Ford ranked as the top mainstream brand in the JD Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS) and also earned best-in-segment awards for the F-150, Mustang, and F-Series Super Duty. General Motors’ Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Blazer, Cadillac XT5, and Cadillac also took top honors in their respective segments.

The Top Mainstream Brand achievement ranking marked a milestone for Ford, which just three years ago ranked 15^th among mainstream brands in the annual survey of new buyers.

“This is a proud day for everyone at Ford, and the result of years of intensive work across our company,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO. “Many doubted that an American company with a huge American workforce could compete with the world’s best on quality, let alone reach the top. But we put our heads down and worked every day to deliver for our customers. Today, Ford is not only the most American automaker but also the gold standard for new vehicle quality.”

It is the second year in a row that the Ford F-150 (Large Light Duty Pickup), Ford Mustang (Sporty Car), and Ford Super Duty (Large Heavy Duty Pickup) ranked at the top of their individual segments. The Ford Escape, Ford Explorer, Ford Expedition, and Ford Maverick also landed among the top three in their segments.

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That means seven of Ford’s 10 models tested placed in the top three in their segments, the highest percentage of any other automaker.

Four General Motors ranked third among automakers for the number of segments where vehicles ranked first. Those included the Chevrolet Tahoe (Large SUV – tied with Toyota Sequoia), Chevrolet Blazer (Midsize SUV), Cadillac XT5 (Midsize Premium SUV), and Cadillac CT4 (Compact Premium Car).

New Vehicle Quality Improves Across Industry

The quality of new vehicles has improved industry-wide year over year. According to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study, overall new-vehicle quality, as measured by the total number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) experienced in the first 90 days of ownership, has improved sharply this year.

The study revealed fewer problems cited across nine of 10 categories evaluated. Infotainment is the exception, where connectivity issues continue to strain customer experience with new-vehicle quality.

Vehicles are assigned a PP100 score, with a lower score indicating higher vehicle quality.

“As more technology is introduced into vehicles, keeping the experience simple matters more than ever,” said Frank Hanley, senior director of auto benchmarking at JD Power. “The biggest gains in quality come from features that are easy to use, simple controls, less intrusive driver assistance, and software that works the way customers expect. When technology becomes too complicated, the likelihood of customers experiencing a problem rises considerably.”

Findings of the 2026 Initial Quality Study

The key findings of the 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study are:

Initial Quality Improves Sharply

The total number of reported problems with new vehicles improves to 175 PP100 from 192 PP100 a year ago. This is the best year-over-year improvement in reported problems since 1997 and the fourth-best performance in the 40-year history of IQS. Overall, this year premium brands experienced 169 PP100 and mass market brands experienced 177 PP100.

Infotainment Present Quality Challenges

The only category experiencing an increase in reported problems this year is infotainment, with a total of 44.4 PP100 in the mass market segment and 38.3 PP100 in the premium segment. Within the infotainment category, problems with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity account for an increase of 1.4 PP100 in reported problems, the largest single contributor to the year-over-year decline in infotainment quality.

Improvements Abound Across Industry

Cupholders are the biggest single contributor to the year-over-year improvement in initial quality based on more accessible location and capacity to hold a variety of sizes of cups/water bottles. This year also saw significant improvements in driving assistance alerts, electric vehicle range, road noise, and body panel fit and finish.

Touchscreens Contribute to Distracted Driving

Among owners who detailed a distracted driving-related problem with their vehicle, 46% said the source of the distraction was from the infotainment or touchscreen, while 18% were distracted by driver assistance alerts.

Methodology of the Initial Quality Study

The U.S. Initial Quality Study, now in its 40th year, is based this year on responses from 78,514 purchasers and lessees of new 2026 model-year vehicles, surveyed after 90 days of ownership.

The IQS additionally incorporates repair visit data based on hundreds of thousands of real-world events reported to franchised new-vehicle dealers.

The methodology unites state-of-the-art vehicle repair data with traditional JD Power Voice of the Customer (VOC) data fielded continuously year-round and published monthly for subscribing clients. The enhanced IQS data enables automakers to quickly identify potential issues before they become bigger problems in the quality landscape.

The dataset is based on a battery of 227 VOC questions plus relevant repair data, all of which is organized into 10 vehicle categories:

• Infotainment
• Features, controls, and displays
• Exterior
• Driving assistance
• Interior
• Seats
• Powertrain
• Driving experience
• Climate
• Unspecified (unique to repair)

The data was collected from June 2025 through May 2026.

Highest-Ranking Brands and Models

Porsche was the highest-ranking brand overall in initial quality with a score of 138 PP100. Among premium brands, Genesis (151 PP100) ranked second, and Lexus (156 PP100) ranked third.

Among mass market brands, Ford ranked highest with a score of 152 PP100. Nissan (156 PP100) ranked second, and Buick (162 PP100) ranked third.

The parent corporation receiving the most model-level awards was BMW (six awards). Hyundai Motor Group (five awards) ranked second, and General Motors (four awards) ranked third. Among brands, BMW received the most segment awards (six). Ford and Hyundai ranked second, in a tie, each with three segment awards.