Congratulations to the Jeep Gladiator for having the best initial quality. However, do drivers care about this win? Sales for the Jeep truck have been declining even though J.D.Power has ranked it in first place for the past three years in a row. 

The Jeep Gladiator has the best initial quality again 

It’s official, the 2025 Jeep Gladiator is number one. It took the top spot in the J.D.Power 2025 Initial Quality Study (IQS) for the third year in a row. 

According to Stellantis, the Gladiator led its rivals in seven out of 10 categories. The segments include driving experience, infotainment, and interior. 

The study is based on driver feedback. J.D.Power sends surveys out to owners of new trucks to learn about their first 90 days of ownership. It measures the number of problems experienced per 100 vehicles to assess brand performance. 

But owning this study isn’t leading to increased sales. In 2024, the Gladiator sold 42,123 trucks, which is a decrease from 55,188 sales in 2023. Meanwhile, the Toyota Tacoma sold 192,813 models in 2024. Also, the Nissan Frontier sold 68,155 models. 

Surveying vehicles in the first 90 days doesn’t seem like a very long time. But J.D.Power also ranks trucks based on reliability after three years of ownership. 

The Gladiator has a reliability rating of 87 out of 100, which is above average. Scores between 70 to 80 are average while anything between 81 and 90 is above average. Anything between 91 and 100 is best. 

For comparison’s sake, the Toyota Tacoma earned a reliability score of 79 out of 100. So, the Gladiator is getting crushed despite being more reliable with fewer problems.