The quality of new vehicles has improved industry-wide year over year. According to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS),SM released today, overall new-vehicle quality, as measured by the total number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) experienced in the first 90 days of ownership, has improved sharply this year, with fewer problems cited across nine of 10 categories evaluated. Infotainment is the exception, where connectivity issues continue to strain customer experience with new-vehicle quality. A lower PP100 score indicates higher vehicle quality.

 

“As more technology is introduced into vehicles, keeping the experience simple matters more than ever,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at JD Power. “The biggest gains in quality come from features that are easy to use—simple controls, less-intrusive driver assistance and software that works the way customers expect. When technology becomes too complicated, the likelihood of customers experiencing a problem rises considerably.”

 

 

Initial quality improves sharply: The total number of reported problems with new vehicles improves to 175 PP100 from 192 PP100 a year ago. This is the best year-over-year improvement in reported problems since 1997 and the fourth-best performance in the 40-year history of IQS. Overall, this year premium brands experienced 169 PP100 and mass market brands experienced 177 PP100.

 

Infotainment presents quality challenges: The only category experiencing an increase in reported problems this year is infotainment, with a total of 44.4 PP100 in the mass market segment and 38.3 PP100 in the premium segment. Within the infotainment category, problems with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity account for an increase of 1.4 PP100 in reported problems, the largest single contributor to the year-over-year decline in infotainment quality.
 

Improvements abound: Cupholders are the biggest single contributor to the year-over-year improvement in initial quality based on more accessible location and capacity to hold a variety of sizes of cups/water bottles. This year also saw significant improvements in driving assistance alerts, electric vehicle range, road noise and body panel fit and finish.


 

Touchscreens contribute to distracted driving: Among owners who detailed a distracted driving-related problem with their vehicle, 46% said the source of the distraction was from the infotainment or touchscreen, while 18% were distracted by driver assistance alerts. 
 

The U.S. Initial Quality Study, now in its 40th year, is based this year on responses from 78,514 purchasers and lessees of new 2026 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership. The IQS additionally incorporates repair visit data based on hundreds of thousands of real-world events reported to franchised new-vehicle dealers. The methodology unites state-of-the-art vehicle repair data with traditional JD Power Voice of the Customer (VOC) data fielded continuously year-round and published monthly for subscribing clients. The enhanced IQS data enables automakers to quickly identify potential issues before they become bigger problems in the quality landscape.

 

The dataset is based on a battery of 227 VOC questions plus relevant repair data, all of which is organized into 10 vehicle categories: infotainment; features, controls and displays; exterior; driving assistance; interior; seats; powertrain; driving experience; climate; and unspecified (unique to repair). The dataset is designed to provide manufacturers with information to facilitate the identification of problems and to drive product improvement. The data was collected from June 2025 through May 2026.

 

 

Porsche is the highest-ranking brand overall in initial quality with a score of 138 PP100. Among premium brands, Genesis (151 PP100) ranks second and Lexus (156 PP100) ranks third.

 

Among mass market brands, Ford ranks highest with a score of 152 PP100. Nissan (156 PP100) ranks second and Buick (162 PP100) ranks third.

 

The parent corporation receiving the most model-level awards is BMW (six awards). Hyundai Motor Group (five awards) ranks second and General Motors Company (four awards) ranks third. Among brands, BMW receives the most segment awards (six). Ford and Hyundai rank second, in a tie, each with three segment awards.

 

BMW models that rank highest in their respective segment are BMW 2 Series, BMW 5 Series, BMW 8 Series, BMW X2, BMW X6 and BMW X7.
 

Hyundai Motor Group models that rank highest in their respective segment are Hyundai Santa Cruz, Hyundai Sonata, Hyundai Venue, Kia Carnival and Kia K4.
 

General Motors models that rank highest in their respective segment are Cadillac CT4, Cadillac XT5, Chevrolet Blazer and Chevrolet Tahoe.
 

Ford Motor Company models that rank highest in their respective segment are Ford F-150, Ford Mustang and Ford Super Duty.
 

Volkswagen AG has the highest-ranking model overall, the Porsche 911, with 110 PP100.

Plant Quality Awards

 

Toyota Motor Corporation’s Kyushu 1, Japan plant, which manufactures the Lexus NX and Lexus UX, receives the Platinum Plant Quality Award. Plant quality awards are based solely on defects and malfunctions and exclude design-related problems and repair incidents.

 

The Gold Plant Quality Award for North/South America goes to the Hyundai Motor Group’s Nuevo Leon KMX, Mexico plant, which produces the Kia K4. The Gold Plant Quality Awards for Europe and Africa, in a tie, go to Porsche AG’s Leipzig, Germany plant, which produces the Porsche Macan and Porsche Panamera, and the Posche AG Stuttgart, Germany plant, which produces the Porsche 911 and the Porsche Taycan.