Filipino motorists reported better experiences in buying and maintaining vehicles in 2026, with improvements in dealership sales and after-sales services driving higher customer satisfaction across the Philippine automotive industry, according to a new study.
The Philippines Customer eXperience Index (CXI) Study by Differential Singapore showed that the industry’s Overall Customer Experience Index increased eight points to 864 in 2026, from 856 in 2025.
The study found that sales and after-sales service registered significantly higher gains than product satisfaction, suggesting that dealership performance is becoming a bigger factor in how consumers evaluate automotive brands.
The Sales Experience Index rose 24 points, while the Service Experience Index increased 21 points. Product Satisfaction, meanwhile, gained only two points.
Majority of the 11 automotive brands assessed in both years recorded improvements in their sales and service scores.
“The encouraging news is that customer experience is improving across the Philippine automotive industry, particularly where customers interact directly with dealerships,” said Sigfred M. Doloroso, country manager of Differential Singapore.
“As competition intensifies, manufacturers and dealer networks are raising the bar for sales and service. That is good news for Filipino motorists, who stand to benefit from better support before and after buying a vehicle.”
Chinese automotive brands recorded the largest year-on-year improvement among the four country-of-origin groups covered by the study, gaining 50 points to 889 from 839 in 2025.
The improvement moved Chinese brands from fourth to second place, overtaking Japanese and Korean manufacturers.
American brands retained the top position at 894 points, although their lead over Chinese brands narrowed from 29 points to five.
Korean brands improved by 24 points, while Japanese brands gained three points.
Among individual manufacturers, BYD registered the biggest improvement in overall customer experience, gaining 52 points to 900 from 848 in 2025.
Kia followed with a 38-point increase, Isuzu with 31 points, and Ford with 26 points.
BYD also posted gains across all three customer experience categories, improving its after-sales service score by 63 points, sales score by 61 points, and product satisfaction score by 48 points.
The three highest overall CXI scores in 2026 were:
- BYD – 900 points
- Ford – 894 points
- Isuzu – 885 points
BYD also obtained the highest scores in sales and purchase experience, after-sales service quality, and product satisfaction.
The study identified improvements in several dealership-related areas.
Within sales, pre-sales information and consultation recorded a 33-point increase, followed by salesperson interaction at 32 points and dealership facilities at 27 points.
For after-sales service, service quality and personnel, as well as service facilities, each improved by 25 points. Convenience and accessibility gained 22 points.
Product satisfaction showed more modest results. Interior design and comfort improved by seven points, while safety and security features declined by five points and vehicle sound systems by two points.
The findings indicated that while dealerships are improving customer interactions, manufacturers still face challenges in strengthening product-related satisfaction.
The study also found changes in how dealerships communicate with customers.
Although the proportion of vehicle buyers who used the Internet before purchasing declined to 83%, email communication between salespeople and customers increased by 37 percentage points. SMS gained 12 percentage points, messaging applications nine points, and face-to-face communication three points.
After-sales processes also improved, with walkaround inspections and service advisers’ familiarity with vehicle service histories each increasing by 14 percentage points. Service notifications rose by 12 percentage points.
“The most important finding is not simply which brand leads the rankings. It is that every brand evaluated in both years improved in sales and service, pointing to a wider industry effort to deliver better customer experiences,” Doloroso said.
“For consumers, the ownership experience deserves as much attention as the vehicle itself. For OEMs and dealerships, the opportunity is to turn these insights into consistent, meaningful improvements at every stage of the customer journey.”
