JD Power released the results of its annual 2019 UK Vehicle Dependability study, which measures the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles in the UK, based on the responses from 11,530 owners of new vehicles registered from November 2015 through January 2018 in the UK.
The stars of this year’s study were mainstream brands, with Peugeot winning first position after scoring just 77 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). Second place went to Skoda (88 PP100) and third to Hyundai (90 PP100).
Another highlight of the study is the fact that just one premium brand managed to finish in the top 10, and that honor goes to Volvo, finishing tenth with a score of 106 PP100. Still, the Swedish brand managed a better score than the study’s industry average of 119 PP100.
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Perhaps the most surprising result is that of BMW; the Bavarian car maker finished at the bottom of the rankings, with a score of 181 PP100, falling behind Audi and Fiat (167 and 173 PP100 respectively).
The UK Vehicle Dependability Study also found that owners of premium models cite more problems with their audio/communication/entertainment/navigation systems that owners of mainstream vehicles. The same applies for the newer safety features (for example, blind spot monitoring, collision avoidance, and more), with more expensive cars facing more issues with them than the more affordable vehicles.
“When we look at the PP100 scores of relatively new safety technologies, it’s clear that manufacturers still have work to do to perfect those systems—particularly premium brands that use them as a major selling point,” said Josh Halliburton, Head of European Operations at J.D. Power.
The study also found the so-called “green” cars to have more problems in areas like the powertrain, seats and infotainment systems than vehicles with plain ICE powertrains but their owners are more likely to repurchase or lease the same brand in the future.
