An influential survey by What Car? magazine has resulted in Jaguar being hailed as Britain’s number one car. The survey has seen Lexus – the luxury division of Toyota – come out on top for the last 11 years, but the survey shows that the Jag has won in a range of different areas.

The company’s XF model came out on top, followed by Kia’s Sportage model.

In total, 18,000 car owners were surveyed, each normally having owned their vehicle for at least two years before the survey was taken.

This survey is very influential and is likely to do a lot for what is already a very strong brand. It doesn’t just take into account the likelihood of you having to take advantage of your affordable annual breakdown cover (affordable at least if you choose startrescue.co.uk!) or how well ithandles. It also looks at cost and value, aftersales care and how appealing the brand is overall.

What Car?’s editor in chief Chas Hallett said of the result: "This study shows that customers are really satisfied with their Jaguars." And Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK's managing director, said winning the title is "another tool in our armoury".

Speaking to the BBC, Hicks continued: "Things like this have a long burn life. It rests in consumers' minds when it comes to making purchasing decisions."