New vehicles, on the whole, are more dependable than ever.
That is according to J.D. Power’s 2020 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, which was released last week. The closely-tracked index has found that 2020 is the best year ever for vehicle performance.
The report tracks the number of problems in three-year-old vehicles during the previous 12 months. Per 100 vehicles, the average was 134.
“Despite the increased adoption of complex vehicle technology, dependability continues to improve,” Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power, said in a statement. “There’s no question that three-year-old vehicles today are better built and more dependable than same-age vehicles were in previous years.”
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| Mercedes Benz GLA |
Of the 32 automotive brands tracked by J.D. Power, Genesis – the luxury brand sold by Hyundai – topped the list of highest-quality brands. It was followed, in order, by Lexus, Buick, Porsche and Toyota.
The most common trouble for new vehicles continues to be glitches with the audio, entertainment and navigation systems. These issues include touchscreen flaws, voice recognition failures and Bluetooth connectivity shortcomings.
Among the vehicles tracked by J.D. Power, Japanese automaker Toyota’s Lexus ES topped the list as the most dependable model.
Toyota had six winners overall, including two Lexus models. General Motors had four, including three Chevrolet models, while Nissan and Ford had two apiece.
Most dependable model per segment:
Small car: Honda Fit
Compact car: Nissan Leaf
Large car: Toyota Avalon
Small premium car: BMW 2 Series
Compact premium car: Lexus ES
Midsize premium car: Genesis G80
Compact sporty car: Mazda MX-5 Miata
Midsize sporty car: Ford Mustang
Midsize SUV: Toyota 4Runner
Small premium SUV: Mercedes-Benz GLA
Compact premium SUV: Porsche Macan
Midsize premium SUV: Lexus GX
Large light-duty pickup: Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra (tie)
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