Nio tops J.D. Power customer satisfaction survey, Li Auto and Xpeng also score high

Nio topped the J.D. Power 2024 China New Energy Vehicle Customer Experience Value Index (NEV-CXVI) Study, which was released on Aug 29. In a vindication for the approach of the Chinese EV startups both Li Auto and Xpeng also scored highly. Reportedly, it is the 6th consecutive year that NIO has topped the chart.

J.D. Power, in the survey, separates the brands into domestic and international. It should be noted that Nio scored higher than any other brand, domestic or international. The customer experience value index is created by looking at the customer experience of NEV owners between two and 12 months of ownership. The study measured the purchase stage across six categories (in order of importance): customer follow-up (19%); information collection (17%); delivery (17%); showroom experience (16%); purchase plan (16%); and product experience (14%). The measures for the usage stage are (in order of importance): customer equity (34%); customer service (33%); and energy service (32%). The measures for the service stage include service process (37%); service quality (34%); and initiation (29%).

For the domestic brands, Nio scored 798 out of a possible 1000, securing first place. Li Auto gained second with 791, and Xpeng third with 788. It should be noted that Zeekr, GAC Aion, and BYD all scored above the segment average of 771.

In the case of the international brands, Mercedes Benz won with a score of 789. Tesla clinched second place with 787. Meanwhile, the segment average was 776, with Audi and BMW both performing below this level, along with many other well-known producers.

Overall, the study shows a small increase in satisfaction, with a score of 772 compared with 770 in 2023. However, there are variations in the individual categories, and these show that although there have been significant increases in satisfaction with the purchase and service experiences, there is a decline in the usage experience, mainly related to charging issues.

This survey shows that, in general, NEV owners are more demanding and that in order to satisfy them, online communication is essential. For example, the survey claims that customers who interact with brand or dealership staff online before visiting a store will visit the store 3.6 days earlier than those who do not have such interaction. For those who interact with brand representatives, they have a satisfaction score of 800, and for those who Interact with dealership staff, the score is 781, whereas those with no interaction have a satisfaction score of just 746.

Similarly, once the person has purchased a vehicle, they expect maintenance and repair issues to be dealt with promptly. If an issue is not resolved in a single visit, satisfaction drops by 74 points. The cleanliness of the vehicle after visiting the dealership is also a key point. Where the car emerges with the same level of cleanliness as before it entered the service point, satisfaction is 756; however, where it emerges cleaner, satisfaction jumps to 803.

Although the use of brand apps for booking maintenance or repair appointments does not have a particularly high penetration rate, it has risen significantly from 2023 levels and now accounts for 16.1%, up from 11.1%. Perhaps more importantly for brands, creating engagement using the app seems to result in the customer spending more money. Customers who use the app daily spend, on average, 212 yuan (30 USD) more per person on after-sale services than those who do not use the app daily.

The biggest pain point appears to be charging. Overall satisfaction with energy services has declined to 777, a nine-point decrease from 2023. The lowest satisfaction is scored for brand specific (777) slow charging points and third-party public charging (753). J.D. Power reports that problems with public charging stations have increased to 44.6% this year, up from 31.6% in 2023. The problems appear to be centred around a lack of charging stations, poor facilities and discrepancies between actual conditions and online information. Presumably, the latter relates to situations where a user turns up to find that the supposedly empty charger is either occupied or out of service.

The study was conducted between Apr and Jun 2024 across 81 major cities in China. It consisted of 8,733 new energy vehicle owners who purchased their vehicles between Apr 2023 and Apr 2024 and covered 53 brands.