When you get ready to buy a new car, you want to know what models withstand the years, staying reliable and sturdy through weekend road trips, weekday commutes, and extreme weather. In fact, dependability ranks high in consumer preferences since it plays a large role in resale value. Fortunately, J.D. Power has recently released its 2019 Vehicle Dependability Study, helping savvy consumers understand which carmakers have upgraded technology and safety systems and which ones have remained static. Here's a brief summary of the findings.
How the Study Works
J.D. Power's Study takes 3-year-old cars and measures the problems experienced (for 100 vehicles) over the last year. The numbers rack up along with the issues–177 common problems spread among 8 vehicle categories–so a lower score means higher quality. In good news, 2016 models held up well, showing a 4 percent improvement from the 2015 batch.
The findings reflect what experts have long understood–vehicle dependability improves each year. On the other hand, carmakers continue to struggle with issues like transmission shifts, voice recognition, and battery failure.
What the Study Found
Although certain brands continue to dominate, others moved up in the ranks. All in all, however, Toyota's Lexus stayed at the top, ranking highest in dependability–this makes 8 years in a row. At its neck, you'll find Porsche, whose 911 sports car won for most dependable vehicle. Although this is the first year Power offered this title, the honor still surprised industry insiders. Another bombshell came with mass-market models upstaging and outperforming luxury brands (they scored 135 to luxury brands' 141).
At the bottom, you'll find Land Rover and Fiat, the study's two worst-performing brands. European Automakers–BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, and Mercedes-Benz–showed signs of improvement, however, ranking above average for the first time in three decades. Rounding out the team with a “Most Improved” award is Chrysler, whose efforts to upgrade the brand haven't gone unrecognized.
For domestics, Chevrolet came in fourth place, with Buick among the top five, while Dodge and Ram listed with some of the most problems (down there with Land Rover and Fiat).
So, if you find yourself looking for a new vehicle any time soon, you now have the resources to make an informed decision.
To make sure your San Jose car stays healthy and the earth happy, call Dhillon Motorsports, formerly known as Smog Man San Jose today at (408) 260-5060 and schedule an appointment with our team of experts.