The only carmakers to feature in the UK's top 50 organisations for customer service are Asian brands.

The twice annual UK Customer Service Index (UKCSI) from the Institute of Customer Service shows that five vehicle manufacturers provide such buyer satisfaction that they rank alongside the likes of John Lewis, Ikea and insurance firm LV, but none of the five carmakers were premium marques such as Audi, BMW, Land Rover or Mercedes-Benz.

The Institute of Customer Service found Suzuki is the top performer, coming in sixth place overall with a score matching Amazon.

The other car brands in the top 50 were Hyundai (16th), Toyota (20th), Kia (26th) and Honda (34th).

But the UKCSI's poll of 10,000 consumers showed that generally most companies' satisfaction ratings were in decline, prompting the institute's chief executive Jo Causon to state the results this month were "not cause for celebration".

Overall, 17% of organisations in the automotive sector dropped by two points or more.

Causon said: "The index demonstrates that a number of organisations are struggling to meet customer needs in a more complex trading environment.

"Our evidence does show that where organisations ‘buck’ this trend over the longer term there are clear links to overall business performance.

“Excellent service is not just a collection of transactional experiences.

"The most effective organisations demonstrate agility, innovation and a consistent and constant realignment with purpose.”

The UKCSI study found that customers want better service and at least one in four is willing to pay for it.

Suzuki GB's managing director Nobuo Suyama said: “We are very proud of our achievement to have again been recognised as the best car brand in the index. Continuing to evolve the Suzuki customer experience has been a core focus during recent years, and the ongoing efforts have clearly paid off.

“Without the support of our nationwide dealer network, and the hundreds of people that work tirelessly for the brand to deliver exceptional standards for our customers week in, week out, we could not have delivered such a fantastic result.

"I would like to congratulate everyone who has played a part in this success, and it marks an even greater achievement than before.”

Suzuki has remained the top car brand in the index since January 2019 when it overtook Honda.