A survey of Russian motorists found genuine engine oils of two Japanese automakers and French independent Motul’s brand ranked highest for customer satisfaction.
Conducted by Autostat last year, the garnered 3,200 responses, which were summarized in a recently released report, “Omnibus – 2020. Motor Oils: Motorists Preferences, Fourth Wave.” It applied net promoter score index, known as NPS, a marketing management tool used as a measure for customer loyalty towards a certain product. The study applied the index to those brands used by more than 1% of the motorists surveyed, Autostat said.
In the survey, the index is based on the results of respondents’ feedback on the following question: “Would you recommend to your friends, colleagues and acquaintances a motor oil brand that you are using right now?”
“According to the survey’s result, [in 2020] the best net promoter score of 59.5% [was for] Toyota genuine motor oil,” Autostat said in a recent press release. “This shows how much satisfaction the motorists had with the quality of this product and [that they] are ready to recommend it to their associates.” Toyota’s OEM genuine oil was followed by Idemitsu, another Japanese OEM brand, which scored 57%, while French Motul scored 52%. These were followed by the German Liqui Moly brand at 48% and Shell at 44%.
Japanese automaker Nissan’s genuine motor oil brand was in sixth place on the survey’s list of most recommended motor oil products at 40%, followed by 38% for BP’s Castrol, 37% for ExxonMobil’s Mobil brand , 35% for SK Lubricants’ Zic and 34% for Lukoil’s Genesis.
OEM genuine oil is manufactured for an OEM based on its specifications. The product’s blenders may change, and multiple blenders may supply the fluid, but the fluid is packaged with only the OEM genuine oil brand on the front label.
For automakers, genuine oil helps to drive customer loyalty, reduce warranty claims by ensuring drivers use the correct type of engine oil and increase price margins versus the slim margins on vehicle sales. Automakers are also getting more into genuine oils because of the high profitability of the aftermarket sector.
According to the consultancy, the NPS index is one of the most important gauges for evaluation of the product quality properties and levels of its satisfaction. The score also includes assessments for the brands’ future prospects.