Alfa Romeo has taken second place in Auto Express’ Driver Power 2026 ranking of the best car brands to own, scoring 87.17%. Only Mercedes finished ahead of the Italian brand, while Tesla came third. This is a significant result, especially in the British market, one of the most demanding in Europe, where owners assess brands as a whole, from perceived quality to running costs.
Alfa Romeo wins British drivers’ hearts as one of the best brands to own
The strengths behind the result are the ones historically associated with Alfa Romeo. The brand ranked first for both road holding and steering responsiveness, while also taking third place for driving pleasure and fourth for brake response. Overall, Alfa Romeo finished second in the driving and handling category. Owners also named Alfa Romeo as the brand that builds the best-looking cars, confirming that design remains one of the defining elements of the Italian marque.
Positive results also came in the powertrain category, where Alfa Romeo finished seventh thanks to favourable ratings for acceleration and transmission smoothness. Owners also praised other areas, including front-seat comfort, the balance between physical controls and touchscreen functions, and value for money, where the brand placed inside the top 10.
However, the survey also highlights the areas where Alfa Romeo still needs to improve. Owners ranked the brand 17th for build quality and perceived reliability, while fuel economy and running costs remained outside the top 10. These factors continue to affect Alfa Romeo’s overall perception compared with rivals that perform better in solidity and ownership costs.
The result comes at a delicate moment for the brand, which still has to define the future of the Giulia and Stelvio, while the Junior and Tonale must support its presence in more commercially important segments. Even so, the vote from British owners shows that Alfa Romeo’s dynamic and stylistic identity still creates a strong emotional connection with customers, even in a market where reliability and practicality tend to carry considerable weight in overall evaluations.
