If car companies want to convince consumers they are cool, the site is a place to start

By Gary S. Vasilash

Auto manufacturers are seemingly hell bent on making sure everyone understands that they are not just purveyors of transportation equipment but tech wizards, as well.

After all, they don’t want to be seen as digital luddites compared to, say, Tesla.

But the recent J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Manufacturer Website Evaluation Study—Winter indicates that consumers aren’t seeing them as particularly advanced so far as the OEM websites go.

“The auto industry is falling short on modernization and organization of their websites. Consumer expectations are high and having an updated, organized and aesthetically pleasing site is one of the most important things manufacturers can do to drive site satisfaction,” says Kristen Coffin, analyst of digital solutions at J.D. Power.

Guess what OEM website in the Premium category is the most satisfying?

Tesla.

On a 1,000-point scale it scored 752 among the surveyed.*

The average for the segment is 708.

The companies below the line are Cadillac (704), Jaguar (702), Porsche (700), Genesis (699), Volvo (688), and Alfa Romeo (641).

Over on the Mass Manufacturer side of things, the numbers across the board are lower, with the segment average at 692.

Ford has the highest ranking, at 719.

Mitsubishi, which needs all the help it can get in the market, ranks lowest at 661.

Arguably it is harder to convince people that the vehicles on offer by an OEM are as up to date as they can possibly be if they see better websites for home improvement tools or running shoes.
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*11,406 people who indicated they’d be in the market during the next 12 months. The study was conducted in October-November 2024.