Your Life
RELIABILITY ON THE ROAD
What to consider when looking for a dependable ride
When you’re shopping for a car, new or used, one buzzword that often gets thrown around is “reliability.” Who doesn’t want a reliable vehicle? Here’s what to look for—and what goes into reliability ratings from J.D Power and Consumer Reports.
▶︎ First, cars are better than they used to be. Ed Kim, president and chief analyst at the research and consulting firm AutoPacific, says that variable quality among brands has decreased and the gap is now negligible. “Today, whether you buy a Ford, Toyota, Kia or Volkswagen, they’re all likely to provide many years of trouble-free service,” he says. Dave Sargent, vice president for global automotive at J.D. Power, agrees that modern cars experience fewer mechanical breakdowns than vehicles of previous generations, based on his company’s history of surveying car owners.
▶︎ New focus on technology. What concerns drivers more now—and what they report back to J.D. Power—is their car’s technology: Are the functions inside the car easy to understand and use, or annoying? As an example, Sargent says a car might get a poor reliability rating if it uses the touchscreen for key functions instead of physical buttons and dials. “Stuff like that is pretty infuriating to people,” he says. “I think the industry realized they went too far.”
▶︎ But mechanics still matter. Consumer Reports’ reliability ratings focus on the likelihood and severity of a car problem. An engine problem “weighs far more than a squeak or rattle,” says Steven Elek, Consumer Reports’ auto data analytics program leader. “In our parlance, a reliable car will have a lower overall problem rate than other vehicles of the same model year.”
▶︎ Change isn’t necessarily good. “The most reliable brands are the ones that stick with what works and don’t change it too much,” Elek says. “What almost always hurts reliability is when automakers introduce new technologies, such as new power trains and components. It typically takes a few model years for them to work out all the kinks, and sometimes they never do.”
▶︎ Used cars have a history. Cristina Bruns, a director at online car dealer Carvana, advises used-car buyers to get a report from a service such as Carfax, which compiles service data and accident history on that specific vehicle. AutoCheck, ClearVin or Bumper are other options. Car dealers and mechanics also can tap into the car’s computer to get information on outstanding service needs and mechanical issues.
Decoding Car Ratings
How Consumer Reports and J.D. Power rate reliability
▶︎ Methods vary. Consumer Reports conducts hands-on testing to measure such factors as handling, automatic emergency braking, ease of use of controls and cabin noise. The organization also conducts surveys of car owners—usually 200 to 300 for every make and model—asking how well the mechanical and other systems have held up as the car has aged, as well as any issues drivers may have with use of interior electronics. J.D. Power only conducts owner polls, with at least 200 respondents for each model of car answering the same type of questions.
▶︎ How cars are rated. J.D. Power assigns an overall score of up to 100 for each car, based on survey feedback, and lets you compare that to past model years of the same car. It also gives a separate score for “quality and reliability” that looks more closely at mechanical and systems issues, and another that evaluates the driving experience—comfort and performance. Cars are considered “great” or “best” with a score of at least 81. Consumer Reports also uses a scale of 0 to 100 and gives a “recommended” rating to some cars based in part on road test and owner satisfaction data.
AARP AUTO ASSISTANCE
Get guidance on car buying, repairs, safe driving and more at our online Auto hub. Go to aarp.org/auto.