The Toyota Prius is a firm favourite among eco-conscious celebrities and cabbies - but a new UK-based report suggests more of us should be considering the hybrid-powered Japanese model. That's because it has been voted the most satisfying new vehicle to own in an industry-leading survey of 14,000 UK car drivers.
Prius drivers gave their motors a 93.22 per cent rating in the latest edition of Auto Express' Driver Power study - more than any other new car reported on. Vauxhall's Astra - a model that's suffered a slowdown in popularity in recent years - took the unwanted crown of being the least satisfying new model to own.
While it's a common sight on UK roads, many are being used by taxi firms and Uber drivers thanks to its green credentials.
The technologically advanced family car is claimed to emit just 85g/km of carbon dioxide in official tests, thanks to its combination of petrol engine and electric motors.
Incredibly, six of the top ten finishers are available as hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully-electric models, indicating that once drivers make the move away from models powered solely by internal combustion engines, they are very happy indeed.
Steve Fowler, editor at Auto Express, said: "Satisfaction with hybrid cars is at an all-time high, with buyers enjoying the fuel economy benefits and relaxed driving experience they offer.
"Toyota and Lexus has consistently backed hybrid technology, and these results show it was the right decision."
Toyota GB president and managing director Paul Van der Burgh added: 'It's wonderful that more than 20 years after Prius arrived, kick-starting the electrification revolution, this latest version of the world's best-selling hybrid is the Driver Power New Car of the Year in 2019.
"A huge thank you to all the Prius owners who helped it achieve such brilliant scores. It's a testament to Toyota's constant innovation combined with a relentless focus on quality, and we couldn't be more proud."
The Prius only just managed to take the accolade, though. It narrowly beat the Lexus IS saloon to top spot in the satisfaction standings in Driver Power 2019 by just 0.03 per cent. Lexus, which is the luxury arm of the Toyota, dominated the ratings with three models placing in the top 10 most satisfying new cars to own. Surprisingly, it was an Alfa Romeo that took third spot for the second year running.
The Giulia saloon was given an overall satisfaction score 93.00 per cent to take the final place on the podium - a fine result for the Italian brand that is infamously synonymous with producing unreliable cars. Last year's winner, the Peugeot 3008 SUV, slipped to seventh place overall, with a 92.69 per cent satisfaction score.
The survey uses feedback from keepers of cars that are no more than 24 months old. Some 14,000 drivers gave a verdict on their machines having been quizzed by the motoring title about all aspects of ownership. They were asked to provide a rating across 31 areas that combine to make up nine voting categories, varying from boot space to quality of in-car tech, fuel economy, ride and handling, and - most importantly - reliability.
Propping up the rankings was the latest generation of the Vauxhall Astra family hatchback.
The British-built model - assembled at the firm's Ellesmere Port facility - is still a UK favourite based on sales (31,567 in 2018 making it the 13th most-bought new car of the year), but is drastically becoming less popular. Owners gave it an 89.25 per cent satisfaction score, placing it in 75th spot - dead last.
That said, the score is less than four per cent shy of the victorious Prius, suggesting motorists are very happy with their new cars.
Shockingly, there were a number of cases of premium brands featuring low in the standings. This was due to the number of faults encountered by owners - especially large SUV models - which would not have been appreciated by anyone who had spent big sums of money to purchase a luxury car.
For instance, more than half (52 per cent) of BMW X3 Mk2 owners reported faults since taking ownership, ahead of 44 per cent of Mercedes GLC owners.
Around a third of Land Rover Discovery Sport (33.8 per cent), Jaguar XE (31.4 per cent) and Jaguar F-Pace (30.4 per cent) owners said they'd experienced problems with their cars. Some 70,000 owners of cars of all years completed the survey this year.
10 most satisfying new cars to own
1. Toyota Prius - 93.22%
2. Lexus IS - 93.19%
3. Alfa Romeo Giulia - 93.00%
4. Kia Sorento - 92.98%
5. Lexus RX - 92.87%
6. Skoda Kodiaq - 92.75%
7. Peugeot 3008 - 92.69%
8. Hyundai Ioniq - 92.67%
9. Lexus GS - 92.64%
10. Kia Niro - 92.63%
10 least satisfying new cars to own
1. Vauxhall Astra - 89.25%
2. Mercedes-Benz C-Class - 89.32%
3. Audi A4 - 89.35%
4. Dacia Duster - 89.39%
=5. Jaguar XE - 89.41%
=5. Audi A5 - 89.41%
7. Audi A3 - 89.44%
8. Citroen C1 - 89.46%
9. Fiat Panda - 89.48%
10.MG ZS - 89.51%
- Daily Mail