Tesla claimed the top spot in U.S. automotive brand loyalty for February 2026, with 61.1% of its customers choosing to buy another Tesla — the highest rate of any automaker tracked that month. The data, shared by Whole Mars Catalog on X, places Tesla narrowly ahead of Subaru (60.5%) and Toyota (59.9%) in a tightly bunched top tier.
What makes the number notable is the company it keeps. Ferrari — a brand whose owners are notoriously devoted — sits fourth at 59.7%, while Honda (58.2%), Ford (57.8%), and Lucid (57.9%) round out the middle of the pack. BMW and Kia both land at 52.9% at the lower end of the top 12.
The February snapshot is worth contextualizing. S&P Global Mobility named Tesla the winner of its "Overall Loyalty to Make" award for the fourth consecutive year in January 2026, based on 13.6 million new retail registrations tracked from October 2024 through September 2025. Other full-year 2025 datasets from LexisNexis and the Reynolds Retention and Defection Report placed Toyota ahead of Tesla for the annual period — so monthly figures can shift the picture meaningfully. February's reading suggests Tesla entered 2026 with renewed retention momentum after what appears to have been a softer stretch in late 2025.
For a brand that sells exclusively direct-to-consumer, operates no franchised dealerships, and has faced intensifying EV competition, holding the industry's top loyalty rate in any given month is a meaningful signal. The question heading into the rest of 2026 is whether Tesla can sustain that edge as newer entrants mature and legacy brands accelerate their own EV lineups.
David covers the EV industry, regulatory developments, and accessory ecosystem. 15+ years writing about consumer tech. Based in London.
Sources verified at publish time. Spotted an inaccuracy? Email editorial@basenor.com.
