If You're Shopping For A Reliable Vehicle, Choose These Brands
Lexus earned the title as the most reliable brand for the third straight year in J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS).
Like many brands in this year’s study, Lexus’ score of 140 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) was five points worse than last year and seven points worse than 2023. Buick came in second (making it the top-ranked brand in the mass market segment) with a score of 143 PP100. Mazda (161 PP100) came in third, followed by Toyota (162 PP100). Cadillac and Chevrolet finished in fifth with a two-way tie (169 PP100).
J.D. Power surveys owners of three-year-old vehicles for its annual VDS and lumps complaints into eight separate categories: climate (HVAC); driving assistance; driving experience; exterior; features/controls/displays; infotainment; interior; powertrain; and seats.
This year, responses from 34,175 original owners of 2022 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership were included in the results.
Jason Norton, director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power, pointed a finger at the ramifications of a global pandemic as one reason the rankings dropped. “Supply chain issues, record-high vehicle prices, and personnel disruption in the wake of the pandemic were problematic,” he said.
According to J.D. Power’s figures, the average for all manufacturers came in at 202 PP100. That’s quite a bit worse than 2024 (190 PP100) or 2023 (186 PP100). The most common complaints owners reported were related to difficulties with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.
Other common complaints also related to software are troubles with a car’s built-in Bluetooth and Wi-Fi systems. Five out of the top 10 problems reported by owners were related to smartphone integration, and while those are certainly irritating issues, we’d wager those owners would rather have a few software niggles than blown engines or transmissions.
Interestingly, plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) were the lowest-rated vehicle category overall, declining an alarming 26 PP100 on average. Fully electric vehicles, on the other hand, improved by a massive 33 PP100. In order of dependability, J.D. Power says hybrids (without plugs) came in first place (199 PP100) followed by gas-powered vehicles (200 PP100), EVs (223 PP100), diesel-powered vehicles (233 PP100) and finally PHEVs (242 PP100).
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Growing up in a family obsessed with performance and as the son of an automotive engineer, Jeremy Korzeniewski has spent his entire life as a car enthusiast. Also an avid motorcyclist, Jeremy has spent the last two decades writing about the transportation industry and providing insights to many of the largest automotive publications in the world.
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I just bought a CPO 2024 Lexus NX350 F-Sport, my fourth Lexus. Brand loyalty for several reasons, reliability being one of them. And that 1800 watt Mark Levinson stereo is the proverbial icing on the cake!