by J.D. Power has published the results of the annual 2025 Initial Quality Study (IQS). As part of this study, over 100,000 owners of brand-new cars shared their impressions and complaints during the first 90 days of ownership. Although some brands managed to improve their scores, the overall trend is concerning: the number of problems faced by motorists has increased again.
This year’s rating was confidently led by Lexus. Owners of this brand reported 166 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) – the best result among all brands, including in the premium segment. Last year, the Japanese brand lost to Buick, but this time it has reclaimed first place.
The true revelation of the mass market segment was Nissan with a score of 169 complaints per 100 cars – almost on par with the premium Lexus. This result makes it one of the most reliable brands of the year. In contrast, Ram, which surprised with its reliability last year, ended up only in 25th place, increasing the number of problems from 148 to 218. Analysts explain this by the unsuccessful launch of a new generation of pickups, which did not meet customer expectations.
The bottom of the rating was occupied by Audi, Volvo, Infiniti, Volkswagen, and Mazda. Most often, owners complained about the operation of multimedia systems and touch interfaces, which became the main source of irritation. Many lament that even the simplest functions – such as adjusting ventilation or mirrors – are now hidden behind layers of menus and sometimes work unstably.
Interestingly, overall, premium brands improved their results by 27 points, while the mass market segment lost 6. The main “culprits” for the decline in quality were the rush to launch new models and manufacturers’ desire to add as many technologies as possible, even at the expense of stability.
Another important conclusion concerns the types of powertrains. For the first time, plug-in hybrids received the most complaints, while electric vehicles demonstrated better results, although they still fall short of the reliability of traditional gasoline cars. This indicates that the increased complexity of the design in hybrids often generates new problems.
