The 2018 Lexus LC 500
Mack Hogan | CNBC
According to a new study by JD Power, the three most reliable car brands in the United States are now Lexus, Porsche and Kia. The three least reliable are Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Land Rover.
Tesla, which first profiled itself in this year’s vehicle reliability study, came in at number 30 out of 33 carmakers. He landed a spot behind Chrysler and one ahead of Jaguar.
JD Power’s studios serve as an industry benchmark and their results can drive sales and impact insurance premiums for homeowners. The 2021 U.S. Vehicle Reliability Study analyzed the responses of 33,251 verified owners of 2018 model vehicles sold in the U.S.
Tesla’s ranking in this year’s 32-year annual study is considered unofficial, said Dave Sargent, JD Power’s automotive quality vice president. This is because Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company does not grant permission to JD Power to survey its owners in 15 states that require it.
One of the excluded states is California, Tesla’s home base and a massive market for the company. However, the JD Power study included 756 Tesla respondents from 35 different states, including major markets with a relatively warm climate such as Florida and Texas.
Although Tesla received an unofficially low rating from the reliability survey, it unofficially passed JD Power’s 2020 APEAL survey, which assesses vehicle brands for their emotional affect and level of arousal. owners with their new vehicles.
Who goes up, who goes down
The reliability survey asks drivers how many and what types of problems their cars, trucks or SUVs have experienced over the past year and assigns a score based on the problems reported for every 100 vehicles. The lower the score, the more reliable the car manufacturer will be.
The largest number of problems reported by vehicle owners of all makes and models related to audio, communication, entertainment and navigation systems.
“With smartphone apps increasingly offering an alternative to owners, some will abandon the integrated vehicle systems that caused this initial frustration. This is problematic for carmakers, as much of the value of the vehicle is tied to these systems and they don’t. I want to hand over this business to third parties, “Sargent said.
The Porsche 911 was the best-rated model in the 2021 study.
Toyota-owned Lexus topped the list among all brands, with a score of 81 issues for every 100 vehicles.
Kia vehicles have risen markedly from the least reliable car brands in the United States to being the most reliable in just a decade, with 97 problems per 100 vehicles on average. Toyota was close to the list with 98 problems for every 100 vehicles.
Volkswagen, which introduced two new models in 2018, was included in the reliability ranking. Sargent noted, “Results can be affected if a manufacturer just launches a lot of new products. They tend to be the most problematic of their first year of release.”
3-year-old Teslas owners reported 176 problems per 100 vehicles, compared to the U.S. industry average of 121 problems per 100 vehicles. Tesla owners reported more problems with the exterior and interior than with other systems such as propulsion, battery, or entertainment and navigation. However, some complained of problems with Tesla’s voice recognition.
Overall, vehicle reliability improved by about 10% year-over-year, JD Power found. Part of this was due to lower vehicle use and abuse amid a covid pandemic that has restricted travel and travel to the state by 2020.
“We know that the more people use a vehicle, the more problems they will have,” Sargent said. Last year, on average, consumers had traveled about 32,000 miles in three years of owning new vehicles. This year, they had traveled 29,000 miles, representing a 10% reduction over a three-year period, and an implicit 30% reduction last year.
– CNBC’s Michael Wayland contributed to this report.