Mazda Tops Cadillac, Audi, Acura, Mercedes-Benz In New Dependability Rankings

Mazda outranks legacy luxury brands like Mercedes-Benz, Acura, Audi, and Cadillac in a new study released by JD Power. Mazda's score puts it in the top quarter of the most reliable brands and well above the average for all brands. This news comes the same week that Mazda also outranks many premium brands in safety.

Mazda's Rise to Premium
In recent years, Mazda has taken the brand out of the mainstream and into the premium segment - while keeping prices in the mass-market realm. If Mazda is to succeed in elevating its brand - and we are rooting for the brand to do so - it needs to differentiate itself. One way to do that is with dependability. Premium vehicles must be more dependable than the mass-market brands, or what's the point? Mazda's score on the JD Power Dependability study proves that Mazda vehicles do have an advantage over other brands once considered to be mainstays in luxury.

Related Story: Review: 2018 Mazda6 Signature 2.5 Turbo - Best In Class

JD Power Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS)
The VDS is now in its 31st year. 2020 marks automakers’ best performance in the history of the study. The study covers 177 specific problems grouped into eight major vehicle categories. It measures the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) experienced during the past year by original owners of their three-year-old vehicles. This new 2020 study measures problems in model-year 2017 vehicles. A lower score reflects better quality.

“Despite the increased adoption of complex vehicle technology, dependability continues to improve,” said Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power. “There’s no question that three-year-old vehicles today are better built and more dependable than same-age vehicles were in previous years. However, the rapid introduction of technology is putting increased pressure on dependability, so it would not be surprising to see problem levels plateau, or even increase, over the next few years.”

Mazda Moving Up
Although JD Power's Dave Sargent has concerns that vehicle quality may be peaking, Mazda certainly is not. The brand moved up dramatically in the recent study. In 2019 Mazda's score on the study was 159 and in 2018 Mazda scored below the industry average. In the most recent 2019 JD Power Initial Quality Study, which looks at problems reported in the first three months of ownership, Mazda was tied with Mercedes-Benz. Clearly, Mazda is on the move towards higher quality. Drive one of the new Mazda vehicles and that becomes apparent in the feel and look of the workmanship.

John Goreham is a life-long car nut and recovering engineer. John's focus areas are technology, safety, and green vehicles. In the 1990s, he was part of a team that built a solar-electric vehicle from scratch. His was the role of battery thermal control designer. For 20 years he applied his engineering and sales talents in the high tech world and published numerous articles in technical journals such as Chemical Processing Magazine. In 2008 he retired from that career and dedicated himself to chasing his dream of being an auto writer. In addition to Torque News, John's work has appeared in print in dozens of American newspapers and he provides reviews to many vehicle shopping sites. You can follow John on Twitter, and connect with him at Linkedin.