Honda is the quintessential example of an automaker that does just about everything right. For decades, this Japanese brand has made vehicles that are well-built, nice to drive, fuel efficient, highly functional, and of top-notch quality. And that last point has just been reaffirmed by the 2025 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS).
Three Winners For Honda
Three of Honda’s vehicles earned the top score in their respective segments: the Odyssey minivan, the Acura Integra premium small car, and the Acura RDX compact luxury SUV. All three of these products are assembled in the U.S., with the Odyssey getting screwed together in Alabama, and the two Acuras rolling off assembly lines in Ohio, the Integra being assembled in Marysville while the RDX hails from East Liberty.
Premium vehicles, with their fancy tech and more numerous features, have more issues than the more affordable offerings they’re typically based on.
Aside from all that, Honda’s Alliston Auto Plant 2 in Canada won an Initial Quality Assembly Plant Bronze Award. The Honda CR-V and CR-V Hybrid utility vehicles are both assembled there.
The Ins And Outs Of IQS
J.D. Power’s IQS is an influential survey that, as its name suggests, tracks the initial quality of new vehicles, that is, the number of issues reported by owners during the first 90 days of ownership. This is determined by problems per 100 vehicles, PP100 for short. According to the organization, “Despite the growing complexity of today’s new vehicles, the number of problems cited by owners in the first 90 days of ownership has improved slightly,” good news for drivers who want to avoid wasting hours in their local dealership service department. For this latest study, the overall PP100 average came in at 192, down from 194 last year.
J.D. Power has been conducting its IQS since 1987 and describes the study as “the auto industry standard for benchmarking new vehicle quality.” IQS monitors 227 specific vehicle problems in a range of areas, from climate control systems to driver aids, infotainment technology to seats, and much more.
Manufacturer Rankings
Overall, the Honda brand landed in sixth place among automakers, with a PP100 score of 179. Acura fell to slightly below average, immediately trailing BMW. The premium brand’s rating is 198, while, again, the study average is 192.
As for the top performers, Lexus was, predictably, No. 1, with a PP100 rating of just 166. A shocker, Nissan came in second place (169), a totally unexpected performance. Next, we have Hyundai (173), then Jaguar (175) – another absolute shocker – and Chevrolet (178) landed in fifth place.
As for the bottom-five finishers, we find Mazda and Volkswagen, both with a PP100 of 225. Then comes Infiniti (242), Nissan’s luxury division, Volvo (258), and, surprisingly, Audi came in last place with a PP100 score of 269, more than 100 points greater than Lexus. Ouch!
Other major findings in this study should come as no surprise. Premium vehicles, with their fancy tech and more numerous features, have more issues than the more affordable offerings they’re typically based on. Also, plug-in hybrid vehicles are the most problematic, being more troublesome than pure electric offerings or standard gasoline-powered models. This is likely because PHEVs have much more complicated powertrains.
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