Lexus Tops All Premium Brands in Dependability for Fourth Straight Year
Lexus is once again the most problem-free premium auto brand one can buy, according to the 2026 J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study.
Since its very inception, Lexus has been known for producing vehicles that will go the distance, racking up tons of miles without exhibiting too many problems. This reputation is one shared with its parent company, Toyota, which has certainly earned its fair share of reliability and dependability awards over the years. Both brands have landed at or near the top of the J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) rankings on many occasions over the years, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this was also the case in the just-released 2026 version of that study.
In fact, Lexus has now topped all premium automotive brands in the VDS study for four consecutive years, and finished first among all brands this year, in general, thanks to its score of 151 PP100 (problems per 100 vehicles). Buick ranked second with 160 PP100, followed by Mini (168), Cadillac (175), and Chevrolet (178) rounding out the top five, while Toyota ranked not too far behind in eighth with a score of 185 PP100. For those unaware, a lower score reflects fewer problems experienced by owners, and thus, higher quality.
If all of this wasn’t good enough news for Toyota, it also had the top-ranked overall model in the 2026 VDS as well – the Lexus IS – and it received the most model-level awards of any brand at eight. In addition to the IS, Lexus UX, Lexus GX, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Camry, Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Sienna, and Toyota 4Runner all brought home hardware this time around as well.
This year’s VDS covered 184 different problem areas, spanning nine categories – climate; driving assistance; driving experience; exterior; features/controls/displays; infotainment; interior; powertrain; and seats – and is based on the responses of 33,268 owners of 2023 model year vehicles following three years of ownership. Along with exterior issues, problems with infotainment systems and over-the-air (OTA) software updates continue to be the most prevalent, and overall PP100 has increased by two, year-over-year, because of them.
“As owners hold onto their vehicles longer, the long-term ownership experience matters more than ever,” said Jason Norton, director of auto benchmarking at JD Power. “Software updates and new technologies should enhance the ownership experience over time, yet many vehicle owners cite ongoing mobile phone integration problems and little to no benefit after an update is performed. Much of this comes down to owner education and ongoing communication. Automakers should focus on delivering meaningful improvements and clearly communicating the intended benefits of software updates so owners understand how they are designed to enhance their vehicle and ownership experience.”
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