Lexus and Porsche top dependability survey

According to US car owners, Lexus cars are the most dependable while Porsche, Toyota, Buick and Mercedes-Benz round out the top five.

The latest JD Power report surveyed 35,186 motorists who bought new cars in 2013, and asked them to rate the number of problems with their car over a three-year period.

The single biggest problem reported in the survey revolved around Bluetooth malfunctions and voice recognition problems.

The US auto market recorded almost 18.4 million new-vehicle sales in 2016 – significantly more than the Australian car market's almost 1.2 million, of which the Toyota HiLux was crowed the best-seller.

Dave Sargent, JD Power global automotive vice president, said the car industry was constantly improving in its ability to avert traditional car problems, such as engine and chassis issues. However, he said the increasing amount of technology in cars has seen the annual average number of problems rise by four points.

Lexus vehicles came out on top, with an average of 110 problems per 100 vehicles. The lower the score, the better the dependability, and the lowest score on the list went to Fiat with 298 problems per 100 vehicles – see below for the full list.

The industry average was 156 problems per 100 vehicles – worse than last year's 152 rating – and while Toyota moved up one spot compared to the previous year, into third place, the biggest improver was Hyundai, slashing 25 points and becoming the sixth most dependable car in the survey – its best result so far.

Other big improvers were Ford and Land Rover, which reduced problems per 100 vehicles by 21 and 20 points respectively.

Customers want reliability – and they're voting with their feet

"We find buyers are increasingly avoiding models with poor reputations for dependability, so manufacturers can't afford to let quality slip, particularly on their best sellers," said Sargent.

"While many expensive and niche vehicles do have excellent quality, the fact is that most consumers are shopping in the high-volume mainstream segments. The good news is that consumers don't have to spend a lot of money to get a very dependable vehicle."

Toyota was the best-ranked non-prestige brand in the survey, and the Camry was the most dependable mid-size car in the survey, followed by the Hyundai Sonata.

More than half of the vehicles in the top 10 recorded a worse result than the year prior, including the top two marques Lexus and Porsche, which increased by 15 and 13 problems per 100 vehicles respectively.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had a tougher time, with four of its brands in the bottom five of the survey: RAM, Dodge, Jeep and Fiat. Nissan-owned Infiniti was the odd one out in third last place.

2017 JD Power US Vehicle Dependability Study: