Buying a quality vehicle can help you save money in the long-run. You won’t have to purchase a vehicle as often if you lean towards the highest quality models. These 22 cars being made in 2019 will give you a good run for your money.
What Are The Highest Quality Models in 2019?
For the second year in a row, Korean car brands dominated the list of highest-quality cars in the United States. Genesis, Hyundai, and Kia took the first three spots on the list. All three brands are part of the same Korean manufacturing group. According to the annual survey by J.D. Power, the electronics performance in the vehicles was especially great.
The survey, which is released every year, takes a look at how new cars perform within their first 90 days. It tracks defects, shortcomings, and any problems with advanced safety systems. This plays an influential role in the public perception of vehicle brands. However, it does not gauge reliability in the long-term. It also doesn’t track the popularity or value of the vehicles.
In 2019, vehicle quality stayed flat and did not improve for the first time in five years. “Automakers continue to make progress in areas like infotainment that attract a lot of consumer attention,” Dave Sargent, vice president of global automotive at J.D. Power, stated. “However, some traditional problems crept up this year including paint imperfections, brake and suspension noises, engines not starting and the ‘check engine’ light coming on early in the ownership experience.”
2019 Quality Cars
It seems many car buyers are having issues with advanced assistance systems in their vehicles. In most cases, these systems are critical in helping build trust in automated cars in the future. Below is a list of the highest-rated vehicles in 2019.
- Genesis
- Kia
- Hyundai
- Ford
- Lincoln
- Chevrolet
- Nissan
- Dodge
- Lexus
- Toyota
- Buick
- GMC
- Mazda
- Mercedes-Benz
- Porsche
- Honda
- Cadillac
- Jeep
- Infiniti
- BMW
- Ram
- Audi
- Mini
- Acura
- Chrysler
- Subaru
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
- Alfa Romeo
- Mitsubishi
- Land Rover
- Jaguar
Tesla was not measured in this year’s survey. “For certain states, we need the manufacturer’s permission for us to contact their customers,” J.D. Power said in a statement. “These states make up approximately 70% of Tesla’s sales volume, and Tesla does not give us approval in these states. (All other automakers do give permission.) Therefore we only have responses from states which comprise about 30% of Tesla’s sales volume, and our current rules preclude us from reporting publicly on what may be an unrepresentative sample of customers.”
Winners By Category
Now, obviously, consumers have favorite models within each brand name. Below are each of the highest-quality models this year, according to the survey.
- Top overall model: The Porsche 911 was rated top overall model in 2019.
- Small car: Kia Rio won the best small car. Runners up are the Hyundai Accent and Nissan Versa.
- Small premium car: Winner of the best small premium car is the BMW 2 Series.
- Compact car: Kia won the best compact car with its Forte. Runners up for this were the Hyundai Elantra and Toyota Corolla.
- Compact sporty car: The best compact sporty car in 2019 is the MINI Cooper. The Hyundai Veloster came in a close second.
- Compact premium car: The Genesis G70 was voted best compact premium car. Similarly-rated vehicles include the BMW 4 Series and Kia Stinger.
- Midsize car: Americans rated Chevrolet Malibu and Ford Fusion equally, winning the best midsize car. The Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima were runners up.
- Midsize sporty car: The best midsize sporty car went to the Dodge Challenger.
- Midsize premium car: Mercedes-Benz won the best midsize premium car with its CLS. The Genesis G80 and Audi A7 were runners up.
- Large car: The best large car went to the Nissan Maxima. Runners up were the Toyota Avalon and Chrysler 300.
- Small SUV: The Kia Sportage took home best small SUV. Two Hyundai models (the Tucson and the Kona) were runners up.
- Compact SUV: Americans favored the Chevrolet Equinox as the best compact SUV. Runners up included the Ford Escape, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue.
- Compact premium SUV: BMW made the list again for best compact premium SUV with its popular X4 model. Close runners up were the Lincoln MKC and Mercedes-Benz GLC.
- Midsize pickup: The best midsize pickup went to the Ford Ranger. The Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma were also favorable.
- Midsize SUV: The Hyundai Santa Fe was voted the best midsize SUV. Other favorites included the Ford Flex, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Kia Sorento, and Nissan Murano.
- Midsize premium SUV: The Lexus RX was voted the best midsize premium SUV. The Mercedes-Benz GLE was also favored in the survey.
- Minivan: Kia was voted as having the best minivan with its 2019 Sedona model. As usual, the Dodge Grand Caravan and Toyota Sienna were voted favorably as well.
- Large SUV: Consumers favored the Chevrolet Tahoe as the best large SUV. Runners up were the Toyota Sequoia and Ford Expedition.
- Large premium SUV: The best premium SUV was named the 2019 Cadillac Escalade. The Lincoln Navigator was runner up.
- Large light-duty pickup: Nissan won best large light-duty pickup truck with its 2019 Titan. The Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra were runners up.
- Large heavy-duty pickup: Lastly, the best large heavy-duty pickup was voted to be the 2019 Chevrolet Silverado HD. The Ford Super Duty was runner up.
When buying a new vehicle, seeing how consumers rate the car you want to buy may help lead you to make a better car buying decision. However, it shouldn’t be the only thing you keep in mind. Remember to have a budget and stick to it, consider how the car retains value, and how long you’ll be able to drive it. All of these things are important when deciding which car is right for you.
Readers, do you see your current car listed above?
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