10 Best and Worst Brands for Initial Quality in 2025 According to J.D. Power

Published on June 27, 2025 in Top 10 by The Car Guide

J.D. Power’s 2025 Initial Quality Study (IQS) released this week shows that things have gotten slightly better versus last year. Following an all-time high of 194, the average number of problems reported after 90 days of ownership is now 192 per 100 vehicles.

Luxury brands have improved significantly (203 problems, -27), unlike mainstream brands (187 problems, +6), which nevertheless continue to fare better overall.

The study is based on responses from more than 92,000 U.S. buyers and lessees of new 2025 model-year vehicles. It covers nine vehicle categories: infotainment; features, controls and displays; exterior; driving assistance; interior; powertrain; seats; driving experience; and climate. The study additionally incorporates repair visit data based on hundreds of thousands of real-world events reported to franchised new-vehicle dealers.

The infotainment category remains the most problematic in the study as owners are having more touchscreen-related problems due to the inclusion of non-audio-related features like climate controls, garage door openers and even glove box releases, J.D. Power found.

It is also interesting to note that plug-in hybrids have the highest rate of problems per 100 vehicles (237). Gasoline-powered vehicles (184) and conventional hybrids (196) are less problematic. The same applies to fully electric vehicles (212), with a clear improvement at Tesla, among others.

Before we go any further, you should know that Toyota’s South Plant in Cambridge, Ontario, which builds the Lexus RX, has received a Gold Plant Quality Award for the North/South Americas region.

The Best and Worst Brands

Now, which companies stand out for initial vehicle quality in 2025? Some results come as a surprise, such as Nissan leading all mass-market brands (the Sentra and Altima both top their respective segments), or Jaguar cracking the top 5 despite its usual poor showing in reliability rankings (although it now sells only one model, the F-PACE). The three Korean brands also appear in the top 10:

Lexus – 166 problems per 100 vehicles
Nissan – 169 problems per 100 vehicles
Hyundai – 173 problems per 100 vehicles
Jaguar – 175 problems per 100 vehicles
Chevrolet – 178 problems per 100 vehicles
Honda – 179 problems per 100 vehicles
Dodge – 180 problems per 100 vehicles
Kia – 181 problems per 100 vehicles
Buick – 183 problems per 100 vehicles
Genesis – 183 problems per 100 vehicles

For the record, the industry average is 192 problems per 100 vehicles. Here are the 10 brands that land at the bottom of J.D. Power’s study for 2025:

Audi – 269 problems per 100 vehicles
Volvo – 258 problems per 100 vehicles
Infiniti – 242 problems per 100 vehicles
Volkswagen – 225 problems per 100 vehicles
Mazda – 225 problems per 100 vehicles
Mitsubishi – 222 problems per 100 vehicles
Ram – 218 problems per 100 vehicles
MINI – 218 problems per 100 vehicles
Chrysler – 213 problems per 100 vehicles
Mercedes-Benz – 210 problems per 100 vehicles

Incidentally, Rivian (274) and Tesla (200) are not rank eligible because they do not meet study award criteria, J.D. Power said.

Oh, and if you're wondering which vehicle boasts the best overall initial quality in 2025, it's none other than the Porsche 911 with just 116 problems per 100 vehicles.