A recent study from J.D. Power has found a link between original equipment tires and brand loyalty, with Michelin ranking as the top brand in four segments that consumers rebuy.
According to the J.D. Power 2017 U.S. Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Study, 37% of consumers buy the same brand of tire their vehicle was originally fitted with when purchasing two or more tires.
“Tire manufacturers who have their products fitted to new vehicles have a great advantage over their competitors,” said Brent Gruber, senior director, automotive quality practice at J.D. Power. “A large number of vehicle owners do not even consider other brands when buying replacement tires. As long as they have a positive experience with their OE tires, there is a natural tendency for consumers to select the same brand for their first replacement.”
The study found original equipment tire brands have the highest market share when at least two tires are purchased in the first two years of vehicle ownership. Of these vehicle owners 62% purchased either Michelin (21%), Goodyear (12%), Continental (11%), Bridgestone (11%) or Pirelli (7%), while 38% purchased other brands.
The luxury vehicle segment showed even more brand loyalty, with 58% of vehicle owners buying their original tire brand compared to the 31% of mass market vehicle owners. One note not so good for tire dealers: the study also found more luxury vehicle owners (46%) intend to go to the car dealership for new tires, compared to the 33% from the mass market who go to car dealerships for new tires.
When measuring the exact tire brands that ranked the highest in the luxury, passenger car, performance sport and truck/utility segments, Michelin ranked the highest in all four with 757, 743, 746 and 712, respectively.
In the luxury segment, Pirelli ranked second at 722 and Bridgestone ranks third at 720. In the passenger car segment, Pirelli ranked second at 710 and Goodyear ranked third at 702. In the performance sport segment, Goodyear ranked second at 728 and Bridgestone ranked third at 712. In the truck/utility segment, Goodyear ranked second at 687 and BFGoodrich ranked third at 667.
