Toronto, Ontario — The J.D. Power 2020 Initial Quality Study released today, takes an updated look at the problems owners are having with their new vehicles, including those related to new technologies. This year’s redesigned study measures components that fail and features that are difficult to use, hard to understand or don’t work the way owners want.
“The Initial Quality Study is the industry benchmark for new-vehicle quality and, year after year, automakers apply the insights they learn from consumers to make positive changes,” said Dave Sargent, vice president of automotive quality at J.D. Power. “The higher problem levels we see in this year’s study don’t mean vehicle quality has worsened; rather, the redesigned study asks additional questions that allow owners to cite more of the problems that they are experiencing.”
The study, now in its 34th year, examines problems experienced by owners of new 2020 model-year vehicles during the first 90 days of ownership. Initial quality is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100), with a lower score reflecting higher quality.
Dodge and Kia tied for highest in overall initial quality, each with a score of 136 PP100. Dodge is the first domestic brand in the study’s history to rank highest. This is the sixth consecutive year that Kia is the highest-ranked mass market brand. Chevrolet and Ram place third in a tie (each with 141 PP100). Genesis is the highest ranked premium brand for the fourth consecutive year in the study.
The parent corporation receiving the most model-level awards is Hyundai Motor Group with seven awards; followed by General Motors Company, six; BMW AG, three; Ford Motor Company, three; Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. three and Toyota Motor Corp., two. Among brands, Cadillac and Kia each receive four awards.
Other key findings of the study are as follows:
- Most domestic brands are above average: Seven domestic brands—Dodge (136 PP100); Chevrolet (141 PP100); Ram (141 PP100); Buick (150 PP100); GMC (151 PP100); Jeep (155 PP100); and Cadillac (162 PP100)—perform better than the overall industry average of 166 PP100. Collectively, this is the best-ever performance by the Detroit automakers—when compared with the import brands—in the history of the study.
- Most premium brands are below average: For most of the past decade, mass market brands have improved relative to premium brands, and this trend continues in 2020. Premium brands generally equip their vehicles with more complex technology, which can cause problems for some owners. Genesis (142 PP100), Lexus (159 PP100) and Cadillac (162 PP100) are the only premium brands that perform better than the industry average.
- Japanese brands fail to regain footing: Once regarded as the gold standard in quality, most Japanese brands have not improved as fast as competitors have and they continue to trail most Korean and domestic brands. Mitsubishi (148 PP100), Lexus (159 PP100) and Nissan (161 PP100) are the only Japanese brands to rank above industry average.
- Tesla profiled for the first time: Tesla receives an initial quality score of 250 PP100. The automaker is not officially ranked among other brands in the study as it doesn’t meet ranking criteria. “Unlike other manufacturers, Tesla doesn’t grant us permission to survey its owners in 15 states where it is required,” said Doug Betts, president of the automotive division at J.D. Power. “However, we were able to collect a large enough sample of surveys from owners in the other 35 states and, from that base, we calculated Tesla’s score.”
- Infotainment is the most problematic category: Almost one-fourth of all problems cited by new-vehicle owners relate to infotainment. Top complaints include built-in voice recognition; Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity; touchscreens; built-in navigation systems; and Bluetooth® connectivity.
- Chevrolet Sonic achieves the best score of any model: The Chevrolet Sonic, with just 103 PP100, has the best score of any model in this year’s study.
- Jaguar receives first-ever model-level award: The Jaguar E-Pace is the first Jaguar model to earn an IQS award, with a score of 159 PP100.
“Initial quality is critical to the overall new-vehicle ownership experience,” said Sargent. “In the next few weeks we will complete the picture by providing results from the J.D. Power APEAL Study, which measures the positive experiences customers have from owning and driving their new vehicle, and the J.D. Power TXI Study, which measures how well automakers are introducing all-new technology into their vehicles. Successful manufacturers will examine all these areas as they strive to design and build even better vehicles.”
To view the full report, click here.
