Lexus LC 500 2018
Mack Hogan | CNBC
The three most reliable car brands in the US are now Lexus, Porsche and Kia, according to a new JD Power study. The three least trusted are Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Land Rover.
Tesla, which was first described in this year’s vehicle reliability study, came in 30th out of 33 carmakers. He landed a seat behind Chrysler and one in front of Jaguar.
JD Power studies serve as a benchmark for the industry, and its results can lead to sales and the impact of homeowners insurance premiums. The 2021 US Vehicle Reliability Survey looked at responses from 33,251 verified owners of 2018 model year vehicles sold in the US. The study evaluated about 150 different models, including cars, trucks and SUVs.
Tesla’s ranking in this year’s 32-year annual study is considered unofficial, said Dave Sargent, JD Power’s vice president for automotive quality. This is because Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company does not grant JD Power permission to examine 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 comparable warm weather, such as Florida and Texas.
Although Tesla unofficially assessed the drop in reliability, it unofficially outperformed JD Power’s 2020 APEAL survey, which assesses vehicle brands based on owners’ emotional attachment and level of enthusiasm for their new vehicles.
Who’s up, who’s down
The reliability survey asks drivers how many and what kind of problems their cars, trucks or SUVs have encountered in the last year and assigns a score based on the problems reported to 100 vehicles. The lower the score, the more reliable the car manufacturer is.
The largest number of issues reported by vehicle owners for all makes and models related to audio, communications, entertainment and navigation systems.
“With smartphone apps increasingly offering owners an alternative, some will give up the vehicle’s built-in systems that caused that initial frustration. This is problematic for car manufacturers because a large part of the value of the vehicle is related to these systems and I do not want to hand over this business to third parties, “said Sargent.
The Porsche 911 was the best ranked model in the 2021 study.
Lexota, owned by Toyota, ranked first among all brands, with a score of 81 problems per 100 vehicles.
Kia vehicles have grown significantly from the least reliable US car brands to the most reliable in just a decade, with 97 problems per 100 vehicles on average. Toyota was close to the top of the list, with 98 problems per 100 vehicles.
Volkswagen, which introduced two new models in 2018, has entered the reliability rankings. Sargent noted: “The results may be affected by whether a manufacturer has just launched a bunch of new products. These tend to be the most problematic in the first year of release.”
The 3-year-old Teslas owners reported 176 problems per 100 vehicles, compared to the US industry average of 121 problems per 100 vehicles. Tesla owners have reported more problems with the exterior and interior than with other systems such as propulsion, battery or infotainment and navigation. However, some have complained about problems with Tesla’s voice recognition in the vehicle.
Overall, the vehicle’s reliability improved by about 10% year-on-year, JD Power found. Part of this was due to lower vehicle use and abuse amid a Covid pandemic that restricted commuting and travel in 2020.
“We know that the more people use a vehicle, the more problems they will have,” Sargent said. Last year, consumers traveled an average of about 32,000 miles over three years of owning new vehicles. This year, they drove 29,000 miles – a 10% reduction over a three-year period and a default 30% reduction in the last year.
– CNBC’s Michael Wayland contributed to this report.