Jaguar has claimed the top spot in the JD Power and Associates/What Car? 2012 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study.

The British manufacturer dethrones Lexus, which drops to joint second-place with Skoda after topping the results for the past 11 years.

"This is a great accolade for everyone at Jaguar," said What Car? editor-in-chief Chas Hallett. "This study shows that customers are really satisfied with their Jaguars, a hugely important feat for any carmaker."

Car Makers 2012

Top 10
1: Jaguar
2: Lexus
2: Skoda
4: Honda
5: Mercedes-Benz
6: Toyota
7: Audi
8: Volkswagen
9: Volvo
10: BMW
10: Nissan

Bottom 10
27: Chevrolet
26: Vauxhall
25: Fiat
24: Suzuki
23: Renault
22: Mitsubishi
20: Hyundai
20: Citroen
19: Alfa Romeo
17: Peugeot
17: Mazda

Honda is fourth in the rankings, which are drawn from the evaluations of almost 18 000 online interviews of UK car owners. Mercedes-Benz comes fifth, while Toyota, Audi, Volkswagen, Volvo, BMW, Nissan and Land Rover are all placed above the industry average.

The study also reveals the ratings of 118 individual models, with the Kia Sportage posting the top score for customer satisfaction.

The winners in each category are as follows: Toyota iQ is the best city car, Honda Jazz is best supermini, Skoda Octavia is the best small family car, Toyota Prius is the best family car, Lexus IS is the best compact executive, Jaguar XF is the best executive car, VW Scirocco is the best sports and cabrio car, Mercedes B-Class is the best MPV, Kia Sportage is the best compact SUV, Lexus RX is the best large SUV.

Overall Vehicle Scores 2012

Top 10
1: Kia Sportage
2: Jaguar XF
3: Toyota Prius
4: Skoda Superb
5: Mercedes Benz E-Class
6: Toyota IQ
7: Honda Jazz
8: Volkswagen Passat CC
9: Lexus IS
9: Toyota Avensis

Bottom 10
118: Vauxhall Vectra
117: Nissan Pixo
116: Chevrolet Matiz
115: Suzuki Alto
114: Ford Ka
113: Renault Clio
112: Fiat Grande Punto/Punto Evo
111: Mitsubishi Colt
110: Ford Galaxy
109: Peugeot 107

The study measures customer satisfaction with the vehicle and dealer service, which is based on evaluation of 66 attributes grouped in four key measures. In order of importance, they are: vehicle appeal (31 percent), which includes performance, design, comfort and features; vehicle quality and reliability (22 percent); ownership costs (25 percent), which includes fuel consumption, insurance and costs of service/repair; and dealer service satisfaction (22 percent).

The 2012 UK Vehicle Ownership Satisfaction Study is based on the evaluations of almost 18 000 online interviews from UK car owners after an average of two years of ownership. The study was fielded in December 2011 and January 2012.