Winners and losers of 2025’s J.D. Power Dependability Study

The cars, trucks, and SUVs you truly can depend on

Consumer insight specialist J.D. Power has announced the winners of its latest annual survey of the most reliable automobiles.

The J.D. Power Dependability Study examines the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) encountered during the past 12 months.

A lower PP100 score therefore means better reliability.

Three-year-old vehicles are covered in the survey. This means 2022 model-year cars, trucks, and SUVs come under the spotlight for the latest 2025 report.

Join us for a look at all the winners – and some of the losers – from this year’s study.

Most Dependable Brand: Lexus

Sitting atop the overall brand chart for 2025 is, once again, Lexus. The Japanese premium marque claims the number one spot for the third year in a row. Toyota’s luxury brand registered 140 problems per 100 vehicles.

Being the best car manufacturer overall for 2025 also ensured that Lexus took the crown as the top-rated premium brand.

Cadillac occupied second position in the premium stakes, with a PP100 score of 169, while Porsche completed the upmarket podium with 186 problems per 100 cars.

Most Dependable Mass Market Brand: Buick

Taking second overall in the latest J.D. Power Dependability Study,  Buick was the best-placed mass market brand for 2025.

A score of 143 problems per 100 vehicles put it impressively close to Lexus in the league table. Buick also saw a number of its vehicles ranked in the top three models per segment.

Mazda was the second-best mass-market brand with a score of 161 PP100, nudging just ahead of Toyota – also on 161 PP100.

Least Dependable Brand: Volkswagen

At the other end of the table, Volkswagen suffered the ignominy of being rated the least dependable brand for 2025.

With 285 problems recorded for every 100 vehicles, Volkswagen sank to the bottom of the pile, compared to its score of 267 PP100 last year.

Volkswagen lagged behind the two Stellantis brands of Chrysler (282 PP100), and Jeep (272 PP100) to be rated as the worst automaker for reliability.

Least Dependable Premium Brand: Audi

Land Rover has been a perennial feature at the bottom of the J.D. Power Dependability Study for a number of years. However, for 2025, it was Audi that edged it out as the lowest-ranked premium brand.

Audi did at least see an improvement in its PP100 since last year. For 2025, it scored 273 problems per 100 cars, up from 275 PP100 in 2024.

Land Rover was the second-lowest scoring premium marque, though, with 270 problems per 100 vehicles.

Most Dependable Model: Toyota Avalon

Toyota may have missed out on being the most dependable mass-market brand for 2025, but it claimed the important prize of having the car with the best reliability of all.

The 2022 model year was the final year the Toyota Avalon was sold in the United States. It has since become a China-only nameplate.

Instead, Toyota returned the Crown badge to North America for subsequent model years. At least the Avalon went out on a high during its final 12 months on sale.

Compact Car: Toyota Corolla

Getting further into the 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study, Toyota collects another award, with the Corolla rated as the top compact car for dependability.

The 2022 model year of the 12th-generation Corolla was the last before Toyota gave the hatchback and sedan a comprehensive facelift, which introduced more complex technology.

Finishing behind the Corolla were the Kia Forte, a previous winner in this segment, along with the Subaru Impreza.

Compact Premium Car: BMW 3 Series

Just like the Toyota Corolla, the 2022 model year BMW 3 Series was the last before a major facelift (or as BMW prefers to call it, a “Life Cycle Impulse”).

The new 2023 3 Series gained a substantially updated interior, removing most physical buttons, and making functions dependent on the new curved central touchscreen.

Notably, J.D. Power found that many problems with cars came from software and infotainment issues, with an increase versus the year before.

The only other model ranking above average in the Compact Premium Car segment for 2025 was the related BMW 4 Series.

Midsize Car: Toyota Camry

More than 295,000 examples of the Toyota Camry were sold in the United States for the 2022 model year, which made it the best-selling non-SUV or pickup truck.

The Camry has consistently topped sales charts in North America for more than two decades, so it should perhaps be no surprise that Toyota has it nailed when it comes to reliability in the Midsize Car class.

Shortlisted behind the Camry were two other big-selling sedans, with the Nissan Altima and Hyundai Sonata completing the podium.

Premium Sporty Car: Chevrolet Corvette

The Chevrolet Corvette claimed this victory by default, being the only car in its segment to score above average on the J.D. Power Dependability Study.

Chevrolet sold more than 25,000 Corvettes during the 2022 model year, which included important changes to the fuel injection system, along with a new fuel pump design.

A celebratory IMSA GTLM Championship Edition package was also made available, but we can’t imagine that contributed to the Corvette’s strong showing on reliability.

Small SUV: Nissan Kicks

Nissan may have scored below average as a brand in the 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study, but it still managed to achieve a pair of segment wins for this year.

The Nissan Kicks is at the more affordable end of the small SUV market, but this did not stop the 2022 model year version from topping the reliability charts.

Nissan made minor changes to the Kicks for 2022, but this was enough to see it placed ahead of the Subaru Crosstrek and Buick Encore GX.

Compact SUV: Toyota RAV4

The Toyota RAV4 is known for kickstarting the compact crossover market in the 1990s. It has continued to be a popular choice for five generations since.

Although the latest RAV4 may not be the most exciting crossover SUV to drive, its combination of practicality and hybrid efficiency has won it numerous fans. Dependability can now be added to that list, thanks to a strong showing in the 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study.

The RAV4 was ranked in front of the GMC Terrain and the Mazda CX-5.

Compact Premium SUV: Mercedes-Benz GLC

The first-generation Mercedes-Benz GLC entered its final model year in 2022, before being replaced with an all-new version.

With plenty of time to iron out any reliability issues since launch in 2015, this allowed Mercedes-Benz to take victory in the Compact Premium SUV class.

BMW continued its strong showing in the 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study, with the X3 SUV and X4 SUV coupe completing the top-performing trio.

Midsize SUV: Nissan Murano

In a competitive field of Midsize SUVs, the Nissan Murano usually offers very little of note. Other than its stylish looks and generous level of standard equipment, the Murano is typically a mid-pack contender.

However, the 2022 model year Nissan Murano can now add dependability to its CV.

J.D. Power’s assessment put the Murano at the top of the pile in the Midsize SUV category, beating the Chevrolet Blazer that led the class in 2023. The Toyota Venza was the other runner-up.

Midsize Premium SUV: Lexus GX

Lexus has dominated the Midsize Premium SUV category in the J.D. Power Dependability Study for the last decade, taking victory here for 10 years in a row.

Success has switched between the Lexus GX and RX SUVs, but it was the turn of the GX to be crowned the winner for 2025.

Taking second place was, perhaps unsurprisingly, the Lexus RX, followed by the Cadillac XT5.

Upper Midsize SUV: GMC Acadia

GMC performed well in the 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study, with a brand PP100 score of 181, putting it ahead of BMW and Porsche.

Despite this strong showing, the Acadia was the only GMC product to take a segment win, being rated as the best Upper Midsize SUV.

Taking second place behind the GMC Acadia was the related Buick Enclave, which uses the same General Motors C1XX platform. The long-running Mazda CX-9 claimed the final podium position.

Upper Midsize Premium SUV: Cadillac XT6

Moving to the Upper Midsize Premium SUV segment sees another win for the GM C1XX platform, here in the shape of the luxurious Cadillac XT6.

This market sector has typically been dominated by European brands, with the BMW and Porsche previous winners. However, the all-American Cadillac was the most dependable model for this year’s survey.

J.D. Power ranked the BMW X5 in second position, with the Range Rover Sport in third proving a rare high point for the Land Rover marque.

Large SUV: Chevrolet Tahoe

The Chevrolet Tahoe holds onto its crown as the most dependable SUV for the third year in a row.

For the second year, the Chevy Tahoe was the only Large SUV assessed by J.D. Power to be at or above the average for its segment.

With no other competitors reliable enough to make the grade, Chevrolet scored an automatic home run with the Tahoe in the 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study.

Minivan: Toyota Sienna

Minivans continue to be an increasingly niche option, with ever fewer models on the market to consider.

For the 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study, the Toyota Sienna was the only minivan rated above the class average, leaving it unchallenged for the segment win.

The fourth-generation Sienna was launched for the 2021 model year, meaning any initial teething troubles could have been ironed out for the follow-up 2022 model year.

Midsize Pickup: Toyota Tacoma

Another category, another Toyota win, completing the Japanese marque’s run of success in the 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study.

Winning the Midsize Pickup Truck segment for the third time in three years demonstrates just how reliable the third-generation Tacoma is.

The related GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado finished behind the Tacoma.

Large Light Duty Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado

General Motors performed strongly across the 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study’s three truck classes, winning the important Large Light Duty Pickup segment.

The Chevrolet Silverado proved to be the most reliable truck in the 2022 model year class, which coincided with a major facelift for the popular pickup.

J.D. Power assessed only one other truck to make the grade, and it just so happened to be the near-identical GMC Sierra.

Large Heavy Duty Pickup: Chevrolet Silverado HD

Completing the 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study is the Large Heavy Duty Pickup category, which possibly poses the toughest physical challenge for dependability.

General Motors dominated the Heavy Duty class, with the Chevrolet Silverado HD being rated the most reliable pickup truck.

As with the Light Duty class, the only other Heavy Duty truck to make the grade for dependability in 2025 was the platform-sharing GMC Sierra HD.

But what about Tesla?

There is a notable absence from the 2025 J.D. Power Dependability Study. One of the biggest-selling brands of recent years does not get a mention in any segment.

That’s because Tesla will not share the level of ownership records and reliability data with J.D. Power that is needed to meet the criteria to receive any awards.

J.D. Power did assess the brand to have a PP100 score of 209, which would put it just below average, and ranked ahead of Alfa Romeo.