With average monthly auto finance payments reaching a record average high of $758 in October and loan terms now routinely extending to upwards of 84 months, affordability has become a major factor for automotive loan customers. According to the J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Automotive Financing Satisfaction Study, released Nov. 13, customer satisfaction with lenders is heavily influenced by consumer financial health and nearly one-third (29%) of borrowers are now categorized as financially vulnerable.
Study Rankings
BMW Financial Services, Lincoln Automotive Financial Services and Mercedes-Benz Financial Services rank highest in customer satisfaction among premium lenders in a three-way tie, each with a score of 735.
Ford Credit ranks highest among mass market lenders, with a score of 714. Chase Auto (705) ranks second and Bank of America (695) ranks third.
The U.S. Automotive Financing Satisfaction Study, formerly known as the U.S. Consumer Financing Satisfaction Study, measures overall auto financing customer satisfaction across eight core dimensions. This year’s study was fielded from September 2024 through September 2025 and is based on responses from 13,150 customers who financed a new or used vehicle through a loan or lease within the past three years.
“Auto loan customers are having very different experiences based on their relative levels of financial health,” said Patrick Roosenberg, senior director of automotive finance intelligence at J.D. Power. “While financially healthy borrowers are experiencing historically high levels of overall customer satisfaction, those in the vulnerable, stressed and overextended categories are significantly less satisfied with the lending experiences.”
The average overall satisfaction score for financially healthy automotive loan customers is 743 (on a 1,000-point scale). That score falls 150 points to 593 among financially vulnerable customers. Financially vulnerable customers also experience significantly lower levels of trust and brand advocacy.
Fully 42% of financially healthy customers received orientation at the dealer, while just 25% of financially vulnerable customers received the same level of service. Slightly more than half (51%) of financially vulnerable customers received orientation information only after leaving the dealership.
