When it comes to a product’s image, car makers spend vast amounts of money every year either to maintain or to change consumers’ perceptions of auto brands. Those brand perceptions influence purchase decisions to some degree, even though perceptions may have nothing to do with the actual qualities of a brand.

Consumer Reports magazine has released its 2014 Car-Brand Perception Survey, which reflects how consumers look at car brands in seven categories: quality, safety, performance, value, fuel economy, design/style and technology/innovation. Combining the scores from each category gives the overall brand-perception score.

The top brand manufacturer overall is Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE: TM), followed by Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F), Honda Motor Co. Ltd. (NYSE: HMC) and General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) for its Chevrolet brand. Toyota has widened its lead over the field, while Honda dropped sharply to fall to third place.

The two brands to post the biggest gains were Tesla Motors Inc. (NASDAQ: TSLA) and Subaru, which finished in fifth and sixth position, respectively. Tesla was the top-rated car in the technology/innovation category, but that is the least important of the seven categories that Consumer Reports tracks.

In the quality category, which 90% of consumers rank as one of the three most important in choosing a new car, Toyota replaced Honda at the top of the list, and the former leader fell to fifth place, behind Mercedes-Benz, Ford and Chevrolet.

Volvo, which has been pitching its safety features for decades, was rated by 60% of those surveyed as the safest car. Subaru leaped into second place in this category, more than 10 points ahead of Toyota, Ford and Honda. Safety is considered one of the three most important categories by 88% of new car buyers.

Performance, which is the third most important category, has a new leader in 2014 — Chevrolet, likely on the introduction of the new Corvette model. BMW is second and Ford is third in this category.

Toyota widened its lead over Honda in the value rankings, while Ford and Chevrolet maintained their third- and fifth-place rankings, respectively. Consumer Reports notes that in this category it finds that “mainstream, fuel-efficient models rise to the top.”

Toyota also leads in the fuel economy category, where Honda fell from second to third behind Smart. Tesla is fourth and Volkswagen is fifth, replacing Ford and Chevrolet in those spots from the 2013 list.

The Consumer Reports editors note that the difference between consumer perceptions and reality can sometimes be very wide:

Automakers continue to vie for consumer mindshare and dollars by developing compelling new models engineered to drive sales and profits. As a smart shopper, the key is to look beyond the hype to the virtues that matter most to you and ensure you’re buying a product that truly excels based on real-world tests, rather than merely perceptions or empty marketing slogans.

Perceptions often stray from reality.

We’re shocked, shocked.

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