August 14, 2020
Every motorist would like to drive a reliable car, but unfortunately, this doesn’t apply to all vehicles. A vehicle’s reliability is critical in South Africa. No one can afford to break down, especially in remote areas because of the possibility of crime. Let’s find out which car brands are the most reliable in 2020 according to a highly-regarded J. D. Power’s 2020 US Vehicle Dependability Study.
This US study shows that overall reliability in 2020 had improved by 1.5% compared to the previous year. To rank the vehicles, researchers used the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles over 12 months. The source of information came from the original owners of three-year-old vehicles bought in 2017.
While this is a US-based study and not all of the vehicles mentioned in it are available in South Africa, this study could arguably be interpreted as indicative of these brands as a whole and provide South African motorists with interesting insights. Nevertheless, when buying your next car, regardless of its brand, review your options carefully and do your research on the vehicle that you would like to purchase.
We all know that what you see when you open the bonnet of a car made 30 years ago compared to a car of today is like day and night. The complexity of electronics alone in modern cars is mind-boggling. However, despite that, vehicle reliability keeps on improving.
Since the start of this study, 2020 proved to be the year of most improved reliability, despite the slow increase in reliability over the years.
The study also noted that owners of crossovers and SUVs experienced 134 problems per 100 crossovers ( referred to as “134 PP100”) compared to the 127 PP100 of car owners. However, in 2019, this difference has decreased. Crossovers and SUVs constitute more than 50% of all new vehicle sales. Urgent attention is required by manufacturers to raise their reliability to at least the same level as that of cars.
The 2020 study found the Lexus ES to be the most reliable vehicle. With only 52 problems recorded for every 100 cars, this was the lowest score ever achieved since this study began in 1979.
For the first time, the all-electric car called the Nissan LEAF was given a segment-level award.
Out of all the brands studied, Genesis was the highest in overall vehicle reliability, scoring a low 89 PP100. Lexus came second with a score of 100 PP100, which is 6 PP100 less compared to the previous year. Buick reached third place (103 PP100), while Porsche ranked fourth (104 PP100), followed by Toyota (113 PP100).
Toyota Motor Corporation managed to clinch 6 segment awards for the Lexus ES, Lexus GX, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Sienna and Toyota Tundra.
Volkswagen (116 PP100) was ranked just after Toyota, while BMW managed to score 123 PP100. Audi came in at 136 PP100, with Mercedes Benz at 152 PP100. The least reliable vehicle, according to the study, was the Land Rover, with a score of 220 PP100.
Just as we all need to drive a reliable car, we also need reliable insurance to cover those cars. Why not contact PMD and discover more about our affordable and dependable car insurance, which comes with fixed premiums* and a reduce to zero excess*? T’s and C’s apply.
Sources:
November 7, 2023
November 7, 2023
