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Industry > Rank

The most dependable cars in the US market right now

According to 2020 JD Power US Vehicle Dependability Study

The Genesis G80 topped its competitive premium class. PHOTO FROM GENESIS

JD Power’s 2020 US Vehicle Dependability Study is out, and there’s a new brand sitting atop the rankings. South Korea’s Genesis, the luxury brand of Hyundai, has dislodged perennial leader Lexus—perhaps signifying that Korean cars have indeed caught up with the Japanese not only in the mass-market segment, but also in the luxury department.

The study surveyed owners of 2017 model-year vehicles in the United States, and sought to find out which cars were the most dependable (or reliable) through the first three years of ownership. The brand scores were based on the number of problems encountered per 100 vehicles. The industry average was 134 problems per 100 vehicles. Genesis had the fewest ones among luxury brands with just 89 problems, while Buick was the best among mass-market brands with just 103 problems.

Last year, the industry average was 136 problems per 100 vehicles. Which means the whole industry improved by averaging two fewer problems per 100 cars. It’s just too bad that the top two performers—Genesis and Buick—aren’t available in our territory.

The best-performing vehicle models per segment were the following (an asterisk indicates that “no other model performed above the segment average”; similar rankings indicate a tie):

SMALL CAR

  • Honda Fit (1st)
  • Chevrolet Sonic (2nd)
  • Chevrolet Bolt (3rd)

SMALL PREMIUM CAR*

  • BMW 2-Series (1st)
  • BMW i3 (2nd)

COMPACT CAR

  • Nissan Leaf (1st)
  • Chevrolet Cruze (2nd)
  • Toyota Corolla (3rd)

COMPACT SPORTY CAR*

  • Mazda MX-5 (1st)
  • Mini Cooper (2nd)

COMPACT PREMIUM CAR

  • Lexus ES (1st)
  • BMW 4-Series (2nd)
  • Lexus IS (3rd)

MIDSIZE CAR

  • Buick Regal (1st)
  • Volkswagen Passat (2nd)
  • Toyota Camry (3rd)

MIDSIZE SPORTY CAR*

  • Ford Mustang (1st)

MIDSIZE PREMIUM CAR

  • Genesis G80 (1st)
  • Audi A7 (2nd)
  • Audi A6 (3rd)

LARGE CAR

  • Toyota Avalon (1st)
  • Buick LaCrosse (2nd)
  • Chevrolet Impala (3rd)

SMALL SUV

  • Buick Encore (1st)
  • Kia Niro (2nd)
  • Volkswagen Tiguan (3rd)

SMALL PREMIUM SUV

  • Mercedes-Benz GLA-Class (1st)
  • Audi Q3 (2nd)
  • BMW X1 (3rd)

COMPACT SUV

  • Chevrolet Equinox (1st)
  • GMC Terrain (2nd)
  • Toyota RAV4 (3rd)

COMPACT PREMIUM SUV

  • Porsche Macan (1st)
  • Lexus NX (2nd)
  • BMW X3 (3rd)

MIDSIZE PICKUP

  • Nissan Frontier (1st)
  • Honda Ridgeline (2nd)
  • Toyota Tacoma (3rd)

MIDSIZE SUV

  • Toyota 4Runner (1st)
  • Kia Sorento (2nd)
  • Buick Enclave (3rd)

MIDSIZE PREMIUM SUV

  • Lexus GX (1st)
  • Cadillac XT5 (2nd)
  • Lexus RX (2nd)
  • Mercedes-Benz GLE-Class (2nd)

MINIVAN*

  • Toyota Sienna (1st)
  • Dodge Grand Caravan (2nd)

LARGE SUV

  • Chevrolet Tahoe (1st)
  • Nissan Armada (2nd)
  • Chevrolet Suburban (3rd)

LARGE LIGHT-DUTY PICKUP

  • Ford F-150 (1st)
  • Toyota Tundra (1st)
  • Ram 1500 (3rd)

LARGE HEAVY-DUTY PICKUP

  • Chevrolet Silverado HD (1st)
  • GMC Sierra HD (2nd)
  • Ram 2500/3500 (3rd)


Vernon B. Sarne

Vernon is the founder and editor-in-chief of VISOR. He has been an automotive journalist since July 1995. He became one by serendipity, walking into the office of a small publishing company and applying for a position he had no idea was for a local car magazine. God has watched over him throughout his humble journey. He writes the ‘Spoiler’ column.



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