It takes a lot more than spare pocket change to buy a car, especially a new one. The price tag on new vehicles is going up, so you need to get the most value for your money. The wrong choice can cost you more down the line.
J.D. Power’s latest annual U.S. Initial Quality Study can make that choice easier. The group surveyed more than 92,000 people who purchased or leased a new 2025 model-year vehicle at least 90 days prior. Respondents answered nearly 230 questions in the following categories:
- Infotainment
- Features, controls and displays
- Exterior
- Driving assistance
- Interior
- Powertrain
- Seats
- Driving experience
- Climate
- Unspecified (unique to repair)
With input from those real American consumers, J.D. Power compiled a list of the best-ranked new vehicle models.
The model with the highest initial quality of all is the Porsche 911. You don’t need to empty your pockets on a Porsche for a quality vehicle, though, if that’s not your thing.
The top models (and runners-up) in each mass-market category are:
- Compact car: Nissan Sentra (followed by the Kia K4 and Hyundai Elantra)
- Midsize car: Nissan Altima (followed by the Chevrolet Malibu and Hyundai Sonata, which tied for No. 2 in this category)
- Sporty car: Ford Mustang (followed by the Toyota 86)
- Compact SUV: Ford Escape (followed by the Jeep Wrangler and Nissan Rogue)
- Small SUV: Buick Encore GX (followed by the Kia Soul, Chevrolet Trailblazer and Ford Bronco Sport, the last two of which tied for No. 3 in this category)
- Midsize SUV: Chevrolet Blazer (followed by the Honda Passport and Toyota Crown Signia)
- Upper midsize SUV: Kia Telluride (followed by the Subaru Ascent, Hyundai Palisade and Nissan Pathfinder, the last two of which tied for No. 3 in this category)
- Large SUV: Chevrolet Tahoe (followed by the Toyota Sequoia and Chevrolet Suburban)
- Minivan: Honda Odyssey (followed by the Chrysler Pacifica and Kia Carnival)
- Midsize pickup: Hyundai Santa Cruz tied with the Jeep Gladiator (followed by the Nissan Frontier)
- Large light-duty pickup: Chevrolet Silverado tied with the Ford F-150 (followed by the Toyota Tundra)
- Large heavy-duty pickup: Ford Super Duty (followed by the Chevrolet Silverado HD)
If you’re willing to shell out more money on premium vehicles, you should know that J.D. Power says premium vehicles reportedly had more defects than their mass-market counterparts.
That doesn’t mean there aren’t good options available, though.
The top models in the premium categories, according to surveyed consumers, are:
- Compact premium car: Lexus IS (followed by the Genesis G70 and Cadillac CT4)
- Small premium car: Acura Integra (followed by the BMW 2 Series)
- Midsize premium car: Lexus ES
- Premium sporty car: Porsche 911 (followed by the Chevrolet Corvette)
- Upper midsize premium car: Mercedes-Benz CLE (followed by the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and Genesis G80)
- Small premium SUV: Audi Q3 (followed by the Lexus UX and Mercedes-Benz GLA)
- Compact premium SUV: Acura RDX (followed by the Lexus NX and BMW X4)
- Midsize premium SUV: Cadillac XT5 (followed by the Land Rover Defender and Lexus RX, which tied for second place in this category)
- Upper midsize premium SUV: BMW X6 (followed by the Genesis GV80 and Porsche Cayenne)
- Large premium SUV: BMW X7 (followed by the Land Rover Range Rover and Mercedes-Benz GLS)
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