Hold on to your hat. Kia Motors has scored the highest on J.D. Power and Associates’ Initial Quality Survey, vanquishing not only other mass-market rivals like Toyota and
It is the first time in 27 years that a non-luxury brand has topped the survey, the results of which automakers like to tout in their advertising when they do well.
As startling as it is to see the small Korean brand Kia atop the quality survey, it should not come as too big a surprise to those who watch the annual survey carefully. Kia last year topped all non-luxury brands, as it has made enormous strides in mechanical, styling and fit-and-finish quality on vehicles such as the Optima sedan, Soul hatchback, Sportage SUV and Cadenza premium sedan.
“Ranking number one in the entire industry for initial quality is the result of Kia’s decade-long focus on craftsmanship and continuous improvement, and reflects the voice of our customers, which is the ultimate affirmation,” said Michael Sprague, chief operating officer and EVP, Kia Motors America. “As the highest ranked brand in the industry, there is no doubt Kia is a world-class automaker.”
Kia scored well ahead of its Korean cousin Hyundai too. The two brands have common ownership in Korea, and cooperate on vehicle platforms, a design center, parts and more. But there is still a hot rivalry between the two companies' staffs.
Analysts and observers said they could see the accolade coming for Kia. “If you have driven the Kia vehicles over the past five or six years, you can’t help but notice how they have over-achieved expectations on ride quality, and how well they are executing their interiors,” says Dennis Keene, a Los Angeles-based marketing and design consultant.
Michelle Krebs, senior analyst at Autotrader.com, says Kia has been overdelivering on value. “Kia demonstrates an automaker can deliver a top-notch vehicle in terms of quality with lots of features at a price that is accessible to the masses.”
Specifically, Kia reported the fewest problems per 100 vehicles in the first 90 days of ownership–83–beating out second-place Porsche.
Not just Kia is improving. Overall, 21 of 33 brands improved as overall industry quality rose 6 percent compared to 2015. Click here for the overall ranking.
“Tracking our data over the past several years, it has become clear that automakers are listening to the customer, identifying pain points and are focused on continuous improvement,” said Renee Stephens, vice president of U.S. automotive quality at J.D. Power. “Even as they add more content, including advanced technologies that have had a reputation for causing problems, overall quality continues to improve.”
Chrysler and Jeep scored higher than in past years–and were in fact the most improved brands, each reducing the number of problems per 100 vehicles by 28 from 2015. Fiat Chrysler has long been dogged by quality issues in part because it has a tendency to market certain older vehicles longer than others, such as Jeep Patriot and Compass and Dodge Journey. Also, its popular Jeep Wrangler sometimes surprises new buyers with how rough the off-roading vehicle can be.
As certain brands have moved the industry average higher, some luxury brands that like to tout quality are under mounting pressure. Audi, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Acura, Jaguar and Volvo are all below average, with Jaguar and Volvo and Land Rover scoring among the worst in the industry.
A fairly big surprise in the survey is that Honda and Acura (both owned by Honda), long standard-bearers for reliability and quality, have slipped to 24th and 25th respectively out of 33 ranked brands, and 14 and 17 problems per 100 vehicles worse than the industry average of 105.
“We greatly value third party research such as the Initial Quality Study, particularly in helping assess the customer experience with advanced technologies we are applying to our products to meet their desire for
connectivity, entertainment and other functions, said Honda Steve Kinkade. "We will continue working
diligently to enhance the usability and functionality of these in demand technologies in our unrelenting effort to create new value for our customers.”
Autotrader’s Krebs says Honda is likely suffering from launching a number of new vehicles in a short space of time, but that Honda and Acura also have not scored well with reviewers on their infotainment/telematics systems.
Consumers like to check J.D. Power’s surveys before they buy a new vehicle, or even used vehicle. So, even if the total problems per 100 vehicles is not that high a number, it doesn’t help a brand to be ranked so low on the list.
