Features

How we did it...

Each of the 76,050 Top Gear viewers and readers who took part in our survey this year were asked to reveal how every aspect of the car ownership experience matched up to the expectations they had when they first took delivery of their vehicle.

Each car is given an overall satisfaction score out of 100. This is made up from:

Build quality (22%)

Craftsmanship (22%)

Driving experience (19%)

Ownership costs (17%)

Customer care (20%)

This time, cars built between 2002 and 2004 are included. To guarantee a true result for each, data analysis experts Experian checked personal data and registration numbers to avoid faked entries.

They also ensured a minimum of 50 verified responses were received for each model before the results could be published.

Next: manufacturers' positions...