Ranked: The Most Reliable Car Brands in the U.S.

Visual Capitalist ^ | 07/19/2024 | Marcus Lu and Sam Parker

[SeekAndFind]

Reliability is one of the most important aspects to consider when buying a new vehicle, especially as cars become ever more technologically complex...

In this graphic, Visual Capitalist's Marcus Lu visualizes the results of J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, which ranked automakers by the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100).

Data and Methodology

To come up with this ranking, J.D. Power collected responses from 30,595 original owners of 2021 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. Their study was fielded from August to November 2023, and covers nine categories of problems:

• Exterior
• Seats
• The driving experience
• Climate
• Features/controls/displays
• Interior
• Infotainment
• Powertrain
• Driving Assistance

The data shown in this infographic is also listed in table below. Note that Tesla was not included because it did not meet study award criteria.

Brand	Problems per 100 Vehicles
🇯🇵 Lexus	135
🇯🇵 Toyota	147
🇺🇸 Buick	149
🇺🇸 Chevrolet	174
🇬🇧 MINI	174
🇩🇪 Porsche	175
🇯🇵 Mazda	185
🇰🇷 Kia	187
🇩🇪 BMW	190
🇺🇸 Dodge	190
🇺🇸 Jeep	190
Average	190
🇺🇸 Cadillac	196
🇰🇷 Hyundai	198
🇯🇵 Subaru	198
🇯🇵 Nissan	199
🇰🇷 Genesis	200
🇺🇸 Ram	201
🇺🇸 GMC	206
🇯🇵 Honda	206
🇺🇸 Acura	216
🇩🇪 Mercedes-Benz	218
🇯🇵 Infiniti	219
🇺🇸 Ford	239
🇸🇪 Volvo	245
🇺🇸 Lincoln	251
🇩🇪 Volkswagen	267
🇬🇧 Land Rover	268
🇩🇪 Audi	275
🇺🇸 Chrysler	310

From this dataset, we can declare Toyota and its luxury arm, Lexus, as the most reliable car brands in the United States.

Compared to the other Japanese duos, Honda and Acura rank a distant 20th and 21st, with 206 and 216 PP100. Meanwhile, Nissan and Infiniti diverge, with the former ranking 16th (199 PP100) and Infiniti at 23rd (219 PP100).

The least reliable automaker in this ranking is Chrysler, which was also the only brand to surpass 300 problems per 100 vehicles. It’s worthy to note that for the 2021 model year (basis of this study), Chrysler only offered two models: the Pacifica/Voyager minivan, and the 300 sedan.

Infotainment Systems a Major Pain Point

According to J.D. Power’s study, “Infotainment” was the most common type of problem experienced by owners, with nearly twice as many problems as the second-highest category, “Exterior”.

Within the Infotainment category, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity was a frequent issue, as was built-in voice recognition.

If you enjoyed this post, check out Charted: Automaker Sales by Region in 2023 to see which markets are the most important for major car brands.

[mass55th]

Good on you too!! The squeaky wheel does get the grease most times. The point is not to back down and go away. You have to be persistent if ignored. The last thing these companies want is bad reviews. Back in the old days, you rarely heard of vehicle re-calls. That crap started when they computerized everything. The problem for a long time has been that these companies offer quantity, not quality, and then they wonder why consumer confidence is down.

[crusty old prospector]

Just from my own personal experience, the cars I notice belching smoke prematurely or broke down on the side of the road are Dodge, Kia, Nissan, Jeep, and Hyundai. These are the same vehicles that you see driving down the road at dusk with no headlights as the manufacturers were too cheap to install 1980’s technology. My first car was a 1974 Ford Thunderbird and it had automatic lights.

[sonova]

I hear Honda had big transmission issues. Have not paid much attention, I also have a ‘07 Toyota, not known to have xmisssion issues.

[catnipman]

“I hear Honda had big transmission issues.”

indeed ... SOME model years, but not all ...

i’m thinking about a 2024 accord hybrid ... doesn’t even have a transmission ...