KANSAS CITY, Mo. — September 30, 2026 — The North American Equipment Dealers Association has announced the 2026 Dealer’s Choice and Gold Level award winners from this year’s Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey.
The Dealer’s Choice Award goes to the highest-rated manufacturer in each category based on dealer responses.
The 2026 Dealer’s Choice Award winners are:
- Full-Line Manufacturer: Kubota Canada
- Tractor Manufacturer: Yanmar
- Shortline Manufacturer: Bourgault
- Outdoor Power Equipment Manufacturer: Grasshopper
NAEDA also recognized manufacturers that earned Gold Level status, given to manufacturers whose overall survey results were at least 10 percent above the average for their category.
The 2026 Gold Level recipients are:
- Tractor Manufacturer: TYM
- Outdoor Power Equipment Manufacturer: Wright Manufacturing
“We’re excited to announce this year’s Dealer’s Choice and Gold Level award winners,” said Melinda Healy, Industry Research & Program Support Manager for NAEDA. “Because the DMRS is based on anonymous feedback from dealers working with these manufacturers every day, these awards give us a good look at which manufacturers are really standing out with their dealer networks.”
The 2026 DMRS asked dealers across North America to rate the manufacturers they work with in areas including product quality, parts, communication, warranty, marketing, training and overall satisfaction. A total of 1,745 dealer responses were recorded.
NAEDA congratulates this year’s award recipients and thanks the dealers who participated.
The 2026 Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey report is free to NAEDA members and may be purchased by non-members through the NAEDA website at naeda.com/dealer-manufacturer-relations-survey/. For questions, contact the NAEDA offices in the U.S. at 800-762-5616 or in Canada at 800-661-2452.
About the Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey
The Dealer-Manufacturer Relations Survey gives equipment dealers across North America an opportunity to anonymously evaluate the manufacturers they represent. The results help manufacturers understand how their dealer networks view the relationship and identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement.
