J.D. Power & Associates Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) is the one study that matters most. For 2018, Lexus, Porsche, Infiniti, and Kia had the highest reliability on VDS this year.
The Kia Rio was the leader in the Small Car category. The industrywide study examines problems reported during the past 12 months by original owners of three-year old vehicles (2015 model year). Overall dependability is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100). Thus, a lower score suggests a higher long-term quality level. The Rio ranked highest, with a score of 103 PP100.
According to J.D. Power, in-vehicle technology continues to be most problematic. “Audio/Communications/ Entertainment/Navigation” (ACEN) remains a troublesome category for vehicle owners, receiving the highest frequency of complaints,” the company said in a release. “The two most common problems relate to built-in voice recognition (9.3 PP100) and built-in Bluetooth connectivity (7.7 PP100).” In other words, as many as one in 10 buyers said they had trouble with voice recognition and Bluetooth.
