Premium car cars are causing more problems than others, according to a new JD Power reliability study. Nevertheless, their owners are happier than those of the less problematic vehicles of the volume manufacturers.
For the fifth year in a row, the American consumer organization JD Power has published a ranking of the reliability of car brands for the German market. It shows that the overall reliability has increased slightly compared to previous years. However, the German premium manufacturers Audi, BMW and Mercedes are below the industry average and therefore below expectations.
The crucial value for the ranking is called PP100, which measures the problems per 100 vehicles. Mitsubishi reached its lowest level this year at 85. The first 11 places in the ranking are occupied by volume manufacturers. In second place is Skoda (88), followed by Hyundai with 89. Then follow Smart (90), Kia (95), Ford (98), Seat (99), Toyota (101), Dacia (102), Opel (108 ) and VW (109). Volvo is in 12th place as the best premium manufacturer with 111. BMW (129), Mercedes-Benz (137) and Audi (142) are in 17th, 19th and 21st place.
In its analysis, JD Power points out that drivers of premium vehicles articulate more problems than the users of volume vehicles, which alone is due to the greater number of technical features. At the same time, the premium customers stated that they were more satisfied with the attractiveness of the vehicles. Owners of cars of volume manufacturers are therefore dissatisfied faster than owners of premium vehicles.
The official survey called "2019 Germany Vehicle Dependability Study" is based on responses from 12.854 owners of vehicles licensed between November 2015 and January 2018. The detailed survey captures 177 issues in the following eight categories: Body, Driving Experience, Features / Controls / Displays (FCD), Audio / Communications / Entertainment / Navigation (ACEN), Seats, HVAC, Vehicle Interior, and Engine / Transmission. From the information provided by the car owners number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) is determined.