Automotive Complaint Rate

1. Definition and Key Metrics

Automotive complaint rate is a vital metric for assessing vehicle product and service quality, referring to the ratio of valid consumer complaints against a specific brand or car model relative to its sales volume over the same period. The standard industry calculation is the complaint volume divided by sales volume and multiplied by 10,000, expressed as a per-10,000-vehicle figure. A lower ratio generally indicates fewer complaints per 10,000 units sold, reflecting higher quality consistency or greater customer satisfaction.

By factoring in both market acceptance (sales volume) and quality performance (complaint volume), the complaint rate offers a more objective assessment of a carmaker's "mass-production quality consistency", serving as a crucial benchmark for evaluating product reliability.

2. Overall Industry Complaint Trends

In recent years, total automotive complaints in the domestic market have continued to rise, showing a marked surge in 2025. Annual verified real-name complaints logged by Chezhiwang exceeded 227,000 cases, up 31.6% year-on-year to hit an all-time high, while automotive complaints on the Black Cat platform climbed 29.8% year-on-year.

Accordingly, the overall industry complaint-to-sales ratio saw an upward trend. The average ratio in 2025 stood at around 58.4 per 10,000 units, up noticeably from 45.1 per 10,000 units in 2024 and reaching a five-year peak, signalling a deterioration in overall consumer sentiment.

3. Complaint Categories and Structural Breakdown

Complaints involving new cars took centre stage. Among buyers who purchased vehicles in 2025, 53.3% filed complaints regarding quality issues within the first month of ownership—the highest proportion recorded in five years. By complaint category, quality defects remained the primary concern, with body accessories and electrical equipment faults accounting for over 60%; under service-related issues, booking deposit disputes, unfulfilled sales commitments, and price fluctuations stood out; disputes surrounding new-versus-old model facelifts and iterations emerged as the core grievance in other categories.

Broken down by powertrain, new energy vehicle (NEV) complaints rose to 44.8%, with plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models logging the highest complaint volume within the NEV segment. Complaints against NEVs were mainly concentrated on opaque online pre-booking delivery timelines, deposit disputes, inflated battery range claims, contentious smart driving features, and sub-par software experiences.

4. Brand Concentration and Regional Distribution

A rising share of complaints lodged against domestic brands became a defining trend. Among car models with above-average complaint-to-sales ratios, domestic brands accounted for 71.7%, with Geely registering 15 models, BYD 10, and Chery 9 on the list. On the joint venture front, the long-term quality decline in internal combustion engine (ICE) models became apparent. Rushed deployments of smart features paired with cost-cutting measures in traditional vehicle assembly created a "dual squeeze", making infotainment head-unit glitches, NVH issues, and related defects key sources of customer dissatisfaction.

The demographic profile of complainants showed distinct trends: consumers aged 26 to 35 formed the core demographic at over 60%; male complainants made up 81.6%; regionally, Guangdong logged the highest complaint share at 14.01%, followed closely by Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

5. Key Trends

• Premature emergence of new car quality defects: The share of new car complaints continues to escalate, reaching 60.67% in the Nanjing region in the first half of 2026, with body accessories and electrical component faults serving as the primary pain points.

• Surge in complaints over smart driving and software: Glitches in advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) making erratic responses, automated parking failures, and post-OTA update software malfunctions have rapidly emerged as new flashpoints for customer complaints.

• 4S centre closures triggering ripple-effect complaints: Complaints stemming from dealership closures accounted for over 20%, with affected car owners predominantly demanding resolutions for undelivered vehicles, unrefunded deposits, and forfeited prepaid service and maintenance packages.