Lexus, Buick Take Top Honors In 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study

Lexus and Buick are the highest ranking premium and mass market brands, respectively, in the  new J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS).  It's Lexus' third straight win as the highest ranking overall brand. The study looks at reported vehicle problems after three years of ownership of 2022 model-year vehicles. And wouldn't you know it - the top model in the study isn't even produced anymore - and that's the Toyota Avalon.

Overall, J.D. Power says vehicle problems after three years of ownership have reached the highest level since 2009. Researchers attribute this to the disruptions the industry endured during the pandemic. Compared to 2024, reported problems with three year old vehicles are up 6% per 100 vehicles (PP100). That's 12 PP100 worse than a year ago, resulting in an industry average of 202 PP100.  J.D. Power says the rise in problems is attributable to mass market brands experiencing a 16 PP100 increase related in part to software defects. A lower score indicates higher vehicle quality.

J.D. Power researchers say they're not surprised at the study results, given that its J.D. Power 2022 Initial Quality Study, which tracked problems early in the ownership period of 2022 model-year vehicles, found that initial vehicle quality notably declined from 2021, and problems also reached a record high. Now, three years later, the issues continue to be problematic for owners, according to findings of the 2025 VDS.

“While the increase in problems this year may be a thorn in the side of automakers and owners, it’s important to remember that today’s three-year-old vehicles were built during a time when the industry was grappling with major disruptions,” said Jason Norton, director of auto benchmarking at J.D. Power. “Supply chain issues, record-high vehicle prices, and personnel disruption in the wake of the pandemic were problematic.”

The comprehensive study, now in its 36^th year, covers 184 specific problem areas across nine major vehicle categories: climate; driving assistance; driving experience; exterior; features/controls/displays; infotainment; interior; powertrain; and seats.

J.D. Power highlights some key findings of the 2025 study in its press release:

• Problems related to software defects increase:   J.D Power says Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity remains the top problem in the industry for a second consecutive year, increasing to 8.4 PP100 from 6.3 PP100 in 2024. Built-in Bluetooth systems (4.6 PP100) and Wi-Fi (2.4 PP100) are also among the top problems related to software defects this year. While software defects comprise only 9% of the total problems owners experience, as vehicles become more software-reliant, this risk becomes more prominent.
• Personal device integration falls short: Of the top 10 problems industry wide, half are related to smartphone integration, usage or connectivity. Researchers say keeping pace with the rate of change in smartphone technology is a challenge for the auto industry. Over-the-air (OTA) updates provide automakers the opportunity to overcome out-of-date software, with 36% of owners indicating they performed an OTA on their vehicle during the first three years of ownership. However, according to the study, only 30% of these owners say there was an improvement after the update, while 56% of owners say there was no noticeable improvement.
• Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) get better as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) get worse: BEVs have improved 33 PP100 year over year, while PHEVs have declined 26 PP100, making PHEVs the most problematic of all vehicle fuel types. J.D. Power says hybrid vehicles experience the fewest problems (199 PP100), followed by gas-powered vehicles (200 PP100); BEVs (223 PP100); diesel (233 PP100); and PHEVs (242 PP100). The gap between gas-powered vehicles and BEVs has narrowed significantly this year.
• New model launches struggle: Of the 27 new models that launched in the 2022 model year, J.D. Power says only four have performed better than their segment average for dependability in the 2025 VDS. New models launched in 2022 average 241 PP100 in the 2025 VDS, whereas carryover models have 196 PP100 and perform better in all nine vehicle categories.

Highest-Ranked Brands 

Premium

1. Lexus ( 140 PP100. 
2. Cadillac (169 PP100)
3. Porsche (186 PP100)  

Mass Market

1. Buick (143 PP100)
2. Mazda (161 PP100)
3. Toyota (162 PP100) 

Most Model Level Awards

Toyota and General Motors receive the most model-level awards with six each.

Toyota:  Lexus GX, Toyota Camry, Toyota Corolla, Toyota RAV4, Toyota Sienna, and Toyota Tacoma.

General Motors Cadillac XT6, Chevrolet Corvette, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Silverado HD, Chevrolet Tahoe and GMC Acadia.

Nissan Motor Co, Ltd.,- Nissan Kicks and Nissan Murano.

About the Study

The 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study is based on responses from 34,175 original owners of 2022 model-year vehicles after three years of ownership. The study was fielded from August through November 2024.