Every February, researchers at JD Power release an annual dependability study for vehicles that are several years old. This year, the study was based on feedback from 30,062 owners of three-year-old vehicles that were purchased new. The overall conclusion is that dependability is increasing slowly across the board, although problems persist with advanced technology and infotainment systems.
JD Power collates the information and generates a problem rating per 100 vehicles (PP100). Lower numbers are definitely better, and for 2023, Lexus takes the overall crown with a score of 133. Thus, Lexus also ranks as the best for luxury brands, while Kia is the best mass-market automaker with a score of 152. On the other hand At the end of the scale, Land Rover holds the unfortunate final rating distinction at 273. JD Power lists the year’s industry average at 186, an increase of 6 from 2022.
| Brand | PP100 Score (2023) | PP100 Score (2022) | Difference |
| Mercedes-Benz | 240 | 195 | -45 |
| wade | 249 | 188 | -61 |
| Audi | 252 | 232 | -20 |
| Lincoln | 259 | 180 | -79 |
| Land Rover | 273 | 284 | +11 |
Top Five Brands, JD Powered Vehicle Addiction Study 2023
For the most part, this year’s automaker rankings haven’t changed much, but there are a few exceptions and Ford is arguably the most surprising of them. Ranked above average in 2022 with a score of 188, Blue Oval plunged 61 points to 249. It is now the lowest-rated mass-market brand, finishing just ahead of Audi on 252. Ford’s own luxury brand Lincoln is one step further up from Land. Rover at 259. Completing the bottom five is Mercedes-Benz with a score of 240 – a surprising freefall considering the German brand was in last year’s average territory at 195.
Returning to the top spot, General Motors has two brands in the top five. Buick ranks fourth with 159 and Chevrolet is fifth with 162. Apart from Lexus and Kia, Genesis is another top five brand with 144. While it still falls short of the industry average, Ram’s dependency index increased an impressive 77 points from last year’s landing. at 189. Volvo increased 41 points to a score of 215, and Nissan posted a 35 point increase to reach 170. That was good enough for the Japanese company to finish in the top 10.
| Brand | PP100 Score (2023) | PP100 Score (2022) | Difference |
| Lexus | 133 | 159 | +26 |
| Origin | 144 | 155 | +11 |
| Kia | 152 | 145 | -7 |
| Buick | 159 | 147 | -12 |
| Chevrolet | 162 | 171 | +9 |
Top Five Brands, JD Powered Vehicle Addiction Study 2023
As for specific vehicles, JD Power lists the Lexux RX and Toyota C-HR as the most reliable models overall. Kia ranks highest for compact and midsize cars alongside Forte and Optima, and in the SUV world, the Kia Sportage also has the best score for compact SUVs. Other notable rankings include the Chevrolet Tahoe for large SUVs, the Chevrolet Blazer for mid-size SUVs, the GMC Sierra for full-size light-duty pickups and the Toyota Tacoma for mid-size pickups.
The full results of the dependency study are available at JD Power.
