For the first time ever in 27 years, a non-luxury brand has topped the rankings in initial quality by JD Power. Korean automaker, Kia, rise to the top of the list to lead the industry in J.D. Power’s annual report card on vehicle quality, overtaking Porsche. Hyundai, Kia’s sister brand, took the third spot, while Toyota and BMW rounded out the top five.
The latest achievement was driven by a segment-leading performance from the Sportage while the Rio and Sorento were among the Kia models ranked in the top three of their respective categories.
It is also the second consecutive year that Kia has led all non-luxury makes in initial quality. After entering the overall top 10 for the first time in 2013, Kia placed second in the industry and led all non-luxury makes in IQS in 2015.
Now in its 30th year, the annual J.D. Power IQS analyses responses from vehicle owners in 26 segments. IQS is determined by vehicle owners evaluating the driving experience, engine and transmission performance and a broad range of quality-related problems within the first 90 days of ownership.
“As the distributor of Kia vehicles in Malaysia, Naza Kia Malaysia adheres to the same quality of features, performance and technology that has led to Kia to be recognised for its superior quality and world-class craftsmanship. The Sportage, Rio and Sorento especially were singled out by the study as the best in their segments. They also happen to be among our highest-performing models and are available to test drive at Kia outlets nationwide,” said Dato’ Samson Anand George, Group Chief Operating Officer, Automotive Group, Naza Corporation Holdings.
Rank | Brand | Problems per 100 vehicles | |
1 | Kia | 83 | |
2 | Porsche | 84 | |
3 | Hyundai | 92 | |
4 | Toyota | 93 | |
5 | BMW | 94 | |
6 | Chevrolet | 95 | |
7 | Buick | 96 | |
8 | Lexus | 96 | |
9 | Lincoln | 96 | |
10 | Nissan | 101 | |
11 | Ford | 102 | |
12 | GMC | 103 | |
13 | Infiniti | 103 | |
14 | Volkswagen | 104 | |
Industry Average | 105 | ||
15 | Audi | 110 | |
16 | Mercedes-Benz | 111 | |
17 | Cadillac | 112 | |
18 | Jeep | 113 | |
19 | Ram | 114 | |
20 | Chrysler | 115 | |
21 | Mitsubishi | 116 | |
22 | Dodge | 117 | |
23 | Subaru | 118 | |
24 | Honda | 119 | |
25 | Acura | 122 | |
26 | Scion | 123 | |
27 | Jaguar | 127 | |
28 | Mazda | 127 | |
29 | Mini | 127 | |
30 | Land Rover | 132 | |
31 | Volvo | 152 | |
32 | Fiat | 174 | |
33 | Smart | 216 | |
Top Three Models per Segment – Car, MPV, Van | |||
Highest ranked | Second | Third | |
City Car* | Chevrolet Spark | — | — |
Compact Sporty Car | Buick Cascada (tie) | Hyundai Veloster | — |
Scion tC (tie) | |||
Small Car | Hyundai Accent | Chevrolet Sonic | Kia Rio |
Compact MPV* | Kia Soul | — | — |
Small Premium Car | Lexus CT | BMW 2 Series | Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class |
Compact Premium Car | Lincoln MKZ | Lexus ES | BMW 3 Series |
Compact Car | Toyota Corolla | Kia Forte | Hyundai Elantra |
Compact Premium Sporty Car | Audi TT | Porsche Boxster | Porsche Cayman |
Midsize Car | Toyota Camry | Nissan Altima | Honda Accord |
Midsize Premium Sporty Car* | Porsche 911 | — | — |
Midsize Sporty Car* | Dodge Challenger | — | — |
Large Car | Hyundai Azera | Buick LaCrosse | Chevrolet Impala |
Minivan* | Chrysler Town & Country | Dodge Grand Caravan | — |
Midsize Premium Car | Lexus GS | Audi A7 | Hyundai Genesis |
Top Three Models per Segment – SUV, Pickup | |||
Highest ranked | Second | Third | |
Small SUV | Kia Sportage | Hyundai Tucson | Buick Encore |
Midsize Pickup | Nissan Frontier | GMC Canyon | Chevrolet Colorado |
Small Premium SUV* | Audi Q3 | BMW X1 | |
Large SUV | Chevrolet Tahoe | Toyota Sequoia | Ford Expedition |
Compact SUV | Chevrolet Equinox (tie) | Ford Escape | |
GMC Terrain (tie) | |||
Large Premium SUV | Lincoln Navigator | Infiniti QX80 | Land Rover Range Rover |
Compact Premium SUV | Porsche Macan | Lincoln MKC | BMW X3 |
Large Light Duty Pickup* | Chevrolet Silverado LD | GMC Sierra LD | |
Midsize SUV | Toyota Highlander | Kia Sorento | Nissan Murano |
Large Heavy Duty Pickup | Chevrolet Silverado HD | Ford Super Duty | GMC Sierra HD |
Midsize Premium SUV | BMW X5 | BMW X6 | Lexus RX |
* No other model in this segment performs above segment average. | |||
Source: J.D. Power 2016 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) |