Looking for the happiest new car owners? Start with the folks who bought Korean brands. 

Genesis, Kia and Hyundai took the top three spots in the closely watched J.D. Power Initial Quality Study for 2018. The marketing insights firm released the annual study on Wednesday, one touts as a predictor of long-term reliability in which top honors are coveted by automakers themselves. 

Porsche ranked fourth, while Ford was the highest-ranking U.S. automaker, coming in fifth. 

![JD Power 2018 Crop](https://www.autolist.com/6tuem73u73an/4SHkxPsCqkaS2giUky8a2S/0b3ec8ce20690adedef73ea9aa40cce8/JD_Power_2018_Crop.jpg)

So just what is the J.D. Power IQS?

It’s a study done with nearly 76,000 consumers after they’ve owned their new vehicle for 90 days. Buyers are polled on 233 problems that are split into eight general categories: exterior, seats, driving experience, engine/transmission, features/controls/displays, interior, the climate system and the audio/navigation/infotainment systems. 

Vehicles are measured by problems per 100 (PP100), so like golf, a low score is a good one. 

Genesis -- Hyundai’s burgeoning luxury brand that builds the G80 seen above -- took the top spot overall with just 68 PP100. Kia had 72, while Hyundai had 74.

Overall, new cars are getting better, the study found. 

Twenty-one of the 31 brands included improved their scores from 2017; the industry average also improved from 97 PP100 to 93 PP100, J.D. Power said. 

Mazda grabbed the most-improved honors, with Mitsubishi, Cadillac, Infiniti, Hyundai and Lexus also showing strong gains. U.S. brands also had a good year: Ford Motor Co., Fiat Chrysler and General Motors improved more than the industry did overall. 

On an individual model level, Porsche’s 911 was the most-loved, with just 48 PP100. Ford Motor Company (Ford and Lincoln) had the most models that each ranked highest in their segments with five vehicles a piece. 

Hyundai Motor Group (Hyundai, Genesis and Kia) had four, while BMW, General Motors and Nissan had three. 




Genesis, Kia and Hyundai take top honors for J.D. Power’s annual Initial Quality Study; Porsche’s 911 is the top-ranked model. 

Genesis, Kia and Hyundai sweep J.D. Power 2018 Initial Quality Study

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