How to read it
Is This a One-Year Result?
No. J.D. Power's 2025 study showed the same order: Lexus 140 PP100, BMW 189, Mercedes-Benz 243, against an industry average of 202.5 The ranking held in two different years.
What does "problems per 100 vehicles" mean?
PP100 is how J.D. Power reports its dependability results. The Vehicle Dependability Study asks original owners of three-year-old vehicles to report every problem they had in the last 12 months. That covers everything from engine and transmission faults to infotainment glitches and trim that doesn't fit right. A score of 151 means 151 problems were reported for every 100 vehicles. Lower is better.
How is Consumer Reports different?
Consumer Reports asks its members about problems across a long list of trouble areas, then combines the answers into a predicted-reliability score for each model and brand. It measures the same thing J.D. Power does, how often things go wrong, but with a different survey population and method. When two separate methods rank the brands the same way, the result is more convincing.
What the studies don't tell you
Brand averages cover many models. A single model can do better or worse than its brand. In the 2026 study, the Lexus IS was the highest-ranked model of any brand, and BMW's X4 won its premium compact SUV segment.2 If you already know which model you want, the model comparisons further down will help you more than brand averages will.
