Photo: Tesla
JD Power released its 2024 US Initial Quality Study with a click-bait title that suggests EVs have major quality problems. However, the study shows how increasingly irrelevant it has become, penalizing brands with the most advanced tech packages and rewarding volume carmakers that only offer basic features in their vehicles.
JD Power's Initial Quality Study might be mistaken as an accurate snapshot of the US automotive industry, showing which brands and models offer the highest quality. However, it has become increasingly irrelevant in the past years, failing to realize that its metrics are simply wrong.
First, the study is based not on facts but on subjective opinions expressed by car owners and lessees. Second, it failed to realize that the survey consistently penalizes brands with the most advanced tech packages and rewards volume carmakers that only offer basic features in their vehicles.
No wonder JD Power thinks Ram offers the highest quality overall, with the Ram 1500 earning the top score in the light truck category. Ram Trucks still sells the basic Ram 1500 Classic based on the fourth-generation DS model from 2009. This must've helped it win this accolade. On the other hand, the same study places EV brands like Tesla, Rivian, and Polestar dead last, showing that EVs are "plagued with problems."
It's easy to understand how this works by reading the first paragraph in the JD Power release. It tells us that mass-market brands outperform the industry average with a combined average of 181 PP100 (problems per 100 vehicles). Meanwhile, premium brands offering more complex vehicles average 232 PP100. The most technologically advanced cars produced by Tesla, Rivian, and Polestar rank last, with 266, 266, and 316 PP100, respectively. This is surprising, considering that these brands offer the best software experience in the automotive industry.
This being an initial study, these so-called problems are not reliability-related. Instead, they reflect the owners' experience operating the vehicles. People relate differently to technology, but many are intimidated by advanced tech that they do not understand. This is why the JD Power study admits that most "problems" are generated by annoying warnings from the driver assist system, connectivity issues, and carmakers replacing physical buttons with touch controls.
Driver assistance systems are responsible for most of the reported problems. This is understandable, considering that most electronic nannies have been considered too intrusive. Many drivers disable as many assistance features as possible when they start the vehicle. It's no wonder they complained about them in the JD Power survey. Another big chunk of the problems are with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which many have difficulties connecting.
It's not like carmakers are spotless and can't do more to keep their customers satisfied. Many infotainment systems are poorly designed, which explains why half of owners use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto every time they drive. Dealerships should also do more to explain new features to owners, thus avoiding frustration with new and often poorly implemented technology.
First, the study is based not on facts but on subjective opinions expressed by car owners and lessees. Second, it failed to realize that the survey consistently penalizes brands with the most advanced tech packages and rewards volume carmakers that only offer basic features in their vehicles.
No wonder JD Power thinks Ram offers the highest quality overall, with the Ram 1500 earning the top score in the light truck category. Ram Trucks still sells the basic Ram 1500 Classic based on the fourth-generation DS model from 2009. This must've helped it win this accolade. On the other hand, the same study places EV brands like Tesla, Rivian, and Polestar dead last, showing that EVs are "plagued with problems."
It's easy to understand how this works by reading the first paragraph in the JD Power release. It tells us that mass-market brands outperform the industry average with a combined average of 181 PP100 (problems per 100 vehicles). Meanwhile, premium brands offering more complex vehicles average 232 PP100. The most technologically advanced cars produced by Tesla, Rivian, and Polestar rank last, with 266, 266, and 316 PP100, respectively. This is surprising, considering that these brands offer the best software experience in the automotive industry.
This being an initial study, these so-called problems are not reliability-related. Instead, they reflect the owners' experience operating the vehicles. People relate differently to technology, but many are intimidated by advanced tech that they do not understand. This is why the JD Power study admits that most "problems" are generated by annoying warnings from the driver assist system, connectivity issues, and carmakers replacing physical buttons with touch controls.
Driver assistance systems are responsible for most of the reported problems. This is understandable, considering that most electronic nannies have been considered too intrusive. Many drivers disable as many assistance features as possible when they start the vehicle. It's no wonder they complained about them in the JD Power survey. Another big chunk of the problems are with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which many have difficulties connecting.
It's not like carmakers are spotless and can't do more to keep their customers satisfied. Many infotainment systems are poorly designed, which explains why half of owners use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto every time they drive. Dealerships should also do more to explain new features to owners, thus avoiding frustration with new and often poorly implemented technology.
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