Goodyear grabbed consumer loyalty when it came to tire quality last year, besting competitors in the passenger-car and luxury-vehicle segments.

A J.D. Power satisfaction study showed that consumers put a premium on traction and handling when it comes to tires, and a brand quickly loses their loyalty if it doesn’t provide those.

The survey, which polled about 27,000 owners of model-year 2022 and 2024 vehicles from July through December, found that even one tire traction or handling problem cut a consumer’s loyalty rate by 19 percentage points to 39% compared to 58% loyalty for those who didn’t experience such an issue.

Overall satisfaction in those crucial quality aspects fell more than any other when it came to tires, seven points year-over-year to 803 on a 1,000-point scale.

Consumers particularly value good tire traction and handling in bad weather, such as wet or icy roads, J.D. Power found. 

“If tire performance doesn’t meet customer expectations in these conditions, they will seek an alternative that does,” said Director of Benchmarking Jason Norton in a press release on the survey. “In this competitive environment for tire manufacturers, a greater focus on quality will enhance overall customer loyalty.”

• In the passenger-car segment, Goodyear was followed by Yokohama in second place and Michelin in third. 

• In the luxury segment, Michelin placed second behind Goodyear, followed by Pirelli. 

• Hankook led the truck/utility segment, with Michelin second and Bridgestone third.

• Michelin was tops in the performance sport segment for the second straight year, followed by Goodyear in second. No third place was listed.

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