Virgin Australia, Toyota and Cadbury are ‘Most Trusted Brands’ in several Key Industries for 2024

Roy Morgan presented the Roy Morgan Trusted Brand Awards for 2024 to Toyota for Automotive, Sydney Water for Utilities, alongside Cadbury in Food and Beverage and Virgin in Travel and Tourism.

Toyota has topped the industry rankings as the most trusted brand in automotive over the last six years since Roy Morgan began interviewing Australians about trust and distrust in 2018. Toyota has been Australia’s best-selling automotive manufacturer for 26 years in a row and has won the award for a third time ahead of fellow Japanese manufacturers Mazda and Honda.

The highly contested utilities category was won by Sydney-based Sydney Water which overtook Perth-based Synergy, who were the ‘Most Trusted Utility Brand’ in 2023. Sydney Water delivers potable drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater services across Greater Sydney, New South Wales. As a new entrant in this category, it secured the top spot, surpassing established finalists Red Energy and Synergy.

In the Food & Beverage category, Cadbury was named the most trusted brand for the third consecutive year, surpassing nearly 90 competing brands in one of the most hotly contested categories. With a presence in Australia for over a century, Cadbury has maintained the highest net trust score in the category since early 2020, having overtaken Arnott’s. This year, it triumphed over fellow finalists Sanitarium and Bega.

Virgin Australia emerged as the most trusted brand in the Travel & Tourism sector for 2024. The airline continues to outpace its rivals, including Qantas, by prioritizing customer experience and innovation.

Its’ commitment to enhancing service offerings and fostering a more approachable, flexible travel experience has solidified its position as the most trusted brand in the Travel & Tourism sector for the second consecutive year. In 2024, it surpassed close competitors Singapore Airlines and Flight Centre to claim the top spot.

Over 230 brands were in the running for these awards across the four categories of Automotive, Utilities, Food & Beverage and Travel & Tourism and the full list of contenders in each category for these prestigious awards are listed fully later in this release.

Roy Morgan Trusted Brand Key winners for 2024:

View the Roy Morgan website for further information on Roy Morgan’s Trusted Brand Awards for 2024.

Most Trusted Brand for Automotive: Toyota

Toyota has consistently rated as the ‘Most Trusted Brand in Automotive’ since Roy Morgan began measuring trust and distrust over six years ago in 2018. Toyota was ranked as the 4^th most trusted brand across any industry and topped the Automotive category ahead of rivals Mazda and Honda.

There were over 40 brands mentioned by Australians in the race for the Most Trusted Brand in Automotive. The contenders included major car manufacturers such as Audi, BMW, BYD, Citroën, Fiat, Ford, General Motors, Great Wall, Harley Davidson, Holden, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kawasaki, Jayco, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Lexus, LDV, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Porsche, Renault, Škoda, Subaru, Suzuki, Tesla, Takata, Tata, Toyota, Volkswagen, Volvo, and Yamaha. In addition, the competition extended to car yards, with Ross Granata Motors being mentioned, and to dealerships and servicing, where brands like John Hughes, Lube Mobile, Midas, and Ultratune were also noted.

Some of the positive comments from Australians about why they trust Toyota were “My family owns a Toyota and it has been a great family car, we trust them to keep us safe on the road.” and “Their cars last a long time. Quality and reasonably priced.”

Most Trusted Brand for Utilities: Sydney Water

Picture: Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine with ‘Most Trusted Brand in Utilities’ Award for 2024 winner Sydney Water represented by Stuart Wallace, General Manager of Customer and Stakeholder Engagement.

In 2024, Sydney Water has emerged as the most trusted utility brand, overtaking Synergy to claim the top spot in the sector. Sydney Water, a New South Wales government-owned water corporation, rose to prominence in a category that included nearly 50 competitors across gas, electricity, and water services.

Synergy, which had led the category in 2023, was unable to maintain its position as Sydney Water gained significant trust with consumers. Other trusted brands in the sector included Red Energy and Alinta, while major players like AGL, Origin Energy, Energy Australia, and Ergon Energy were ranked among the most distrusted due to concerns over unaffordable prices, poor customer service, and profit-driven priorities.

Despite the overall utility sector being ranked 20th of 27 industries, with a higher level of distrust than trust, Sydney Water stood out for its reliability and commitment to customer care. Comments from customers included praise for its service, with one noting, "They are reliable and are upfront with problems," while another remarked, "They are a trustworthy company trying to better my city’s water."

Sydney Water: “We’re incredibly humbled to be recognised as Australia’s most trusted utilities brand in the 2024 Roy Morgan Trusted Brand Awards.

“Stuart Wallace, General Manager of Customer and Stakeholder Engagement and Daniel Peacock, Head of Customer Contact, accepted the award on behalf of Sydney Water.

“A big thank you to our customers for their support - we wouldn’t be Sydney Water without our customers, who are at the heart of everything we do.

“We’ve spent the past decade understanding and responding to what our customers really need and value, and being named the most trusted utility brand in Australia is a great honour and testament to the hard work and dedication of every one of our team.”

Most Trusted Brand for Travel & Tourism: Virgin Australia

Picture: Roy Morgan CEO, Michele Levine, presents the ‘Most Trusted Travel & Tourism Brand’ Award for 2024 to Virgin Australia’s Head of Brand Marketing, Erina Chapman.

Qantas, long a leader in trust within the airline industry, has seen its reputation take a significant hit in recent years. The mounting disruptions and notable declines in customer service quality over the past two years have tarnished the brand’s image, built over decades of service. These issues contributed to rising levels of toxic distrust, undermining the airline’s once-strong position.

In contrast, last year’s winner, Virgin Australia, continues to outpace its competitors, securing the title of Most Trusted Travel & Tourism Brand for 2024. Virgin’s success stems from its reliability and responsiveness, which have earned it the loyalty and trust of travelers. Other airlines rated in the category included Air Asia, Air New Zealand, American Airlines, Boeing, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Japan Airlines, Jetstar, KLM, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, REX Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Tiger Airways, United Airlines, and Virgin.

In the broader Travel & Tourism sector, other notable brands included Accor Hotels, Hilton Hotels, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts in the hotel category, while major travel agencies and booking services like Booking.com, Expedia, Flight Centre, Lonely Planet, TripAdvisor, Trivago, Webjet, and Wotif.com also appeared. In car and accommodation hire, brands like Airbnb, Avis, Europcar, and Hertz stood out, while Intrepid Travel, Princess Cruises, and SpaceX earned mentions in this category.

Some of the positive comments from Australians about why they trust Virgin Australia were “I’ve flown with them many times and always feel that I’m taken care of even when things don’t go to plan. I trust that they do right by their customers.” and “I’ve always had a better experience with Virgin than any other airline and I feel their values align with mine, particularly in staff culture.”

Most Trusted Brand for Food & Beverage: Cadbury

Australia’s most trusted brand in Food & Beverage is well-known chocolate manufacturer Cadbury which is these days a subsidiary of multinational food and beverage company Mondelez. Cadbury emerged ahead of cereal and vegetarian product producer Sanitarium and dairy food and drinks company Bega.

Cadbury has been the most trusted brand in Food & Beverage since moving up the rankings early in 2020 and taking the top position previously held by Arnott’s.

Some of the positive comments from Australians about why they trust Cadbury were “They have been going for a long time and have good quality chocolates. They are also ethical and look after their staff.” and “The product is consistent. Long history.”

Cadbury: “Cadbury has been recognised as the Most Trusted Food & Beverage Brand in Australia for the third consecutive year by Roy Morgan.

“This achievement is a testament to our commitment to quality, trust and the special connection Cadbury holds with consumers.

“Thank you to everyone who has trusted us along the way. We look forward to continuing to make a positive impact, delivering not only delicious treats, but also cherished moments together.

“#Cadbury #MostTrustedBrand”

Cadbury faced a highly competitive field in the Food & Beverage category, with over 90 brands vying for the top spot. The competition included major players across various sectors: in packaged food and beverages, the contenders included a2 Milk, Ardmona, Arnott’s, Barilla, Bega, Beerenberg, Ben & Jerry’s, Bickfords, Birdseye, Brownes Dairy, Bulla, Bundaberg, Cadbury, Campbell’s, Carman’s, Coca-Cola Amatil, Cottees, Dairy Farmers, Darrell Lea, Devondale, Dilmah, Edgell, Farmers Union, Golden Circle, Haigh’s Chocolates, Harvey Fresh, Heinz, John West, Kellogg’s, Koko Black, Kraft, Krispy Kreme, Lindt, Mars Foods, Mayvers, McCain, Menz, Nescafé, Nespresso, Nestlé, Norco, Pedigree, Penfolds, Pepsi/PepsiCo, Peters, Pura Milk, Rosella, Sanitarium, Schweppes, Smith’s Chips, SPC, Steggles, Tassal, Tip Top, Twinings, Uncle Toby’s, Vegemite, and Weet-Bix. In the pre-prepared food and quick-service restaurant sector, brands like Baker’s Delight, Boost Juice, Brumby’s Bakery, Burger King, Domino’s Pizza, Gloria Jean’s, Grill’d, Guzman y Gomez, Hello Fresh, Hungry Jack’s, KFC, Lite n’ Easy, McDonald’s, Muffin Break, Nando’s, Pizza Hut, Oporto, Red Rooster, Starbucks, Subway, Sushi Train, and Zambrero were also in the running. The alcohol category featured competition from ALH/ALH Group, Carlton & United Breweries, Coopers Brewery, Tooheys, Treasury Wine Estates, and Wild Turkey, while the pet food sector included Hills. Additional competitors in the category included Graincorp, Parmalat, and Thomas Foods International. Despite this crowded field, Cadbury emerged victorious, continuing its legacy of trust and consumer loyalty in the competitive food and beverage market.

For comments or more information about Roy Morgan’s Annual Trusted Brand Awards and insights please contact:

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Roy Morgan Trusted Brand Awards

The Roy Morgan Trusted Brand Awards bring together outstanding companies and brands from across a range of industries to celebrate and recognise the unmatched levels of trust these organisations hold when compared to their competitors in their respective categories.

The Roy Morgan Trusted Brand Awards have been awarded to leading brands for the 12 months to June 2024 and all the winners have displayed market-leading levels of trust, and exceedingly low, or negligible, levels of distrust to outstrip their rivals on the key metric of ‘Net Trust’. The Net Trust Score or Net Distrust Score provides an overall benchmark to quantify brand risk, via the simple calculation of positive sentiment (trust) minus negative sentiment (distrust): Net Trust Score (NTS) or Net Distrust Score (NDS) = % Trust - % Distrust.

The Roy Morgan Risk Monitor collects insights on trust and distrust from around 25,000 Australians each year, or around 2,000 Australians each month. Respondents are asked which companies they trust, and why, and which companies they distrust, and why. The survey is specially designed to be open-ended and context-free, i.e. unprompted. In any one year, a company must be nominated by at least 20 Australians to be included in rankings used in the Roy Morgan Trusted Brand Awards.

Need to know what is driving your trust and distrust?

The Roy Morgan Risk Monitor is an ongoing survey based on over 2,000 interviews each month since 2018 to measure levels of trust and distrust in more than 1,000 brands across 27 sectors.

Roy Morgan Risk Monitor data is available in a variety of formats, from snapshot overviews to detailed tracking of individual brands and their competitors. To gain a greater understanding of Roy Morgan’s Risk research, or to explore the results for specific industries and brands, contact Roy Morgan.

For the latest rankings of key brands, comparison to rankings from a year ago, and examples of reasons Australians trust and distrust key brands view the latest edition of the Roy Morgan Risk Report.

About Roy Morgan

Roy Morgan is Australia’s largest independent Australian research company, with offices in each state, as well as in the U.S. and U.K. A full-service research organisation, Roy Morgan has over 80 years’ experience collecting objective, independent information on consumers.