What the Driver Power 2026 survey means for buying used
Auto Express's 25th owner satisfaction survey shows scores falling and budget brands struggling. Here's what that means if you're choosing — or selling — a used car.
A 25-year survey, and a falling trend
Every June, Auto Express publishes Driver Power, the UK's longest-running car ownership satisfaction survey, built from real owners rating their own cars rather than a magazine's road-test opinion. This year marks its 25th edition, and the headline finding isn't a winner or a loser — it's a slide. The average satisfaction score across the top 50 models has dropped from 89.6% in 2024 to 84.2% in 2026, with every one of the survey's ten categories down over that period.
For anyone shopping secondhand, that's worth knowing before you even look at a spec sheet. Driver Power is one of the few datasets that captures what cars are actually like to live with, day to day, after the new-car shine wears off — which is exactly the period most used buyers are stepping into.
Budget brands struggle, but not uniformly
The sharpest finding in this year's data is about price. Auto Express's analysis found that brands with a median list price 30% below the UK average — Citroen, Dacia, Fiat, SEAT, Suzuki and Vauxhall, all sitting below the £28,000 threshold against a roughly £40,000 average new-car price — were statistically more likely to post low satisfaction scores than premium marques. All five brands at the top of the manufacturer table had a median price above that £40,000 average, with BMW and Mercedes both around 30% above it.
But it isn't a clean story of cheap equals unhappy. Two Vauxhall models made it into the overall top five alongside a Tesla Model 3 and a BMW 2 Series, proof that individual models can buck their brand's reputation. The lesson for used buyers: treat brand-level scores as a starting point, not a verdict — check the specific model.
The tech backlash
The steepest single-category decline was Safety Features, down almost 8 percentage points since 2024, with Interior and Infotainment close behind. Satisfaction with the balance between touchscreen and physical controls fell from 89.1% to 84%, and how user-friendly that tech feels fell from 87.8% to 81.4%. Owners are increasingly frustrated with cars that have buried basic functions in a touchscreen menu — a trend that matters most for buyers eyeing newer used cars (roughly 2023-on), where this generation of fussier infotainment is now common.
Models worth a closer look before you buy
A few specific results stand out for anyone cross-shopping these cars secondhand. The Kia Picanto Mk3 finished 49th of 50, with owners criticising a noisy, underpowered engine and ranking it last for child-friendly features — worth weighing if you're looking at one as a family runabout rather than pure A-to-B transport. The Kia Sportage scored badly on running costs, ranked 45th for value, with owners flagging insurance and road tax as particular pain points. The MG ZS Mk2 finished last overall. And Volkswagen's brand-level placing reflected real owner frustration with running costs and infotainment usability, despite solid marks for build quality and boot space — a reminder that a respected badge doesn't guarantee a contented ownership experience.
What this means if you're buying
Driver Power won't tell you whether a specific used example has been looked after, but it's a useful sense check before you commit: a car with chronic ownership complaints about running costs or unreliable tech is one where those complaints will likely follow you too, regardless of how clean the listing photos look. Cross-reference the model — not just the brand — against this year's results before you view.
What this means if you're selling
If your car scored well in this year's table, it's a genuine selling point worth mentioning in your listing — real owner satisfaction data carries more weight with a cautious buyer than a glossy description. And if you're selling a model that scored poorly on running costs or tech usability, be upfront about it; buyers increasingly do their homework, and a fair asking price beats a awkward conversation at viewing.