The J.D. Power 2016 Vehicle Dependability Study results have been released, and there aren’t too many surprises.
Each year, the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study analyzes the responses of vehicle owners after three years of ownership to determine how many problems they experienced during the past 12 months. This year’s study is based on responses from 33,560 original owners of 2013 model year vehicles and the study was fielded from October through December 2015.
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Overall dependability is determined by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles, with a lower score reflecting higher quality. This year’s industry average came in at 152, slightly worse than last year’s industry average of 147.
See the top 10 most dependable automakers of 2016 according to the study below.
10. Lincoln
Last year, Lincoln ranked seventh, so the American automaker experienced a slight drop for 2016. More problems per 100 vehicles are being reported as well, with the company turning in 118 problems per 100 vehicles last year, while it notched 132 problems this year.
9. Ram
For 2016, Ram is one of the most improved automakers, jumping from 14th place to 9th. This year, the American automaker had 129 reported problems per 100 vehicles, while last year it had 134.
8. Acura
Acura is another brand that improved its ranking year-over-year, finishing 12th in 2015. That is despite having more problems per 100 vehicles this year at 129 than last year’s 124 figure.
7. Honda
Honda remains mostly consistent in the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study, having finished 5th last year. It did experience more issues this year, however, with 126 reported problems per 100 vehicles compared to last year’s 116.
6. Chevrolet
Chevrolet improves in ranking this year after finishing in 10th in 2015. When it comes to problems per 100 vehicles, however, it stayed nearly the same with 125 this year compared to 123 in 2015.
5. GMC
GMC breaks into the top 10 in 2016, a great improvement over its 11th-place finish last year. The American automaker had 120 reported problems per 100 vehicles, which is actually less than last year when it had 120.
4. Toyota
Toyota drops a spot to fourth place but is still performing better than the industry average with 113 problems per 100 vehicles. Last year, the Japanese automaker finished third with 111 problems.
3. Buick
Buick also drops a place to third, even though it had fewer problems this year at 106 than last year’s 110. With both Buick and Toyota dropping a spot, which automaker leaped up?
2. Porsche
That honor goes to Porsche, which is giving the most dependable automaker of 2016 some serious competition. This year, the German automaker had 97 problems per 100 vehicles, a nice improvement from last year’s 116 reported figure that earned it a sixth-place finish.
1. Lexus
Topping the list of most dependable automakers of 2016 is Lexus, for the fifth straight year. Change could be on the horizon, however, as Toyota’s luxury arm had 95 problems per 100 vehicles, just slightly fewer than Porsche. Last year, Lexus turned in a score of 89 problems per 100 vehicles.
