Honda, Tesla Top KBB's 2023 Brand Image Awards

It's time once again for Kelley Blue Book's annual Brand Image Awards.  The awards, in their 15th year, recognize the brands that do the best job of capturing and maintaining positive consumer attention. There are 14 award winners, including an all-new Best EV Brand category.

2023 Brand Image Awards

Kelley Blue Book's 2023 Brand Image Awards are based on annual new-car buyer perception study data. Categories are calculated among in-market luxury, non-luxury, truck and electric vehicle (EV) shoppers who plan to purchase within the next 12 months.

“Kelley Blue Book's Brand Image Awards celebrate the automakers capturing the most attention from new-car shoppers, which is quite a feat considering the increasingly crowded marketplace," said Vanessa Ton, senior research and marketing intelligence manager at Cox Automotive. "As the automotive landscape continues to shift and evolve with more and more electric vehicles entering the scene from various automakers every year, the experts at Kelley Blue Book found it suitable for the times to introduce a new award category this year, Best Overall EV Brand. Consumer perception data among new-car shoppers revealed Tesla as the first winner of this brand-new award category for 2023."

Here's a look at the winners:

2023 Brand Image Award Winners: Non-Luxury Brands

2023 Brand Image Award Winner: Truck Brand

2023 Brand Image Award Winners:  Electric Vehicle Brand

2023 Brand Image Award Winners:  Luxury Brands

Tesla

Tesla sweeps nearly all of the luxury brand awards for 2023. It's the Best Overall Luxury Brand for the fourth year running, with the highest average score across all ratings of luxury models.  Tesla also claims the all-new 2023 Best Overall EV Brand award, which is calculated based on 12 factors of importance among all automotive brands that have at least one EV in their model lineup. Tesla also wins for Best Value Luxury Brand and Most Refined Luxury Brand, claiming both honors for the fourth year in a row. To round out its five 2023 Brand Image Award wins, Tesla also wins Best Performance Luxury Brand for 2023, besting last year's winner Porsche. KBB attributes Tesla's multiple 2023 Brand Image Award wins to the brand's superior technology innovations, unparalleled performance, and its refined, striking designs.

Honda

For the seventh time in the past 10 years, Honda wins Best Overall Brand for 2023 among non-luxury automakers. The automaker achieved the highest average score across all ratings of non-luxury models. Honda also claims the Best Value Brand for nine years straight. KBB says Honda's wins are thanks to the brand's reputation for excellence, including superior value for the money and solid MPG.

Toyota

Toyota wins Best Overall Truck Brand in 2023 for the fifth year in a row. Toyota achieved the highest average score across all ratings of truck models and 12 weighted factors of importance. KBB says Toyota's consecutive years of winning Best Overall Truck Brand are thanks to its truck models offering outstanding features and stylish designs without sacrificing quality, performance or safety. Toyota also takes home Most Trusted Brand for 2023, an award Subaru previously won from 2015 – 2022, which KBB says demonstrates the brand's focus and commitment in 2023 to delivering vehicles that consumers trust.

Other Brand Image Winners

Dodge  

Dodge wins Best Performance Brand among non-luxury brands for 2023, an award Subaru won for the previous three years. Dodge also wins Most Refined Brand among non-luxury shoppers this year, bringing home the trophy over last year's winner Honda.

Ford

Ford is back on the Brand Image Award list for the first time since 2018. It takes home the Best Car Styling Brand award among non-luxury shoppers, thanks to the striking design of the new 2024 Mustang. It's the first time in 10 years Ford has won the award. Dodge won it for the previous four years.

Porsche

Porsche wins this year's Best Car Styling Luxury Brand, an award it previously won in 2021 and 2022.   

Lexus

Lexus once again wins Most Trusted Luxury Brand, an award it notably has dominated for eight years straight and one it has captured 10 times in the last 11 years.

For more about the KBB Brand Image Awards click here.