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The results are in! Those waiting for the J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS). All of the SUVs on J.D. Power’s most dependable list are from the 2020 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study, which tracks quality over the first three years of ownership. The sport utility vehicles below come from brands you trust, like Toyota, Chevrolet, and BMW, but many more are represented.

Toyota and Lexus have the best SUVs on J.D. Power’s most dependable list for 2023

The SUVs on J.D. Power's most dependable list include the Lexus RX
A 2020 Lexus RX | Lexus

The newest J.D. Power 2023 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) is finally here. The study shows that the industry average is 186 problems per 100 (PP100) vehicles, up six over last year. For 2023, this study looks at 2020 vehicles and how those continue to perform over time. The lower the score, the better the vehicle’s performance.

It might not be surprising that Toyota and Lexus made the list of J.D. Power’s Most Dependable SUVs. The Lexus RX and Toyota CH-R are some of the market’s most reliable sport utility vehicles, with scores of 111 PP100. In the midsize premium SUV category, the Lexus RX beat the Lexus GX, but that was the entire segment. J.D. Power says no other SUVs in the category had enough of a score to qualify.

Some of the other winners include the 2020 Kia Sportage in the compact SUV segment. The Kia SUV beat the Buick Envision and Jeep Cherokee for the least amount of issues. This was the only winner for Kia SUVs on J.D. Power’s most dependable list. Kia did rank highest out of all the mass-market brands for the third year in a row with a score of 152 PP100.

BMW, Kia, and Chevy SUVs also landed on J.D. Power’s Most Dependable List

Lexus had another winner in the compact premium SUV category with the NX. The NX beat out the Cadillac XT4 and the BMW X3, which helped Toyota become the parent company with the most model-level awards. BMW had the best small premium SUV with the X2, followed by the Mercedes-Benz GLA and the BMW X1.

In the large SUV category, only two options scored low enough to qualify: the Chevrolet Tahoe and the GMC Yukon. Chevrolet had another winner with the Blazer in the midsize SUV category. The Blazer beat out the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Ford Edge. Chevy was at the top of the mass-market brands with a score of 162 PP100, coming in third overall.

The upper midsize SUV category saw the Toyota Highlander score the best, beating out the Kia Sorento and Toyota 4Runner. Toyota’s Highlander has been a solid SUV on J.D. Power’s Most Dependable List for many years.

The 2023 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study is a continuation of the IQS

The SUVs on J.D. Power’s Most Dependable List also participated in the 2020 U.S. Initial Quality Study. Six of the 10 brands in the IQS also ranked in the top 10 of the VDS. Some areas that gave drivers the biggest headache include battery issues, outdated navigation, and problems with Android Auto/Apple Car Play.

The 2023 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study examined responses from 30,062 original owners of 2020 model-year vehicles after the first three years of ownership. J.D. Power studied these vehicles between August 2022 and November 2022. J.D. Power found that most vehicles improved from the 2022 study until now, showing an average improvement of 6 PP100.

These are all of the SUVs on J.D. Power’s most dependable list, but there are plenty of cars and trucks from these brands that also performed well.

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