Free Republic

Automotive research firm J.D. Power’s highly watched initial quality study is out — and it appears EVs are giving consumers big headaches. J.D. Power’s study tracks responses from nearly 100,000 purchasers and lessees of 2024 vehicles within the first 90 days of ownership, and for the first time in the study’s 38-year history, it incorporates repair visit data. Overall, internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles averaged 180 PP100 (or 180 problems per 100 vehicles), while battery electric vehicles (BEVs) averaged a whopping 266 PP100, 86 points higher than ICE vehicles. Automakers have typically said that EVs are generally less problematic and...

For the first year ever, Kia leads J.D. Power's annual Vehicle Dependability Study with a score of 145 problems per 100 vehicles. Buick (147) and Hyundai (148) round out the top three. The highest premium brand on the list is Genesis, with a score of 148.

For many buyers whose top priority is a car that won’t break down, the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study is gospel. J.D. Power just released the results of its 2019 Initial Quality Study, and the Korean trio of Genesis, Kia, and Hyundai took the top three spots. Luxury brand Genesis ranked highest, followed by sibling brands Kia and Hyundai. It’s a big win for Genesis which, as a relative newcomer to the luxury segment, needs to build credibility with buyers. The high scores achieved by Kia and Hyundai show that you don’t have to spend a lot of money to...

New York City’s LaGuardia Airport has been ranked the worst large airport in the United States, according to a new survey. The notoriously unpopular facility, which is located in Queens, came in last among 21 airports in its category. Even more surprising is that LaGuardia came in last despite this year having an all-time high traveler satisfaction rating. The ranking was conducted by JD Power and asked about customer experiences. New York’s other major airport also scored noticeably low — it was ranked fourth worst among the country’s mega airports. Among those that also received a poor score were Newark...

Commentary: A new J.D. Power study finds Surface buyers are happier than their iPad counterparts. They're younger and prefer Microsoft's design. Have you noticed a certain giddiness in some of your friends lately? I'm thinking about the ones who use a Microsoft Surface.I only ask because J.D Power has just emitted its US Tablet Satisfaction Study and it declared that Surface owners experience deeper sensations of satisfaction than iPad buyers.Apple fanpersons might turn pale when they learn the main reasons for this greater Surface joy are, according to the Power people, "its top rankings in the features and styling &...

DETROIT (AP) -- Buick tied with Lexus as the highest-ranking brand in a closely watched study of vehicle dependability, marking the first time in 12 years that Lexus has shared the top award, J.D. Power and Associates said Thursday. Cadillac, Mercury and Honda rounded out the top five brands in the annual survey, which measures problems experienced by the original owners of three-year-old vehicles. Both Buick and Lexus had 145 problems per 100 vehicles. The worst-performing brand, Land Rover, had 398 problems. The industry average was 216 problems, down from 227 problems in last year's survey.

The Korean carmaker's rating is nearly as good as Toyota's in J.D. Power initial quality report. NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - For the first time, Korean carmakers, thanks to a strong performance by Hyundai, have surpassed both domestic and European carmakers in initial quality, a measure of the number of problems owners experience in a new car.

<p>Southfield, Michigan, Nov. 18 (Bloomberg) -- If you want to anger a General Motors Corp. executive these days, just offer the opinion that the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord are the highest-quality midsize sedans.</p> <p>You may sustain a vigorous tongue-lashing for failing to acknowledge that the latest J.D. Power and Associates survey of initial quality ranks General Motors's Buick Century ahead of the Camry and the Accord.</p>