Microsoft was more popular than luxury watch maker Rolex, which came in second, despite not making the top 10 last year.
The survey placed internet giant Google in third, followed by British Airways in fourth and the BBC in fifth. The two British brands swapped places from last year.
Mercedes-Benz, Coca-Cola, Lego, Apple and Encyclopaedia Britannica rounded out the top ten. Encyclopaedia Britannica was a surprise entry into the top 10 after placing 29th last year.
Some of the brands showing the strongest year-on-year improvement in the survey include McDonald's, which jumped 227 places to 143, Burger King, up 189 spots to 259, KFC, which rose by 164 places to hit 274 and Domino's Pizza, which moved up the table by 144 spots to 338.
The highest new entry into this year's list was Krispy Kreme, which Superbrands said further indicates the UK's demand for relatively low-cost treats during the economic downturn.
Stephen Cheliotis, chief executive of The Centre for Brand Analysis, which administered the research on behalf of Superbrands UK, said: "This year's survey reaffirms some of the downturn's winners and losers, with the fast food chains and supermarkets doing particularly well.
"The results, as always, return some surprises with this year's notable high achiever being Encyclopædia Britannica.
"Bearing in mind that thousands of brands are initially considered, actually making the top 500 itself is an achievement.
"The competition amongst brands for consumer attention and share of wallet is intense and growing fiercer."
The UK's "Superbrands" were chosen by the British public in a national survey of over 2,100 adults from a shortlist of 800 brands produced by a panel of 29 marketing experts.
The experts came up with the shortlist from a longlist of 1,400 brands chosen by The Centre for Brand Analysis researchers from thousands of brands from over 50 sectors. Brands do not pay or apply to be considered.
