Land Rover has been ranked highest among premium brands in the J.D. Power 2017 UK Customer Service Index Study.

The study explores customer satisfaction levels associated to service and maintenance work at franchised delaerships by examining five measures (listed in order of importance): service quality (26%); service initiation (23%); service advisor (19%); vehicle pick-up (17%); and service facility (16%).

Increasing its rating from the previous year by 35 points, Land Rover scored 808 in customer satisfaction ratings.

Audi followed with 806 and BMW scored 797 from the 6,735 respondents.

The highest ranked among volume brands was Mazda with a score of 800, an 83 point improvement from 2016 when it ranked lowest.

Toyota scored 793 followed by Mini with 785, Hyundai with 783 and Honda at 778.

The study also found that younger consumers prefer to be notified by text messages.

J.D. Power's managing director, Dr Alex Sprenger, said: “Car dealers who aren’t prioritizing technology options are missing out on an opportunity to connect with a younger generation of customers.

"As these consumers begin to account for a larger number of vehicle sales and service visits, it’s important for dealers to be able to cater to their needs to differentiate themselves from competitors and drive loyalty.”

According to the study, highly satisfied customers (overall satisfaction scores of 900 and higher on a 1,000-point scale) are likely to return to the same service facility for free or paid for future warranty work.

While 88% say they would definitely return for free warranty work and 81% definitely returning for paid services, if satisfaction drops (between 700 and 899), the loyalty slips to 66% for warranty service and 49% for paid service.

Overall customer satisfaction with dealer service averages 799 in the premium brand segment, up from 761 in 2016.

In the volume brand segment, overall satisfaction is 766, up from 744 in 2016.