Only 4 American Brands Rank Above Average On J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study And Lexus Is The Big Winner

Lexus is back in the driver’s seat on the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study.

The luxury marque was the top rated brand on the annual survey, which measures customer satisfaction with their purchase during the first 90 days of ownership. Lexus had dipped to eighth on the list in 2024 when Ram pulled off a surprise win.

Nissan was second this year, followed by Hyundai, Jaguar and Chevrolet, which was the highest-ranked American brand. Dodge, Buick and Jeep were the only other American makes that scored above the industry-average, with Ford coming up just short by a single point.

The survey considers a variety of issues that include reliability problems and all sorts of functionality, from infotainment system controls to cupholders, which many gave low scores this year amid a trend toward larger beverage containers that don’t fit well in many cupholders.

Among segment-specific rankings, The Ford Mustang (Sporty Car), Buick Encore GX (Small SUV), Ford Escape (Compact SUV), Chevrolet Blazer (Midsize SUV), Cadillac XT5 (Midsize Premium SUV), Chevrolet Tahoe (Large SUV), Jeep Gladiator (Midsize Pickup tie), Chevrolet Silverado and Ford F-150 (Large Light Duty Pickup tie) and Ford F-Series Super Duty (Large Heavy Duty Pickup) were the winners for American brands.

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The U.S.-built Acura Integra, Nissan Altima, Lexus ES, Kia Telluride, BMW X6, Acura RDX, BMW X7, Honda Odyssey and Hyundai Santa Cruz also won segments for those foreign brands.

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The Initial Quality Study (IQS) doesn’t always match up with J.D. Power’s Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), which tracks issues after three years of ownership. Lexus finished fifth in the 2022 IQSs, but was tops on the 2025 VDS, while Kia went from first to 11th.