America’s Worst Car Brand

One of the most carefully followed research studies about automobiles is the annual J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study. The firm recently released its 2025 edition. The ratings are based on problems per 100,000 vehicles (PP100). The brand with the worst ranking was Volkswagen.

The data is taken when drivers’ cars are three years old. Problems are spread across nine major categories: climate, driving assistance features, driving experience, vehicle exterior, the car’s “features/controls/displays,” infotainment systems, vehicle interior, quality of powertrain, and seats.

Many of the poorest scores across all brands had to do with relatively new vehicle features. In particular, these included software defects in systems like Wi-Fi and “personal device integration,” which includes smartphone use. It appears that the more complex cars are to drive, the lower their scores.

Volkswagen scored 283 PP100. The brand launched in the United States in 1949, and it only sold two vehicles that year. VW started in Germany in 1937. In 2024, VW was the second-largest car manufacturer (9.03 million), behind only Toyota (10.8 million).

VW now has several brands. Among the best known are the flagship VW brand, Audi, and Porsche.

For a sense of how badly Volkswagen did in the J.D Power survey, note that the average PP100 among all brands included was 202. The top brand was Lexus at 140.

I Was About to Buy a Volvo, but These 20 Factors Scared Me Off

The post America’s Worst Car Brand appeared first on 24/7 Wall St..