Top 10 Brands With the Highest Quality in 2021 According to J.D. Power
Last year it was Dodge. Now, another brand from Stellantis (formerly FCA) sits atop J.D. Power’s 2021 Initial Quality Study. Are you surprised that it’s Ram?
The IQS considers the number of problems per 100 vehicles based on the responses from more than 110,000 purchasers and lessees of new 2021 model-year vehicles who were surveyed after 90 days of ownership.
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Once again, infotainment systems are the most problematic area with almost a quarter of all problems cited by new-vehicle owners. For the first time since 2011, voice recognition is not the top problem cited by new-vehicle owners. The top complaint this year is Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity, which worsens significantly.
Overall, mass-market brands continue to outperform premium brands, and some have made impressive leaps in the rankings. Tesla is not officially ranked due to a lack of data, but the company has slightly improved its position from last year when it finished dead last.
Before you check out the top 10 brands with the highest initial quality in 2021 according to J.D. Power, here are all the vehicle category winners:
- Small car: Hyundai Accent
- Small premium car: BMW 2 Series
- Compact car: Kia Forte
- Compact premium car: Lexus RC
- Midsize car: Nissan Altima
- Premium sporty car: Chevrolet Corvette
- Midsize premium car: Cadillac CT5
- Upper midsize premium car: Genesis G80
- Large car: Nissan Maxima
- Small SUV: Kia Soul
- Small premium SUV: Lexus UX
- Compact SUV: Kia Sportage
- Compact premium SUV: BMW X4
- Midsize SUV: Nissan Murano
- Upper midsize SUV: Kia Telluride
- Midsize premium SUV: Lexus RX
- Upper midsize premium SUV: BMW X6
- Large SUV: Toyota Sequoia
- Large premium SUV: BMW X7
- Minivan: Kia Sedona
- Midsize pickup: Jeep Gladiator
- Large light-duty pickup: Toyota Tundra
- Large heavy-duty pickup: Ram 2500/3500
