When it comes to the mass market, Buick is the most dependable auto brand after three years of ownership, while Lexus is at the top of the heap among all brands, according to J.D. Power.
Toyota’s Lexus led as the most dependable brand for a seventh consecutive year, followed by Porsche, the annual findings released Wednesday showed.
Measuring dependability by the count of troubles reported for every 100 vehicles, the 2018 study examined vehicles from the 2015 model year.
Buick came in first in the mass market segment, with 116 reported problems per 100 vehicles, 10 less than in 2017. The result is the third mass-market win by Buick in four years.
After landing in the bottom five in 2017, Infiniti surged to fourth place, with 83 fewer problems per 100 vehicles. Kia placed fifth, its best performance in the annual tally.
The auto industry overall yielded better results for the first time since 2013, improving 9 percent in 2018 from last year, J.D. Power said.
That broad improvement shows “just how great quality is getting, as now we’re seeing dependability improving as well,” David Amodeo, senior manager of global automotive at J.D. Power, told The Drive. “I’m old enough to remember seeing cars broken down on the side of the road, you really had to get AAA or [roadside] assistance.”
