Reckitt Benckiser's Dettol claimed top spot in Australia's trusted Brand Survey for 2019, knocking last year's winner, Johnson & Johnson's Band-Aid, into second spot.

Along with Betadine, three medical brands made the top five most trusted brands in the study of 3,000 people this year, with Vegemite and Qantas rounding out the top five.

Gillette and Colgate, both in the top five last year, dropped down the rankings with Gillette falling out of the top 20. Vegemite powered up the index from 14th to 3rd and was voted "most iconic".

Bendigo Bank took out the most trusted bank, blitzing the Big Four, while Toyota was the most trusted car company. Cadbury topped confectionary and Sanitarium gobbled up the competition for breakfast.

The survey is conducted independently by Catalyst and the full results published exclusively in the Australian Reader’s Digest. Catalyst polled over 3,000 Australians to determine the rankings among 70 consumer categories.

"The digital world is awash with fake news and social media tribes, which can make consumer trust hard to earn and maintain," said Australian Reader’s Digest editor-in-chief, Louise Waterson. "But the value of being a trusted brand shouldn't be ignored as it truly matters to consumers. Ultimately, trust is built on the traditional foundations of quality, consistency, honesty and delivering on your promise."

Australia's Top 20 Most Trusted Brands

1) Dettol
2) Band-Aid
3) Vegemite
4) Qantas
5) Betadine
6) Energizer
7) Elastoplast
8) Panadol
9) Colgate
10) Bunnings
11) Weber
12) Dyson
13) Cadbury
14) Lindt
15) Selleys
16) Victa
17) Finish
18) Bega Cheese
19) Mortein
20) Dulux