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Kia Most Dependable Brand in J.D. Power Rankings
Korean brands dominate the list, occupying three of the top five spots. The most dependable model overall? The high-performance, low-volume Porsche 911.
Wards Staff
February 10, 2022
2 Min Read
Kia jumps two spots to lead dependability rankings.
Kia jumps two spots to take the No.1 ranking in J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, part of a strong showing by Korean brands overall, which occupy three of the top five slots.
Joining Kia are sister brand Hyundai, at No.3, and its Genesis luxury brand at No.4. Rounding out the top five are General Motors’ Buick brand at No.2 and Toyota at No.5. Stellantis’ Dodge marque is ranked sixth.
The study looks at dependability over a three-year ownership period, meaning the vehicles evaluated in this ranking are ʼ19 models. J.D. Power says seven of the highest-rated brands in its 2019 Initial Quality Study were among the 10 highest ranked in this study.
This marks the 33rd year of the VDS report, which now covers 184 specific problem areas across nine major vehicle categories: climate; driving assistance (new in 2022); driving experience; exterior; features/controls/ displays; infotainment; interior; powertrain; and seats. Participating in this year’s study were 29,487 original vehicle owners.
“Many owners are holding on to their vehicles longer, so long-term dependability is even more critical,” said David Amodeo, director of global automotive at J.D. Power. “Some automakers are performing much better than others at preventing problems from occurring. These problems include the vehicle’s mechanicals, exterior and interior—but also infotainment systems, driver assistance systems and all the other electronic systems in today’s vehicles.”
Other notable results and observations from this year’s rankings:
Infotainment systems remain a headache for owners, averaging nearly 52 problems per 100 vehicles. J.D. Power says seven of the top 10 problem areas are connected to infotainment. The list includes built-in voice recognition (8.3 PP100); Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity (5.4 PP100); built-in Bluetooth system (4.5 PP100); not enough power plugs/USB ports (4.2 PP100); navigation systems difficult to understand/use (3.7 PP100); touchscreen/display screen (3.6 PP100); and navigation system inaccurate/outdated map (3.6 PP100).
The low-volume, high-performing Porsche 911 is ranked as the most dependable model for the second straight year and three of the past four years.
GM and Toyota each netted five segment awards.
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