Kia and Hyundai topped the charts on J.D. Power’s 2019 US Initial Quality Study for non-luxury brands. J.D. Power looked at a sample of new car owners and noted how many problems per 100 vehicles were reported within the first 90 days of ownership.
The industry average stands at 93 problems reported per 100 vehicles, but Kia got just 70 and Hyundai 71. For Kia, this is a 2 fewer reports than last year, and their fifth year at the top of this chart.
Segment leaders include the Rio, Forte, Sportage by Kia while Hyundai’s new Sante Fe, existing Tucson, Elantra, Veloster, Kona and Sonata all scored within the top three in their segments.
For more information, here are press releases issued by both brands.
Kia’s Press Release
For the fifth consecutive year, Kia was named the number one non-luxury automotive brand today by J.D. Power in the 2019 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS), with a reported 70 problems per 100 vehicles, a two-point improvement over last year’s results. Kia’s continued success in IQS was led by having four models – Rio, Forte, Sportage and Soul — included among the top 10 vehicles in the industry, the most of any brand. In addition, Kia had segment-topping performances from Rio (Small Car), Forte (Compact Car), Sportage (Small SUV) and Sedona (Minivan).
The annual report analyzed responses from 76,256 respondents with regards to 257 vehicle models across 26 segments. Vehicles were evaluated on driving experience, engine and transmission performance and a broad range of quality issues reported by vehicle owners.
Hyundai’s Press Release
New-vehicle quality across the entire Hyundai lineup resulted in the company being ranked as the second-highest non-premium brand in J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS)SM for the second consecutive year. Hyundai owners reported three fewer problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) than in 2018 as Hyundai also maintained its third overall ranking with a significant 12 PP100 fewer than the fourth place brand.
In the model segments, the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe received the midsize SUV award and was one of only three vehicles to win one of the 21 segments in its launch year. Hyundai’s entire lineup performed well with Tucson, Elantra, Accent and Veloster all finishing second in their respective segments, while Kona and Sonata each were third.
As a brand, Hyundai ranked first in two of the eight categories with the fewest reported ACEN (Audio, Communication, Entertainment, and Navigation) and seat problems. J.D. Power also classifies problems as either design or defect/malfunction and Hyundai finished with the lowest number of design related problems among non-premium brands.
Hyundai’s strong showing in J.D. Power’s IQS follows its fifth place non-premium ranking in J.D. Power’s 2019 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), demonstrating its quality leadership over time. Santa Fe was also ranked highest in its class in the J.D. Power 2019 VDS.
J.D. Power measures initial quality by the number of problems owners experience per 100 vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership, with a lower score reflecting higher quality. Hyundai had 71 PP100, outpacing the industry average of 93 PP100.
In its 33rd year, the 2019 U.S. IQS is based on responses from 76,256 purchasers and lessees of new 2019 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The study is based on a 233-question battery organized into eight vehicle categories designed to provide manufacturers with information to facilitate the identification of problems and drive product improvement. The study was fielded from February through May 2019 with rankable data compiled on 32 brands, 191 models and 142 assembly lines. For more information on the 2019 U.S. IQS, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2019-initial-quality-study-iqs.
