Apple, BMW and Qantas have taken out top honours for Australia’s best premium brands in Roy Morgan’s 2023 awards for the premium end of the market.

Roy Morgan chief executive Michele Levine said Australia is currently experiencing a “two speed” consumer economy where some families are being squeezed by the cost of living while others are living it up and spending big.

And the brands that are proving most popular among Australia’s richest families are cashing in too, with everyone from American Express to Qantas being named in the latest edition of Roy Morgan’s brand awards, published on Friday, July 7.

Across the categories, which range from air travel to supermarkets and insurance, household names have featured prominently this year, Roy Morgan said.

Macquarie Bank took the top gong as the top-rated premium bank in the financial services sector, while UniSuper won for the best premium superannuation brand.

American Express topped the list in the payments category, while BUPA was rated the best private health insurance option for those with the most money.

BMW won the automotive category, beating both Audi and Mercedes in 2023.

Harris Farms, meanwhile, won top gong for best premium supermarket, in a victory Ms Levine said was significant given the retailer only operates in NSW.

“It was up against national brands but still came out on top,” Ms Levine said.

Country Road won the premium fashion category, topping sister company David Jones as well as Amazon and The Iconic.

In airlines, national carrier Qantas took out the top prize for both domestic and international preferences despite a torrid year with ailing service standards.

“Virgin Australia was close, very strong in domestic travel. But international preferences pushed Qantas over the line to win,” Ms Levine said.

AGL was voted the best energy brand among premium customers, winning both the electricity and gas retailer stakes over rivals Origin and Energy Australia.

Renewables favoured

And it might have had something to do with the company’s new leadership, Ms Levine said.

“The influence of Mike Cannon-Brookes on AGL and his renewable strategy for the brand played well,” Ms Levine said.

An unsurprising winner in the smartphone category was Apple, though the company also won the video streaming stakes with its Apple TV+ offering too.

Amazon, however, was rated the top music streaming service, beating Apple.

Ms Levine said the reason Spotify and Netflix did not appear in the awards, despite being dominant brands in their categories, is because they’re too broadly popular to stick out to premium users.