Customer problems revealed in study

Customer experience is becoming a key area of competition in China's new energy vehicle after-sales market, with problem resolution and the accuracy of cost estimates remaining weak points, according to a recent study.

The J. D. Power 2026 China New Energy Vehicle Customer Service Index Study, released on Aug 6, put overall satisfaction at 778 on a 1,000-point scale, up three points from 2025. It was based on responses from 13,708 owners across 81 Chinese cities who bought their NEVs between January 2024 and February 2026. The survey was conducted from January to April 2026.

Among owners who reported vehicle-use problems, 85.5 percent cited non-fault issues such as difficulty in understanding or operating vehicle functions. Only 36.6 percent resolved their problems through a single service channel, while more than 60 percent needed assistance from multiple channels, the study found.

The study also identified accurate cost estimates as a key factor in customer trust. When final charges differed from estimates by more than 10 percent, the Net Promoter Score, which measures customers' willingness to recommend a brand, stood at minus 23, indicating that customers giving low recommendation ratings outnumbered those giving high ratings.

Accident repairs were another weak point. Average accident repair costs for NEVs were 1.7 times those for internal combustion engine vehicles, while customer satisfaction was 67 points lower than for general repairs, the study found.

A recommended national standard on safety requirements for NEV repair operations took effect on Aug 1. It covers personnel, facilities, risk identification and work procedures involving high-voltage systems and hydrogen supply systems in fuel-cell vehicles, according to the State Administration for Market Regulation. The regulator said the standard would help improve repair safety and promote standardized repair services.

Companies are also using mobile and app-based services to address concerns over repair efficiency and transparency.

Chinese battery maker CATL unveiled a vehicle for power battery inspection and repair on Aug 10 under its independent after-market brand NING Service. CATL said the vehicle can perform more than 30 types of inspections and over 50 repair procedures on site, covering 90 percent of battery repair scenarios, excluding cases requiring extensive repairs. The vehicle could reduce the time needed to handle complex battery faults from 72 hours to 48 hours, the company said.

BYD allows owners to track repair progress through its app. For accident repairs, dedicated online service channels allow owners to begin the insurance claims process, receive updates on claims and repairs, and view photos of the key stages of the repair process.

Tesla owners can use the company's app to schedule service appointments and review preliminary cost estimates prepared following remote diagnostics. Service work begins only after the estimate has been approved by the owner, and any subsequent revision requires approval. Once the vehicle has been assessed, owners can view the estimated completion time and contact the service team through the app.

Ann Xie, managing director of Automotive Service Solutions at J. D. Power China, said competition in the NEV after-sales market is shifting from maximizing revenue per service order to improve efficiency and building customer trust. Xie added that a brand's competitive advantage increasingly depends on the entire service process, including service intake, customer updates and final settlement, rather than on repair expertise alone.

wangyuchen@chinadaily.com.cn