The Lexus LC 500 2018
Mack Hogan | CNBC
The three most trusted car brands in the United States are now Lexus, Porsche and Kia, according to a new study by JD Power. The three least reliable are Jaguar, Alfa Romeo and Land Rover.
Tesla, which was profiled for the first time in this year’s vehicle reliability study, ranked 30th out of 33 car manufacturers. He landed a place behind Chrysler and one in front of Jaguar.
JD Power’s studies serve as an industry benchmark and their results can boost sales and impact insurance premiums for homeowners. The 2021 US Vehicle Dependability Study analyzed the responses of 33,251 verified owners of 2018 model vehicles of the year sold in the U.S. The study evaluated about 150 different models, including cars, trucks and SUVs.
Tesla’s rating in this year’s 32-year annual study is considered unofficial, said Dave Sargent, vice president of automotive quality at JD Power. That’s because Elon Musk’s electric vehicle venture does not grant JD Power permission to survey its owners in 15 states that require it.
One of the excluded states is California, Tesla’s base and a large market for the company. However, the JD Power study included 756 Tesla respondents from 35 different states, including major markets with comparatively warm weather, such as Florida and Texas.
Although Tesla unofficially rated it low in the reliability survey, it officially surpassed JD Power’s APEAL 2020 survey, which assesses vehicle brands by 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 types of problems their cars, trucks or SUVs experienced in the past year and assigns a score based on the problems reported by 100 vehicles. The lower the score, the more reliable the automaker is.
The largest number of problems reported by vehicle owners across all makes and models concerns audio, communication, entertainment and navigation systems.
“With smartphone apps increasingly offering owners an alternative, some will give up on the vehicle’s integrated systems that caused initial frustration. This is problematic for automakers, as much of the vehicle’s value is tied to these systems and they don’t wants to deliver this business to third parties, “said Sargent.
The Porsche 911 was the highest rated model in the 2021 study.
Toyota-owned Lexus topped the list among all brands, with a score of 81 problems per 100 vehicles.
Kia vehicles have risen noticeably from the least reliable car brands in the U.S. to the most reliable in just a decade, with 97 problems per 100 vehicles on average. Toyota was near the top of the list, with 98 problems per 100 vehicles.
Volkswagen, which launched two new models in 2018, fell in the reliability ranking. Sargent noted, “The results may be affected by the fact that a manufacturer has just launched a bunch of new products. They tend to be the most problematic in the first year.”
Tesla owners at 3 years 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 their exterior and interior than with other systems like propulsion, battery or infotainment and navigation. However, some have complained about problems with voice recognition in the Tesla vehicle.
Overall, vehicle reliability has increased by about 10% year after year, concluded JD Power. Part of this was due to less vehicle use and abuse in the midst of a Covid pandemic, which restricted traffic and travel in 2020 in the United States.
“We know that the more people using a vehicle, the more problems they will have,” said Sargent. Last year, on average, consumers drove around 32,000 miles in three years of owning a new vehicle. This year, they drove 29,000 miles – representing a 10% reduction over a three-year period and an implicit 30% reduction the previous year.
– Michael Wayland of CNBC contributed to this report.