the appropriate place.
- Where did you manufacturer rank in Car Dealer Power 2025?
- Which car won your vote for Car of the Year?
- Which suppliers are the best to do business with in 2025?
Honda (60.3%) fell eight places in the table to finish second from bottom (22nd place). It was ranked worst out of all car makers in the internet category as its dealers felt its online presence simply wasn’t up to the job.
And Citroen was third from bottom, dropping five places in this year’s survey, picking up the worst score for its bonus structure. Overall it scored 60.8% to finish 21st.
Topping Car Dealer Power this year, though, was BMW which rose two places to take the top spot. It earned praise across the board, especially in finance, used cars, and brand awareness.
It scored 84.3% in the survey, narrowly pushing previous champion Toyota into second place by just half a percentage point.
Our survey editors said: ‘It’s clear dealers value BMW’s blend of prestigious brand image, support from HQ, and it being a profitable partnership.’
BMW’s sales director Debbie McIntosh said the win meant a huge amount to the German brand.
She said: ‘It’s just an amazing, fantastic recognition for us, and it really means so much because it’s voted for by our retail partners.
‘It really shows us that we’re getting the things that matter right, and I know it’s just going to be a huge motivation for the team to continue to build on the strength of partnership that’s so important to us.’
Car manufacturers required a minimum of 10 dealer partners to fill out the survey to be included in the survey.
Scores in each category are taken into account to give manufacturers their overall rating to one decimal point. The full results and scores for each manufacturer can be found here.
Other notable achievements this year included Chinese car brand BYD rising 10 places to finish in the top five. Its partners raved about its return on investment, marketing and warranty, with solid scores handed out across the board. It scored 79.5% overall.
While another Chinese car brand, MG, jumped 16 places to ninth in this year’s survey. Last year the firm finished last, but good scores for brand awareness and manufacturer requirements helped it to an overall mark of 75.5%.
Check out the full details of this year’s Car Dealer Power awards, including the best suppliers to do business with, in this dedicated section.
