Mercedes, Dodge, Lexus, Lincoln and Chrysler are Top Leaders with Women Buyers

Women-Drivers.com has released its 2011 report showing the top car brands as rated by women. Each year, Women-Drivers.com tracks thousands of consumer reviews with regards to women’s purchasing and browsing experiences at new car dealerships. These scores are compiled from reviews written in the 2011 calendar year.

On the site, dealerships’ scores range from 1.0 (the lowest rating) to 5.0 (the highest). Dealers with a Women Satisfaction Index or WSI® scores between 3.8 – 5.0 are recognized and marketed as Certified Women-Drivers Friendly™. Dealers use this reputation management service to distinguish and leverage their business. Reviews are optimized for search engines.

Women now account for over half of all car purchases; however, they influence and initiate up to 80% of them. One of the critical reasons the company captures ‘browsing’ is that on average women visit three (3) dealerships when in the market for a new vehicle; the higher a dealership’s browsing score is a key indicator that consumers were treated well and will return to this dealership to purchase.

“It is a pretty straightforward equation -- car manufacturers and dealerships that highly engage, respect and treat women well during the purchase process are placing themselves in an extraordinary position to get their future business. Clearly these dealerships are doing a great job with customer engagement at the point of sale,” said Anne Fleming, the company’s President.

The company notes a positive correlation between the WSI® and CSI. Higher ranking WSI scores at many dealers have impacted those same stores’ CSI scores.

The Top 15 Brands for PURCHASING experiences at dealerships:

Mercedes dealers received the highest WSI® ranking among women buyers with an almost perfect 4.89 score in the purchasing category. The average WSI® score for all brands was 4.36. These top brands ranked consistently high with women customers who were very satisfied with the engagement and treatment by the sales person, their overall dealership experience, as well as the financing process.

1. Mercedes: 4.89
2. Dodge: 4.86 
3. Lexus: 4.83
4. Lincoln: 4.73 
5. Chrysler: 4.63
6. Jeep: 4.61 
7. Buick: 4.45 
8. Chevrolet: 4.42
9. Cadillac: 4.39 and Toyota: 4.39
10. Mazda: 4.36
11. Acura: 4.32
12. Honda: 4.29
13. Nissan: 4.27 
14. Ford: 4.26
15. BMW and Hyundai: 4.24

The Top 15 Brands for BROWSING experiences at dealerships:

Mercedes dealers scored the highest WSI® ranking pulling in a 4.59 score from browsers -- women customers who went to a dealership but did not purchase that day. The average WSI score for all brands in this category was 3.87. These top brands ranked consistently high with women customers who were very satisfied with the engagement and treatment by the sales person and their overall dealership experience. The higher a dealership’s browsing score, the higher the probability that women will return there to purchase.

1. Mercedes: 4.59
2. Jeep: 4.36 
3. Mazda: 4.34
4. Lexus: 4.17
5. Chrysler: 4.02
6. GMC: 3.99
7. Chevrolet: 3.92
8. Acura: 3.90
9. Dodge: 3.87
10. Honda: 3.81
11. Ford and Hyundai: 3.79
12. Volkswagen: 3.53
13. Nissan: 3.46
14. KIA: 3.42
15. Cadillac: 3.30

* Some brands are not represented in this report because they were no longer being marketed in 2011, or, due to lack of statistically significant data.

Jeffrey Mountain, Internet Manager from Monroeville Chrysler Jeep, in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, shares “Women-Drivers.com has enabled us to not only build our business through testimonials, but also to educate us and our staff. They offer unbiased reviews backed by an accredited site –and, they provide facts that are helpful for everyone including the dealership and most importantly our sales professionals.”