Automotive research firm JD Power’s highly watched Initial Quality Study is out — and it looks like EVs are causing major headaches for consumers.
The JD Power study tracks responses from nearly 100,000 buyers and lessees of 2,024 vehicles over the first 90 days of ownership and, for the first time in the study’s 38-year history, incorporates data from repair visits. Overall, internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles averaged 180 PP100 (or 180 problems per 100 vehicles), while battery electric vehicles (BEVs) averaged 266 PP100, 86 points higher than ICE vehicles.
Car manufacturers often say that EVs are generally less problematic and require fewer repairs than ICE vehicles because they have fewer parts and systems. However, JD Power’s study with newly incorporated repair data shows that EVs, as well as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV), require more repairs than gas-powered vehicles across all repair categories.
“Owners of state-of-the-art, technology-packed BEVs and PHEVs are experiencing problems of a severity level high enough that they are taking their new vehicle to the dealer at a rate three times higher than owners of gasoline-powered vehicles,” he wrote. . Frank Hanley, senior director of automotive benchmarking at JD Power, in the study.
“It is not surprising that the introduction of new technologies has challenged manufacturers to maintain vehicle quality,” added Hanley.
The JD Power study reported no notable improvements in BEV quality this year, and that has to do with the biggest name in the EV space – Tesla (TSLA).
Typically, the difference between the quality of Tesla and that of EVs from traditional automakers has been large, with Tesla scoring better than other automakers. But that disparity has narrowed, with Tesla’s score and traditional automakers’ average scores for electric vehicles standing at 266 PP100. “The removal of controls for traditional features such as turn signals and wiper stalks was not well received by Tesla customers,” said JD Power, which led to Tesla’s score worsening in the last model year (to 266 from 253 in 2023 ) .
Early quality issues with EVs arise as overall EV demand in the US has slowed. Obstacles such as a lack of charging infrastructure, range anxiety and high costs (which are decreasing) have hampered EV adoption. Adding quality concerns and high repair costs to the property bill won’t help the electrification of the nation’s vehicle fleet, which is among the White House’s top priorities.
A recent McKinsey Consumer Pulse Survey also found that 46% of Americans who own EVs are considering switching back to ICE vehicles, a surprising statistic given the overall global percentage of 29%.
Looking at brands overall, the JD Power study said Ram, the truck brand from Stellantis, topped the overall list with a PP100 rating of 149, with Chevrolet, Hyundai, Kia and Buick also near the top. Porsche, with 172 PP100, outperformed all premium brands, ahead of Lexus and Genesis.
On the other hand, Polestar, Dodge, Tesla, Rivian and Volvo (tied with Audi) were the worst in terms of overall quality, with pure EV brands like Polestar, Rivian and the aforementioned Tesla dragging down the EV rankings.
Pras Subramanian is a Yahoo Finance reporter covering the auto industry. You can follow it Twitter and so on Instagram.
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