Vehicle Dependability Slumps as Rate of Deterioration Increases, J.D. Power Finds
Lexus Ranks Highest among All Brands for Second Consecutive Year; Toyota Ranks Highest among Mass Market Brands
TROY, Mich.: 8 Feb. 2024 — Vehicle owners are experiencing lower levels of vehicle dependability after three years of ownership, according to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability StudySM (VDS), released today. The high number of problems owners encounter indicates a decline in long-term vehicle dependability, with increased levels of problems reported for nearly two-thirds of brands included in the study. The industry average has increased 4 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) year over year to 190 PP100 from 2023. The rate at which problems have increased between 90 days and three years of ownership has increased to 17%, up 5 percentage points from 12% in 2023.
“Historically, VDS model results mirror the results of the respective model year in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, so a deterioration of vehicle dependability is unusual,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. “This can likely be attributed to the tumultuous time during which these vehicles were built, and owners are keeping their vehicles for much longer. In fact, the average age of vehicles on American roads today is approximately 12 years, which underscores the importance of building a vehicle designed to stand the test of time. Automakers must ensure new vehicle technology introduced today will still meet the customer’s needs years down the road.”
The study, now in its 35th year, covers 184 specific problem areas across nine major vehicle categories: climate; driving assistance; driving experience; exterior; features/controls/displays; infotainment; interior; powertrain; and seats.
Following are key findings of the 2024 study:
- Infotainment system woes continue to plague owners: As vehicles roll off the assembly line with increasingly more technology, it is not unexpected that the most problematic vehicle category is infotainment (49.1 PP100)—nearly twice as many problems as the next-highest category, which is exterior. Among infotainment issues, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity (6.3 PP100) is the top problem, followed by built-in voice recognition (6.1 PP100).
- Annoyance with driver assistance alerts grows over time: The number of problems related to driver assistance system alerts has increased between the 90-day ownership period and the three-year ownership period. “Many would think that after three years, owners would become used to the alerts on their vehicle,” Hanley said. “However, that is not the case. Increased problem levels are experienced across multiple driver assistance features including, but not limited to, lane departure warning/lane keeping assistance and forward collision warning/automatic emergency braking.”
- Electrified vehicles more problematic than others: Owners of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) experience more problems than owners of gas-powered and hybrid vehicles. BEVs are most troublesome (256 PP100), followed by PHEVs (216 PP100). Hybrids (191 PP100) and gasoline vehicles (187 PP100) fare significantly better. At three years of ownership, tires are a sore spot for BEVs, with 39% of owners saying they replaced tires in the past 12 months—19 percentage points higher than owners of gas-powered vehicles.
- Toyota Motor Corporation wins most segment awards: Toyota Motor Corporation’s nine segment awards is the most received by any automaker since 2017 when the Japanese automaker received 10 awards.
- The most improved brands: The top three brands showing the greatest improvement in the number of problems are Porsche (33 PP100 improvement); Mercedes-Benz (22 PP100 improvement); and Toyota (21 PP100 improvement).
Highest-Ranked Brands
Lexus ranks highest overall in vehicle dependability for a second consecutive year, with a score of 135 PP100. Among premium brands, Porsche (175 PP100) ranks second and BMW (190 PP100) ranks third.
Toyota ranks highest in the mass market segment, with a score of 147 PP100. Buick (149 PP100) ranks second, while Chevrolet (174 PP100) and MINI (174 PP100) each rank third in a tie.
The parent corporation receiving the most model-level awards is Toyota Motor Corporation with nine: Lexus ES, Lexus IS, Lexus NX, Lexus RX, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Tacoma and Toyota Tundra. General Motors Company receives four segment awards for Buick Encore, Chevrolet Equinox, Chevrolet Traverse and Chevrolet Tahoe. BMW AG receives two segment awards for BMW X1 and BMW X6.
The 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from 30,595 original owners of 2021 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. The study was fielded from August through November 2023.
To learn more about the U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/automotive/us-vehicle-dependability-study.
About J.D. Power
J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.
J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.
Media Relations Contacts
Geno Effler, J.D. Power; West Coast; 714-621-6224; [email protected]
Shane Smith; East Coast; 424-903-3665; [email protected]
About J.D. Power and Advertising/Promotional Rules: http://www.jdpower.com/business/about-us/press-release-info
2024 Most Reliable Car Brands |
|
Problems per 100 Vehicles (PP100) | |
Car Brands | Score |
Lexus | 135 |
Toyota | 147 |
Buick | 149 |
Chevrolet | 174 |
MINI | 174 |
Porsche | 175 |
Mazda | 185 |
Kia | 187 |
BMW | 190 |
Dodge | 190 |
Jeep | 190 |
Study Average | 190 |
Cadillac | 196 |
Hyundai | 198 |
Subaru | 198 |
Nissan | 199 |
Genesis | 200 |
Ram | 201 |
GMC | 206 |
Honda | 206 |
Acura | 216 |
Mercedes-Benz | 218 |
Infiniti | 219 |
Ford | 239 |
Volvo | 245 |
Lincoln | 251 |
Volkswagen | 267 |
Land Rover | 268 |
Audi | 275 |
Chrysler | 310 |
Tesla^ | 252 |
---------------------------- | |
Note:^Brand is not rank eligible because it does not meet study award criteria. | |
Source: J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study | |
Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores, and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power. |
Most Reliable Car Models in 2024
2024 Most Dependable Car Model |
Porsche 718 |
2024 Top 3 Most Dependable Compact Cars |
Highest Ranked: Toyota Corolla |
Honda Civic |
Toyota Prius |
2024 Top 3 Most Dependable Compact Premium Car |
Highest Ranked: Lexus IS |
BMW 4 Series |
BMW 3 Series |
2024 Top 3 Most Dependable Midsize Car |
Highest Ranked: Toyota Camry |
Chevrolet Malibu |
Hyundai Sonata |
2024 Most Dependable Midsize Premium Car* |
Highest Ranked: Lexus ES |
2024 Most Dependable Premium Sporty Car* |
Highest Ranked: Porsche 718 |
Chevrolet Corvette |
---------------------------- |
*No other model in this segment performs at or above segment average. |
Models must have sufficient sample to be considered for the most dependable model award. Models are considered from all segments regardless of segment eligibility. |
There must be at least three models with 80% of market sales or four models with 67% of the market sales in any given award segment for an award to be presented. In the Small Car, Small Premium Car, Upper Midsize Premium Car, Large Car, Large Premium Car, Large Premium SUV, Midsize Sporty Car, and Compact Sporty Car segments, these criteria were not met, thus no awards have been issued. |
Source: J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study |
Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores, and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power. |
Most Reliable SUVs in 2024
2024 Best Compact Premium SUV |
Highest Ranked: Lexus NX |
Cadillac XT4 |
Porsche Macan |
2024 Best Compact SUV |
Highest Ranked: Chevrolet Equinox |
Buick Envision |
Toyota RAV4 |
2024 Best Large SUV* |
Highest Ranked: Chevrolet Tahoe |
2024 Best Midsize Premium SUV* |
Highest Ranked: Lexus RX |
Lexus GX |
2024 Best Upper Midsize Premium SUV |
Highest Ranked: BMW X6 |
Porsche Cayenne |
BMW X5 |
2024 Best Midsize SUV |
Highest Ranked: Toyota 4Runner |
Jeep Grand Cherokee |
Toyota Venza |
2024 Best Small Premium SUV* |
Highest Ranked: BMW X1 |
Volvo XC40 |
2024 Best Small SUV |
Highest Ranked: Buick Encore |
Toyota C-HR |
Chevrolet Trax |
2024 Best Upper Midsize SUV |
Highest Ranked: Chevrolet Traverse |
Buick Enclave |
Toyota Highlander |
---------------------------- |
*No other model in this segment performs at or above segment average. |
Models must have sufficient sample to be considered for the most dependable model award. Models are considered from all segments regardless of segment eligibility. |
There must be at least three models with 80% of market sales or four models with 67% of the market sales in any given award segment for an award to be presented. In the Small Car, Small Premium Car, Upper Midsize Premium Car, Large Car, Large Premium Car, Large Premium SUV, Midsize Sporty Car, and Compact Sporty Car segments, these criteria were not met, thus no awards have been issued. |
Source: J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study |
Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores, and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power. |
Most Reliable Pickups and Vans in 2024
2024 Best Large Heavy Duty Pickup |
Highest Ranked: Ford Super Duty |
GMC Sierra HD |
Chevrolet Silverado HD |
2024 Best Large Light Duty Pickup |
Highest Ranked: Toyota Tundra |
GMC Sierra |
Chevrolet Silverado |
Ram 1500 |
2024 Best Midsize Pickup |
Highest Ranked: Toyota Tacoma |
Chevrolet Colorado |
Ford Ranger |
2024 Best Minivan |
Highest Ranked: Kia Sedona |
Toyota Sienna |
Honda Odyssey |
---------------------------- |
*No other model in this segment performs at or above segment average. |
Models must have sufficient sample to be considered for the most dependable model award. Models are considered from all segments regardless of segment eligibility. |
There must be at least three models with 80% of market sales or four models with 67% of the market sales in any given award segment for an award to be presented. In the Small Car, Small Premium Car, Upper Midsize Premium Car, Large Car, Large Premium Car, Large Premium SUV, Midsize Sporty Car, and Compact Sporty Car segments, these criteria were not met, thus no awards have been issued. |
Source: J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study |
Charts and graphs extracted from this press release for use by the media must be accompanied by a statement identifying J.D. Power as the publisher and the study from which it originated as the source. Rankings are based on numerical scores, and not necessarily on statistical significance. No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release or J.D. Power survey results without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power. |