Reflecting improved quality of original equipment fitted tyres in cars sold in India, there has been a significant reduction in customer-reported problems during the past five years in India, according to a JD Power Asia Pacific study.
Homegrown JK Tyre was ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction followed by Chennai-based MRF, said JD Power Asia Pacific 2015 India Original Equipment Tire Customer Satisfaction Index report released today.
The overall incidence of problems cited by customers has dropped significantly to 9 per cent in 2015 from 18 per cent in 2010, it said.
"That decline is primarily due to a notable reduction in the percentage of reported problems with frequent punctures - the most commonly cited problem - to 57 per cent from 77 per cent in 2010," it said.
Commenting on the findings, JD Power Asia Pacific Executive Director Mohit Arora said: "With the continuous quality and performance improvement of original equipment (OE) fitted tyres over the past five years, customers are increasingly satisfied."
This bodes well for the tyre industry considering that demand in the replacement tyre market is driven by customer perceptions of their original equipment tires, he added.
"Customers who are satisfied with their OE tyres are more likely to repurchase the same brand again," Arora said.
The study measured satisfaction among original equipment tyre owners during the first 12 to 24 months of ownership across four factors -- appearance, ride, durability and traction/handling.
According to the study, JK Tyre was ranked highest in overall customer satisfaction with a score of 881 points on a scale of 1,000. MRF ranked second with a score of 876, followed by Bridgestone at 875.
JD Power said while the industry average of customer satisfaction was 868, Goodyear and Apollo were below it at 853 and 848 respectively.
The study said tyre brand remained the most influential reason for customers when selecting new tyres (51 per cent), while they were increasingly placing importance on tyre design and styling.
"Overall, 27 per cent of customers cite tyre design and styling as a reason for selecting a brand, which increases to 30 per cent of mid-size car owners," it said.
JD Power said the 2015 study was based on 4,079 responses from new-vehicle owners who purchased their vehicle between May 2012 and August 2013. The study was fielded between May and August 2014.
