The Most Trusted & Liked Companies in Germany — 2026

Caliber's annual DAX40 reputation ranking

Trust is one of the strongest predictors of stakeholder behavior. It drives support in good times and protects reputation when companies come under pressure.

This ranking shows which of Germany’s largest listed companies lead on trust and likability in 2026. But this year, it goes further.

This year’s ranking covers:
 
  • Most Trusted & Liked — Overall scores across all stakeholder groups, not just consumers
  • Most Volatile — Companies with the widest perception swings in 2025, signaling reputational instability
  • Most Stable — Companies with the most consistent scores, indicating durable stakeholder confidence
  • Biggest Turnarounds — Companies that recovered most from their lowest score in 2025 to Q4
  • And for the first time: trust, media, and markets — together
 

Download the full 2026 benchmark See the rankings, the volatility data, and what the relationship between trust, media, and share price reveals about reputation in 2026.

Germany's Most Trusted & Liked Companies — DAX 40 Index Ranking, 2026

Rank Company Familiarity TLS 2024 TLS 2025 +/-
1Siemens62%7173▲ +2
2Fresenius Med. Care15%6972▲ +3
3Siemens Energy29%6972▲ +3
4Siemens Healthineers22%7072▲ +2
5Adidas72%7372▼ -1
6Daimler Truck17%6872▲ +4
7Henkel50%6970▲ +1
8Airbus36%6770▲ +3
9Infineon Techn.19%6569▲ +4
10SAP32%6869▲ +1
11BMW68%6969— 0
12DHL Group78%6869▲ +1
13Zalando61%6769▲ +2
14Fresenius20%6668▲ +2
15Continental40%6568▲ +3
16Porsche Aut. Hold. SE25%6668▲ +2
17Beiersdorf27%6567▲ +2
18Deutsche Börse19%6367▲ +4
19Mercedes-Benz Gr.47%7067▼ -3
20Bayer47%6264▲ +2
21BASF28%6163▲ +2
22Allianz59%6263▲ +1
23Deutsche Telekom72%6462▼ -2
24Volkswagen Group50%6462▼ -2
25Scout2431%n/a62n/a
26Commerzbank51%6161— 0
27E.ON54%5961▲ +2
28Rheinmetall29%5560▲ +5
29RWE35%5859▲ +1
30Deutsche Bank54%5659▲ +3
31Vonovia24%4547▲ +2

Companies with a Familiarity Score Below 15%

Familiarity is based on respondents who scored 4 or higher on a 7-point familiarity scale, after first demonstrating general awareness of the company. Companies where fewer than 15% of respondents met that threshold are listed separately, since the main ranking is designed to reflect general public opinion rather than industry-insider views — though many of these companies are well regarded among the customers, employees, and analysts who know them best.

Rank Company Familiarity TLS 2024 TLS 2025 +/-
1GEA4%6974▲ +5
2Brenntag6%6673▲ +7
3Hannover Re7%6673▲ +7
4Heidelberg Materials7%6972▲ +3
5Qiagen5%6772▲ +5
6Symrise5%6672▲ +6
7MTU Aero Engines8%6870▲ +2
8Munich Re10%6669▲ +3
9Merck KGaA13%6569▲ +4

How to Read the Trust & Like Score

80–100 Very high 70–79 High 60–69 Average 40–59 Low 0–39 Very low

What is the Trust & Like Score (TLS)?

The Trust & Like Score (TLS) is Caliber’s core measure of stakeholder confidence. It combines two questions:

  • Trust: “Is this a company I trust?”

  • Likeability: “Is this a company I like?”

Together, these measures indicate which companies stakeholders are most likely to support and recommend—and which are better positioned to withstand scrutiny.

The TLS ranking is updated annually and is based on continuous measurement throughout the year, making it a stable benchmark rather than a one-off survey snapshot.

How trust and likeability moved across the DAX 40 Index this year

This chart shows the monthly average Trust & Like Score for the DAX 40 index from Jan–Dec 2025. Use it as a benchmark to see when the overall stakeholder confidence strengthened or weakened and which companies outperformed the index over time.

Want to understand why your score looks the way it does?

The ranking is the starting point. With Caliber, you can pinpoint what is driving trust and sentiment by:

  • stakeholder segment (customers, employees, investors, public)

  • topic drivers (leadership, ESG, products, governance, innovation)

  • time period (before/after key events)

  • competitive benchmarking across Germany and other markets

Fill out the form below to talk to our stakeholder intelligence experts