Toyota's hybrid Prius tops satisfaction table

LONDON (Reuters) - For the first time, a hybrid car, the Toyota Prius, is the highest-ranking model in satisfying owners of new cars, according to an annual survey.

The Prius ties with the Lexus IS for top spot among models included in the study.

Other high scorers are Japanese models from Toyota, Honda and Lexus, although Skoda shows well, with the Octavia and Fabia ranking fifth and seventh overall.

The J.D. Power and Associates/What Car? magazine 2007 UK Car Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI) highlights a growing trend towards environmentally friendly cars.

The Prius, the first mass-produced hybrid car, with a part-petrol, part-electric engine, first went on sale in Japan in 1997 and has seen sales rise steeply in tandem with concern about the environment.

It received 868 index points on the survey's 1,000 point scale and earned particularly high ratings in ownership costs.

Prius owners are most satisfied with day-to-day operating costs and also report high satisfaction for vehicle quality, vehicle appeal and dealer service.

"The Prius clearly demonstrates that car owners think green is good," said Steve Fowler, editor of What Car? magazine.

"We know that there's an increase in consumer interest in environmentally friendly cars here in the UK, and with the Prius topping the model rankings in the 2007 study, we may be seeing a trend emerging in people's thinking about these vehicles."