Top Rated Vehicles by Class in the 2015 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study

Stephen Elmer
by Stephen Elmer

Four different brands have managed to capture four J.D. Power Initial Quality awards for their vehicles.

General Motors, Hyundai, Nissan and Volkswagen all have at least four vehicles at the top of their respective segment when it comes to initial quality, which is measured in problems experienced per 100 vehicles (PP100). The study asked 84,000 new car owners about the first 90 days of ownership and asks them to report any problems.

Overall, Korean brands have the highest scores in initial quality, while Japanese brands have fallen below the industry average for the first time ever, despite a small improvement in initial quality compared to last year.

See the list below to see which three vehicles topped each segment in initial quality. Categories with only one or two vehicles listed means the other vehicles in the segment were below the industry average PP100.

City Car

1. Chevy Spark

Midsize Car

1. Chevy Malibu

2. Kia Optima

3. Toyota Camry

Small Car

1. Hyundai Accent

2. Kia Rio

3. Chevy Sonic

Midsize Sporty Car

1. Dodge Challenger

2. Chevy Camaro

Small Premium Car

1. BMW 2 Series

2. Acura ILX

Midsize Premium Car

1. BMW 5 Series

2. Lincoln MKS

3. Infiniti Q70

Compact Car

1. Nissan Sentra

2. Hyundai Elantra/Toyota Corolla (tie)

Midsize Premium Sporty Car

1. Porsche 911

2. Mercedes SL-Class

3. Jaguar F-Type

Compact Sporty Car

1. Mazda MX-5

2. VW Eos

3. Scion tC

Large Car

1. Chrysler 300

2. Kia Cadenza

3. Chevy Impala

Compact Premium Car

1. BMW 4 Series

2. Lincoln MKZ

3. Lexus ES

Large Premium Car

1. Lexus LS

2. BMW 7 Series

3. Porsche Panamera

Small SUV

1. Hyundai Tucson

2. Buick Encore/Kia Sportage (tie)

Midsize Pickup

1. Toyota Tacoma

2. Nissan Frontier

Small Premium SUV

1. Audi Q3

2. Mercedes GLA-Class

3. Range Rover Evoque

Minivan

1. Nissan Quest

2. Chrysler Town & Country

3. Kia Sedona

Compact SUV

1. Chevy Equinox/Ford Escape (tie)

2. GMC Terrain

Large SUV

1. Toyota Sequoia

2. Ford Expedition

3. Chevy Tahoe

Compact Premium SUV

1. Porsche Macan

2. Mercedes GLK-Class

3. Infiniti QX50/Lexus NX (tie)

Large Premium SUV

1. Infiniti QX80

2. Mercedes GL-Class

3. Lincoln Navigator

Compact MPV

1. Kia Soul

Large Light Duty Pickup

1. Chevy Silverado

2. Ram 1500

Midsize SUV

1. Kia Sorento

2. Hyundai Santa Fe

3. Chevy Traverse

Large Heavy Duty Pickup

1. Ford Super Duty

2. Chevy Silverado

Midsize Premium SUV

1. Infiniti QX70

2. Lincoln MKX

3. Porsche Cayenne

Stephen Elmer
Stephen Elmer

Stephen covers all of the day-to-day events of the industry as the News Editor at AutoGuide, along with being the AG truck expert. His truck knowledge comes from working long days on the woodlot with pickups and driving straight trucks professionally. When not at his desk, Steve can be found playing his bass or riding his snowmobile or Sea-Doo. Find Stephen on <A title="@Selmer07 on Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/selmer07">Twitter</A> and <A title="Stephen on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/117833131531784822251?rel=author">Google+</A>

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