British Airways is Britain's best loved brand

British Airways is Britain's best loved brand – but the BBC is out, survey finds

Consumers praised British Airways for its quality, reliability and distinction AFP/Getty

British Airways has come top of a list of the best British brands for third year in the row.

The airline took the top spot in both the consumer and business categories. Consumers praised British Airways for its quality, reliability and distinction.

The Centre for Brand Analysis in London polled 2,500 British adults, who were asked to rank their favourites from a choice of 1,600 popular brands.

Rolex retained second position, also for the third year running, but faced increasing competition from third placed LEGO, which jumped up eight places.

Dyson, the electronic goods specialist, climbed ten places to fourth, its highest ever position in the survey, following a high profile advertising campaign fronted by eponymous entrepreneur James Dyson.

The BBC did not make the top 20 for the first time since 1995.

Media attention on BBC funding, headlines about “attacks” by the government and negative perceptions of its coverage of the Scottish independence debate might have put people off, researchers said.

Cadbury didn't make the top 20 for the second year in a row after a change of recipe to its iconic Creme Eggs disappointed its most loyal customers.

Big tech brands are losing momentum while consumers turn to “heritage brands”. Apple and Google have seen a slight rise ranking seventh and sixteenth respectively but remain well of their historical high.

Microsoft, which dropped 16 places, is the biggest faller this year.

Heinz, Jaguar and Marks & Spencer all re-entered the top 20, replacing Boots, BMW and Fairy.

Stephen Cheliotis, chief executive of The Centre for Brand Analysis, said the survey shows conservatism is evident among British consumer as they still prefer “traditional brands”.

“Although change may be accelerating in many markets, changes in perception are much slower to come through. Consumers are continuing to seek out familiar brands with which they have an emotional connection,” Cheliotis said.