The best-built cars in the world

“Better cars are being made all the time.” This phrase could have been said by your brother-in-law the last time you had dinner together, but it is also recounted by JD Power in his initial quality study (Initial Quality Study –IQS–, which is in its 34th edition. In it they examine the problems experienced by new vehicle customers in the first three years of ownership.

Initial quality is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100). Thus, a lower score reflects higher quality. More than 230 were made questions to 30,062 buyers, with the goal of uncovering 184 specific problem areas. They are then divided into nine main categories: Climate, Driver Assistance (new for 2022), Driving Experience, Exterior, Features/Controls/Displays, Infotainment, Interior, Powertrain, and Seats.

This year there were some novelties regarding the IQS 2022:

• They ask owners if the vehicle is as attractive to them as when they first bought it
• They reflect if they have had software updates

And yes, if your brother-in-law says that the cars are better, you can tell him that the industry average is 186 PP100, compared to 192 PP100 last year.

The most frequent initial failures

Despite this improvement in the global section, the number of problems related to infotainment almost doubles that of second category problems. And it is that it had an average of 49.9 PP100, that is, half of the owners reported major problems with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice control, Bluetooth connectivity or navigation. touch screen, HUD, instrumentation…

The analysis included the expectations of the level of updating of the technology over time.

Most trusted brands

In JD Power’s initial quality survey excels again lexus, a regular on this list. It is followed by Genesis and kia It is consolidated as the generalist who most satisfies in the first three years with it.

It is the first time that Tesla is included in the ranking… and beware that it comes out more stop. Of course, the brand does not offer data on its customers in all states, hence it appears with an asterisk. Owners report more software and multimedia system problems than mechanical ones… JD Power also notes notable improvements from RAM, Volvo and Nissan over last year. Of course, Land Rover does not raise its head, again the worst valued.

Of course, it seems that general car owners experience fewer problems… And it is that on average they have 182 PP100, 23 less than premium brands (208 PP100). It is noticeable that the construction process of generalist brands has improved… and that the expectations when buying a premium one -you also pay more- are much higher (it is true that they usually include more and newer technology).

Most reliable models

There was a tie at home when choosing the most reliable car. They were the Toyota C-HR and the Lexus RX. From JD Power they indicate that both models improve in eight of the nine categories of problems from a year ago. They were not the only awards that the Japanese company won, since the Lexus NX, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Sienna and Toyota Tacoma also won awards in their respective segments.

BMW won four awards. They highlighted the BMW 4 Series, BMW X2, BMW X5 and MINI Cooper. Others obtained General Motors with the Chevrolet Blazer, Chevrolet Silverado HD, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Sierra. For its part, Hyundai Motor Group received three segment awards for the Kia Forte, Kia Optima and Kia Sportage.

Source: JD Power