J.D. Power rates Lexus, Kia most dependable — where does your car brand rank?

J.D. Power conducts various surveys each year to calculate scores for vehicle quality and reliability. The organization recently announced the results of its 2023 Vehicle Dependability Study, and among other things, respondents reported a staggering number of issues with their vehicles’ technology features.

J.D. Power rates vehicles based on an average of the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100). While the overall average score improved by 6 PP100 from 2022, the number of infotainment-related problems outnumbered the second-closest issues by almost 2-to-1. The infotainment category reached an average of 49.9 PP100 — that's half of all owners reporting significant challenges with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, voice recognition, Bluetooth connectivity, and outdated navigation maps.

Lexus was the best overall brand with a total score of 133 problems per 100 vehicles, followed in the premium segment by Genesis at 144 PP100, Cadillac at 173 PP100, and BMW with 184 PP100.

On the mass-market side, Kia took the top spot with 152 PP100, and Buick was second with 159 PP100, followed by Chevrolet, Mitsubishi, and Toyota.

J.D. Power said that Ram, Volvo, and Nissan were most improved from 2022’s survey, with respective decreases of 77, 41, and 35 PP100.

Tesla was officially included in the study for the first time, despite not allowing J.D. Power full access to customer records in all states. The brand racked up a score of 242 PP100.

Toyota and Lexus tied for the most dependable model in each of the two groupings, as the C-HR and RX SUVs each scored 111 PP100. Lexus NX, Toyota Highlander, Toyota Sienna and Toyota Tacoma were also singled out with model awards.

BMW AG models that ranked well were the BMW 4 Series, X2, X5 and MINI Cooper. General Motors earned praise for the Chevrolet Blazer, Chevrolet Silverado HD, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Sierra. And the Kia Forte, Kia Optima and Kia Sportage were also singled out for dependability.

A stunning 63 percent of vehicles required fewer replacement parts over the past year compared to 2022’s results. The organization looks at non-wear items for that data point, which exclude brakes, tires, oil, and lighting elements.

The problem categories explored in the study were:

• Exterior
• Driving Experience
• Features/Controls/Displays
• Driving Assistance
• Infotainment
• Seats
• Climate
• Interior
• Powertrain

J.D. Power polled more than 30,000 original owners of 2020 model-year vehicles to calculate its scores. The three-year ownership interval used in the survey gives insight into the initial ownership experience after the shine has worn off the new car, but typically before it’s out of warranty.