Luxury cars are part of a very competitive market as automakers are always trying to one-up each other. However, there’s one unexpected car that gets a higher owner satisfaction rating than some of the more well-known luxury makes and models. Here’s why the Kia Stinger is such a satisfying car to own.

The owner satisfaction rating of luxury cars

One way that Consumer Reports will rate a car is by giving it an owner satisfaction score. This score, just like Consumer Reports’ predicted reliability score, is found by asking owners of the car about their car. For the owner satisfaction score, Consumer Reports asks owners of the car whether or not they’d buy the car again if they were given the chance to do things over. 

And for this rating, the Stinger scores really high in its segment. At the bottom of the segment is the Lexus IS, which has a 44 percent owner satisfaction rating. Then, there’s the Infinity Q50, which has a 56 percent rating. Next up are the Jaguar XE and the Acura TLX, both of which have a 58 percent rating. After that is the Mercedes-Benz C-Class at 61 percent and then the BMW 3 Series at just 68 percent. 

The Buick Regal came in at 72 percent and the Alfa Romeo Giulia has a 73 percent rating. The Genesis G70 and the Audi A4 are tied for third place at 77 percent. In second place is the Stinger, which has an owner satisfaction rating of 81 percent. The car in first place is the Tesla Model 3, which has a 92 percent owner satisfaction rating. 

Why the Kia Stinger scored so high

A great owner satisfaction rating doesn’t mean that the car is the best car on the market, it just means that the owners love it despite what the reviews say. For example, Consumer Reports actually said that the Audi A4 is the best car in the segment, yet the Audi A4 only ended up in third place for owner satisfaction.

And, while the Stinger landed in second place for owner satisfaction, it has an overall score of 68 out of 100. This mediocre score puts it at just ninth place in its segment. Consumer Reports says that there are 16 cars in the segment, so the Stinger’s overall score would be almost right in the middle.

The main reason why the Stinger did so well for owner satisfaction was that few people regretted buying it. It lived up to their expectations and in some cases, it may have surpassed them. That’s ultimately what matters for an owner satisfaction rating. That said, the Stinger isn’t a bad car, and Consumer Reports broke down other reasons why it did so well in terms of owner satisfaction. 

Why Kia Stinger owners are so satisfied

The main reason why Consumer Reports said that Stinger owners were satisfied with their cars was because of its styling, both in terms of its interior as well as its exterior. In terms of style, Consumer Reports gave the Stinger a perfect score of 100 percent for owner satisfaction. 

In second place was its driving experience, which Consumer Reports gave an owner satisfaction score of 96 percent. This is due to the two powerful turbocharged engines that Kia offers but also due to how well it handles. For reference, the Stinger comes with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that gets 255 hp or a 3.3-liter V6 which gets 365 hp.

Next up is its value, which Consumer Reports gave an owner satisfaction rating of 87 percent. The Stinger is a luxury sedan, and it does start at $33,000. Despite this, though, Consumer Reports said that most owners will be happy with paying that much. Finally, there’s the comfort category. The Stinger did the worst in this one, but despite that, Consumer Reports still gave it an 83 percent for owner satisfaction.