Waltham, Mass. – Lexus and Hyundai rank highest among automotive manufacturers based on consumer-written dealership reviews, according to the Consumer Rating Index (CRI) for Auto Manufacturers released by DealerRater.

CRI rankings were calculated by averaging consumer ratings of individual dealerships posted to DealerRater.com. Ratings are based on a five-point scale, representing consumer feedback on all levels of the buying experience, including customer service, quality of work, friendliness, price and overall experience.

Along with overall rankings, the CRI ranked automotive manufacturers within the “Luxury” and “Mass Market” brand categories. Lexus ranked highest in the “Luxury” category, with a score of 4.741, followed by Volvo (4.706), Mercedes-Benz (4.705), Audi (4.693) and Acura (4.687). Among “Mass Market” brands, Hyundai was top ranked with a score of 4.712, followed by Buick (4.708), Honda (4.695), Kia (4.686) and Subaru (4.686).

“The CRI provides a comprehensive view of consumer sentiment because feedback is not limited to customers who purchased a vehicle, and includes shoppers as well as service customers,” explains DealerRater CEO Gary Tucker. “A consumer can write a review about all aspects of their experience with a dealer on DealerRater. With this level of insight, dealers have a metric indicating whether they should reevaluate their business practices. Consumers can also use this index as a starting point when looking for a dealership that will provide the best shopping experience.”

The CRI is based on 330,000 verified reviews gathered during a 12 month period from March 2013-2014. For consideration, Mass Market OEMs must have received 1000 reviews and Premium OEMs must have received 500 reviews during this time period. The rankings are based on numerical averages of all reviews that are attributed to a specific OEM.