A few surprises top the winners list in the Kelley Blue Book 2014 Brand Image Awards, announced today and based on annual new-car buyer perception data. 

Earning Best Overall Brand with the highest average scores among all 12 Brand Watch factors is Honda, for the second year in a row.

Brand Watch factors include affordability, “cool” factor, driving comfort, driving performance, durability/reliability, exterior styling, fuel efficiency, interior layout, prestige/sophistication, reputation, ruggedness and safety. 

KBB officials noted that strong consumer perception of the Accord, Civic, CR-V and Odyssey helped drive Honda’s success in earning top honors. 

Beating out the 2013 winner in Best Overall Luxury Brand is Mercedes-Benz, highly regarded for its strong lineup and performance AMG variants, topping last year’s favorite, BMW.

Among truck shoppers, Ford reclaims the top spot from Toyota in Best Overall Truck Brand. Ford has won five of the six times Kelley Blue Book has announced this award. 

Kia earns its first-ever Brand Image Award in 2014 for Best Value Brand, taking the crown from last year’s winner, Honda. Kia received high marks on affordability and fuel efficiency, largely thanks to the Optima, Rio, Soul and Forte models. 

“Kia has come a long way in the eyes of the consumer,” said Arthur Henry, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book. “Once known only as an economy car with good gas mileage, the brand has evolved through product growth and maturity into a high-value brand. This is a similar path fellow import brands Honda and Toyota took in the 1970s.”

Buick is a repeat winner for the Best Value Luxury Brand, and the OEM’s entire lineup, including the LaCrosse, Regal, Verano, Enclave and Encore, has positively influenced car shoppers’ perceptions, KBB noted.

'Most Refined' Brands

Benefitting from its upscale Denali trim models, GMC also wins its first Brand Image Award as 2014’s Most Refined Brand, with high ratings for comfort, interior layout and prestige/sophistication. 

Among luxury brands, Mercedes-Benz takes a second consecutive win for this category; the brand has historically scored very high in prestige/sophistication since the inception of the Brand Image Awards in 2008. 

MINI wins Best Performance Brand for the second year in a row, with help from the MINI Cooper’s high ratings for “cool” factor and driving performance. 

Likewise, Porsche holds steady as a repeat winner as Best Performance Luxury Brand since 2010, due to strong ratings for a number of models in its lineup, including the 911, Cayman, Panamera and Cayenne. 

Jaguar earned its first Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Award as 2014 Best Car Styling Luxury Brand for its attractive F-TYPE, XK, XF and XJ series, while Chevrolet reclaimed the Best Car Styling Brand title from last year’s winner, Ford. 

“Chevrolet had a slew of redesigns during the past year, which have captured the consideration of car shoppers,” said Henry. “Chevrolet decided to take a daring approach with its styling and it paid off. The models primarily driving the success of Chevrolet’s expressive design efforts are the Corvette Stingray and Camaro.”

The Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards recognize automakers’ achievements in creating and maintaining brand attributes that capture the attention of the new-vehicle buying public. 

“The classic saying ‘perception is reality’ falls true with the Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards, as more than 12,000 in-market, new-car shoppers have voiced their opinions about today’s automakers,” said Hwei-Lin Oetken, vice president of market intelligence for Kelley Blue Book. 

“With strong marketing communications coming from auto manufacturers and dealers, and the increased importance of peer reviews and ratings, consumers today are more influenced than ever to take interest in a brand, ultimately affecting their vehicle purchase decisions,” he said.

The full list of 2014 Brand Image Award Winners is as follows:

Non-Luxury Brands

Honda, Best Overall Brand

Honda, Most Trusted Brand

Kia, Best Value Brand

GMC, Most Refined Brand

MINI, Best Performance Brand

Chevrolet, Best Car Styling Brand

Truck Brands

Ford, Best Overall Truck Brand

Luxury Brands

Mercedes-Benz, Best Overall Luxury Brand

Lexus, Most Trusted Luxury Brand

Buick, Best Value Luxury Brand

Mercedes-Benz, Most Refined Luxury Brand

Porsche, Best Performance Luxury Brand

Jaguar, Best Car Styling Luxury Brand