• J.D. Power released its 2018 US Vehicle Dependability Study in February.
  • The study measures car reliability by surveying respondents who have owned 2015 model-year vehicles for three years.
  • Toyota won six categories, the most of any automaker, while General Motors came in second by winning five categories.

The used car market can be difficult to navigate. Sometimes, it’s tough to tell if a seller is unloading a car because it’s time for an upgrade, or because there’s something wrong with it.

J.D. Power helps consumers get a sense of which cars are most likely to retain their value with its annual vehicle dependability study, which measures how much customers like their cars over time. This year’s survey, which was released in February, collected feedback from 38,896 respondents who had owned a 2015 model-year vehicle for three years and determined the most reliable cars in 19 categories. The resulting data was used to determine the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles. The lower the score, the more reliable the car is.

Toyota won six categories, the most of any automaker, while General Motors came in second by winning five categories.

These are the winners in each of the 19 categories.


Small car: 2015 Kia Rio

Foto: sourceKia

Small premium car: 2015 Lexus CT

Foto: sourceLexus

Compact car: 2015 Toyota Prius

Foto: sourceToyota

Compact premium car: 2015 Lexus ES

Foto: sourceLexus

Midsize car: 2015 Chevrolet Malibu

Foto: sourceGeneral Motors

Midsize sporty car: 2015 Dodge Challenger

Foto: sourceHigh Gear Media

Midsize premium car: 2015 Lexus GS

Foto: sourceLexus

Large car: 2015 Buick LaCrosse

Foto: sourceBuick

Small SUV: 2015 Hyundai Tucson

Foto: sourceHyundai

Small premium SUV: 2015 Audi Q3

Foto: sourceAudi

Compact SUV: 2015 Chevrolet Equinox

Foto: sourceGeneral Motors

Compact premium SUV: 2015 Mercedes-Benz GLK-Class

Foto: sourceDaimler

Midsize pickup: 2015 Toyota Tacoma

Foto: sourceToyota

Midsize SUV: 2015 Chevrolet Traverse

Foto: sourceChevrolet

Midsize premium SUV: 2015 Lexus RX

Foto: sourceLexus

Minivan: 2015 Honda Odyssey

Foto: sourceHonda

Large SUV: 2015 Ford Expedition

Foto: sourceFord

Large light duty pickup: 2015 Chevrolet Silverado

Foto: sourceChevrolet

Large heavy duty pickup: 2015 Ford Super Duty

Foto: sourceFord