Cars are becoming more reliable – luxury brands are struggling the most

Reliability is one of the most important aspects of a car. Gimmicks, a nice look, a chic interior and a lot of power are nice, but in the end a car is and will remain a means of transport for many people. So you want a reliable car.

According to the American research agency JD Power, it is best to turn to “mass brands”. Luxury brands have more problems.

Cars are becoming more reliable

Good news first. The study shows that cars have become slightly more reliable on average. However, the gap between luxury brands and “mass brands” – as they call it in the survey – is widening.

Mass brands in reliability research mean manufacturers like Kia and Toyota. Luxury brands include Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz – although they also have significant production volumes.

The downside to the more expensive brands, according to research, is that mechanically they’re not as advanced as they used to be. But that they distinguish themselves mainly with technical gimmicks. These technical gimmicks are often used for the first time in luxury cars. If the systems work well and are cheaper, they are often only used in cheaper cars: lane assistants, for example. Not all systems will be functional in the long term.

In particular, the voice control of cars is not reliable

These new functionalities are often complex and can cause problems and therefore a less reliable car. The most problematic, for example, is the infotainment of a car. Six out of ten problems identified in the survey were related to infotainment. Speech recognition, in particular, causes the necessary irritation.

What is not there cannot break

A case of “what’s not on it can’t break”. Basic cars generally fare better, although there are exceptions. BMW, Cadillac and Lexus are the three luxury brands that are doing well and above the industry average. The “worst” brands are Ford, Audi, Lincoln, Land Rover and Tesla.