NEW YORK, July 22 — According to the results of the 2016 Ideal Vehicle Awards while the Volvo might have got the highest scores of any new car for dependability, Tesla is the new top marque when it comes to desirability.

The annual study, conducted by AutoPacific and taking into account the views and experiences of over 65,000 owners of new model year 2015 and 2016 vehicles, asks respondents not simply to consider problems they may have had in the first 90 days of ownership, but also asks them to consider how the company could have improved on the car. Does it need more storage for example? Is there too much or not enough tech?.

"By asking vehicle owners if they would change various aspects of their vehicle if given the opportunity, we not only identify problem areas and opportunities for improvement, but we also find out which manufacturers are truly hitting the mark with owners,” said AutoPacific president, George Peterson.

By gaining the highest score of any single model, the Volvo XC70 is clearly in tune with what consumers want. "The XC70 performed very strongly in several of the 15 areas surveyed, including seat fit, power and acceleration, safety features, interior lighting and visibility,” said Peterson.

In recent years, reliability studies have been dominated by Kia and Hyundai and while Kia scooped best Mid-size car and best minivan (for the Optima and Sedona, respectively), Subaru, GMC and Chevrolet were the brands that scooped the most individual market segment awards. Subaru’s Outback, Forester and Crosstrack scooped the Premium mid-size, mid-size, and Small Crossover SUV categories. Chevrolet got best sports car (Corvette) and best premium compact car (Volt) and GMC was named the 2016 Most Ideal Popular Brand.

However, the biggest surprise comes in the form of Tesla usurping Porsche as the study’s Most Ideal Brand. The Tesla Model S was also declared this year’s top Luxury Car and Peterson believes that it’s down to the way the company has gone about offering clients new technologies and features.

"Tesla is hitting the mark in areas that tend to be problem areas for most manufacturers: technology, power and acceleration and safety features,” he said.

For example, 23 per cent of all respondents said they want more power and acceleration from their car; this figure drops to 9 per cent when just Tesla owners are considered. — AFP-Relaxnews