NADA Dealer Satisfaction Index celebrates 30 years

Established in 1996, the DSI is South Africa’s longest-running dealer satisfaction survey. Independently researched by Lightstone, NADA’s research partner throughout its 30-year history, it provides manufacturers and dealers with an objective measure of their business relationships while supporting continuous improvement across the automotive retail sector.

The 2026 NADA DSI Awards, powered by WesBank, recognise manufacturers for excellence in supporting their dealer networks and building strong, sustainable relationships.

“Thirty years ago, the Dealer Satisfaction Index was established to give dealers a meaningful voice and provide manufacturers with honest, constructive feedback. Today, it has grown into South Africa’s longest-running dealer satisfaction survey and one of the automotive industry’s most trusted benchmarks,” says Brandon Cohen, Chairperson of NADA.

“This year’s record participation, record satisfaction scores and growth from just seven participating manufacturers to 36 demonstrate not only how the DSI has evolved, but also the value the industry continues to place on collaboration, transparency and continuous improvement.”

Three decades of trusted insight

Since its inception, the DSI has become far more than an annual survey. It provides meaningful insight into dealer-manufacturer relationships, identifies opportunities to improve business performance and ultimately supports a better customer experience.

The 2026 survey attracted 1 610 dealer responses, the highest participation recorded to date. These comprised 1 429 Passenger and Light Commercial Vehicle responses and 181 Commercial vehicle responses. The research reached 92% of South Africa’s franchised Passenger and Light Commercial Vehicle dealerships and 80% of Commercial vehicle dealerships, evaluating 36 automotive brands.

Conducted between 7 April and 15 May 2026, the independent research used comprehensive online questionnaires completed by Dealer Principals. Over the past decade, the survey has achieved an average response rate of around 80% of South Africa’s franchised dealer network.

Manufacturers were assessed across three key indices: Dealer Friendly (20%), Investor Friendly (40%) and Customer Friendly (40%).

“Thirty years of continuous research is exceptionally rare in any industry,” says Jaco van Staden, Head of Sales at Lightstone Auto. “When NADA first brought together seven manufacturers to establish the Dealer Satisfaction Index, few could have imagined that it would become South Africa’s longest-running dealer satisfaction survey.

The Passenger/LCV industry achieved an overall DSI score of 79.8%, while the Commercial vehicle sector recorded 79.1%, the highest scores achieved in their respective surveys.

Across both studies, dealers identified communication, transparency, collaboration, dealer support, parts availability, profitability and broader product offerings as priorities for continued improvement.

Passenger and Light Commercial Vehicle awards:

Platinum awards:

Gold awards:

Silver awards:

Bronze awards:

Commercial Vehicle awards:

Platinum award:

Gold Awards

Silver awards:

Recognising continuous improvement:

The Most Improved Award in the Passenger/LCV category was presented to Omoda I Jaecoo, while Tata Commercial received the honour in the Commercial vehicle category.

Approved used vehicles and electrified mobility:

As affordability continues to influence purchasing decisions, dealers highlighted the importance of manufacturer-backed approved used vehicle programmes in building customer confidence, strengthening brand loyalty and supporting dealer profitability.

Dealer sentiment towards New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) also continued to strengthen, with the industry average improving by 11 percentage points compared with 2025. This aligns with growing consumer interest in electrified vehicles, as more South African motorists consider NEVs as part of their future mobility choices.

Dealers believe expanding NEV offerings will enhance manufacturers' product portfolios, strengthen competitiveness and support the industry's transition towards new mobility technologies.