Newer cars are far less likely to experience problems than their predecessors, according to data-crunchers at J.D. Power. Overall, the number of problems a car owner is expected to encounter hit a record low of 121 problems per 100 vehicles in the latest survey, a hefty drop compared to the 134 problems averaged as recently as last year.
At the top of the chart was Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand, which fell to second place behind Genesis last year. Lexus owners reported just 81 problems per 100 vehicles surveyed.
Porsche took second place, followed by Kia, Toyota, Buick, Cadillac, Hyundai, Genesis, Lincoln, and Acura rounding out the top 10.
Land Rover, with 244 problems per 100 vehicles surveyed, anchored the bottom, with Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Chrysler, Volkswagen, Honda, Volvo, GMC, Jeep, and Infiniti completing the bottom 10 brands.
Overall, only Mazda matched the industry average of 121 problems.
J.D. Power has been conducting its annual vehicle dependability study for 32 years. The study groups 177 different types of problems into eight categories, and it is generally considered the most exhaustive survey of car reliability. The cars surveyed for the latest study came from the 2018 model year.
