Once again this year Korean car brands ranked the highest in terms of quality, according to the J.D. Power 2019 Initial Quality Study. The study also found that the gap in quality between these brands — Genesis, Kia, and Hyundai — and all others had widened.
J.D. Power measures brand quality by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles in the first 90 days of ownership (PP100). A lower score means higher quality. The industry average was unchanged at 93 PP 100.
American brands scored above average, while all 10 European brands on the list ranked below average. Ford, Lincoln, and Chevrolet were among the top-performing American brands. Ford and Lincoln ranked fourth and fifth, respectively — the first time Ford Motor Company landed two brands in the top five.
Land Rover was the most-improved brand, and Jaguar, Dodge, and Volvo all registered improvements. Despite its improvement, because of its hefty price tag among other factors, some Jaguar models are among the cars Americans don’t want to buy.
The best individual model was the Porsche 911, the second straight year the car had the best score of any model in the study. The Porsche 911 is one of these longest-running car models of all time.
Click here to see America’s best and worst cars
Source: genesis.com
1. Genesis
> Problems in first 3 months: 63
> 2018 unit sales: 9,940
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
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2. Kia
> Problems in first 3 months: 70
> 2018 unit sales: 589,673
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
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Source: hyundaiusa.com
3. Hyundai
> Problems in first 3 months: 71
> 2018 unit sales: 679,127
> Parent company: Hyundai Motor Group
Source: Courtesy of Ford
4. Ford
> Problems in first 3 months:83
> 2018 unit sales: 2,386,588
> Parent company: Ford Motor Company
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Source: lincoln.com
5. Lincoln
> Problems in first 3 months: 84
> 2018 unit sales: 103,587
> Parent company: Ford Motor Company
Source: Courtesy of Chevrolet
6. Chevrolet
> Problems in first 3 months: 85
> 2018 unit sales: 2,017,205
> Parent company: General Motors Company
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Source: nissanusa.com
7. Nissan
> Problems in first 3 months: 86
> 2018 unit sales: 1,344,597
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
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Source: Courtesy of Dodge
8. Dodge
> Problems in first 3 months: 90
> 2018 unit sales: 459,324
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Source: Courtesy of Lexus
9. Lexus
> Problems in first 3 months: 90
> 2018 unit sales: 298,302
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Company
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Source: Courtesy of Toyota
10. Toyota
> Problems in first 3 months: 90
> 2018 unit sales: 2,224,156
> Parent company: Toyota Motor Company
Source: buick.com
11. Buick
> Problems in first 3 months: 92
> 2018 unit sales: 207,223
> Parent company: General Motors Company
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Source: Courtesy of GMC
12. GMC
> Problems in first 3 months: 94
> 2018 unit sales: 556,451
> Parent company: General Motors Company
Source: mazdausa.com
13. Mazda
> Problems in first 3 months: 94
> 2018 unit sales: 300,325
> Parent company: Mazda Motor Corporation
Source: Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
14. Mercedes-Benz
> Problems in first 3 months: 94
> 2018 unit sales: 349,084
> Parent company: Daimler AG
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Source: Photo by Bryan Mitchell / Getty Images
15. Porsche
> Problems in first 3 months: 96
> 2018 unit sales: 59,116
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
Source: Courtesy of Honda
16. Honda
> Problems in first 3 months: 98
> 2018 unit sales: 1,445,627
> Parent company: Honda Motor Company
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Source: cadillac.com
17. Cadillac
> Problems in first 3 months: 100
> 2018 unit sales: 153,863
> Parent company: General Motors Company
Source: Courtesy of Jeep
18. Jeep
> Problems in first 3 months: 100
> 2018 unit sales: 973,227
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Source: Courtesy of Infiniti
19. Infiniti
> Problems in first 3 months: 101
> 2018 unit sales: 149,280
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
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Source: Courtesy of BMW
20. BMW
> Problems in first 3 months: 102
> 2018 unit sales: 311,014
> Parent company: BMW Group
Source: Courtesy of RAM
21. Ram
> Problems in first 3 months: 105
> 2018 unit sales: 597,368
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
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Source: Courtesy of Audi
22. Audi
> Problems in first 3 months: 106
> 2018 unit sales: 223,068
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
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Source: Courtesy of miniusa.com
23. Mini
> Problems in first 3 months: 107
> 2018 unit sales: 43,684
> Parent company: BMW Group
Source: Courtesy of Acura
24. Acura
> Problems in first 3 months: 110
> 2018 unit sales: 158,934
> Parent company: Honda Motor Company
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Source: chrysler.com
25. Chrysler
> Problems in first 3 months: 113
> 2018 unit sales: 165,964
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
Source: Courtesy of Subaru
26. Subaru
> Problems in first 3 months: 113
> 2018 unit sales: 680,135
> Parent company: Subaru Corporation
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Source: vw.com
27. Volkswagen
> Problems in first 3 months: 113
> 2018 unit sales: 354,053
> Parent company: Volkswagen Group
Source: Bryan Mitchell / Getty Images
28. Volvo
> Problems in first 3 months: 114
> 2018 unit sales: 98,786
> Parent company: Geely Holding Group
Source: Robert Hradil / Getty Images
29. Alfa Romeo
> Problems in first 3 months: 118
> 2018 unit sales: 23,800
> Parent company: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
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Source: Courtesy of Mitsubishi
30. Mitsubishi
> Problems in first 3 months: 121
> 2018 unit sales: 118,074
> Parent company: Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance
Source: Courtesy of landroverusa.com
31. Land Rover
> Problems in first 3 months: 123
> 2018 unit sales: 92,143
> Parent company: Tata Motors
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Source: Hannes Magerstaedt / Getty Images
32. Jaguar
> Problems in first 3 months: 130
> 2018 unit sales: 30,254
> Parent company: Tata Motors
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