New cars are expected to be better than older cars but that doesn’t always turn out to be the case. New cars do come with a variety of new features including improved safety but is the quality getting any better?
According to a study by J.D. Power the answer is yes, the quality of new cars is better. In fact, new-vehicle quality—measured by the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100) during the first 90 days of ownership—is at its highest level ever, having improved by 4% in the past year. Leading the charge in terms of overall brand quality are the Korean brands of Genesis, Kia, and Hyundai who achieved a clean sweep of the top three nameplate rankings this year.
This high ranking in quality is only the latest of four consecutive years of improvement. This year’s study brought quality improvements across six of the eight categories measured, with 21 of the 31 brands ranked in the study improving their quality from 2017. The industry average of 93 PP100 compares with 97 PP100 in 2017.
It seems that automakers are doing a good job of listening to consumers and are producing better vehicles because of it. Automobiles aren’t the same any more and are increasingly automated vehicles, vehicle owners have to be comfortable using foundational technologies like lane-keep assistance and collision avoidance.
According to specialist in the field, most cars today are being built better and safer. But there are some brands and models that offer a more satisfying early ownership experience, so it pays off to do research and choose carefully.
As technology advances so will the choices for consumers. With more safety and autonomous features being offered with every new model it will become a difficult choice to make. All of this will be a precursor to the day when owning a car may be a thing of the past altogether.