2025 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study - What Drives Us Mad in New Cars

2025 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study: Touchscreens, PHEVs, and Cupholders – What’s Driving Us Mad in New Cars

Modern cars can park themselves, follow lane markings, and send updates over the air—but for some reason, turning on the aircon without needing a PhD is still a challenge. The 2025 J.D. Power U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) is out, and while there’s a tiny improvement in vehicle quality overall—down to 192 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) from 194 last year—it’s far from a squeaky-clean report card.

Top of the complaint list is infotainment, again. Despite improving slightly, it still tallies a whopping 42.6 PP100, with touchscreen overload making everyday tasks like adjusting climate settings or opening the glovebox an exercise in distraction. “Looks great, works poorly,” said J.D. Power’s Frank Hanley. It seems many drivers just want knobs back—especially when they’re trying to demist the windscreen in peak traffic.

Premium vehicles—which you’d expect to be bulletproof—actually had more defects than their mass-market cousins. While design complaints were similar, the premium end had more issues with the physical car itself, particularly the exterior. Turns out, expensive paint jobs and fancy trims aren’t immune to flaws.

Above: This Week’s VIDEO Review – Why the 2025 Leapmotor C10 Drove Us Nuts – Full Review – Alan Zurvas

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ABOVE: The user experience (UX) – the good and the bad

The real surprise? Plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) are now the most problematic drivetrain of all, at a dismal 237 PP100. That’s worse than battery electric vehicles (BEVs) at 212 PP100, and far behind hybrids (196) and good old-fashioned petrol cars (184). So while PHEVs are supposed to offer the best of both worlds, it seems they’re delivering the worst—at least when it comes to early reliability.

Cupholders—yes, cupholders—also made a dramatic return to the complaint board. Thanks to the boom in reusable bottles, owners are frustrated their centre consoles can’t accommodate the hydration gear they now bring from home. The result? Spilled oat lattes and bitter disappointment.

In the rankings, Lexus leads with just 166 PP100, proving that bulletproof quality still lives on (even if it comes with a conservative grille). Jaguar and Genesis round out the top three in premium, while Nissan, Hyundai, and Chevrolet lead the mass-market pack. Porsche’s 911, as always, remains the golden child of the industry with just 116 PP100.

On the manufacturing side, BMW’s Graz plant in Austria scored the Platinum Plant Quality Award, while Toyota’s Canadian and Japanese plants split the Gold. That includes the factories responsible for the Lexus RX, ES, IS, LS and NX—vehicles we know and love Down Under.

The 2025 IQS is based on responses from nearly 93,000 new car owners after 90 days of ownership and includes hard repair data from dealerships. It tracks 227 detailed owner questions, across 10 categories from infotainment to climate controls. This isn’t fluff—it’s the real deal.

So what’s the takeaway? If you’re shopping for a new car, maybe check how easy it is to change the fan speed before you get seduced by the 20″ wheels. And if your fancy PHEV has been glitching like a Windows Vista laptop, you’re not alone.

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