Second-hand Car Quality
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors recorded the best-ever records in a used car quality survey by JD Power with the highest authority in the United States. The two Korean automakers outclassed Germany’s BMW and Audi, the US’s Lincoln, Sweden’s Volvo and other brands in the survey, having the world-class durability of their cars recognized. This is another feat since last year Kia Motors ranked first in 27 years as a general brand in JD Power's new car quality evaluation.
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors said that Hyundai Motor ranked third (133 points) and Kia Motors sixth (148 points) among 19 general brands in the 2017 Vehicle Durability Survey (VDS) announced by JD Power on February 22 (local time). Their ranks were their highest grades ever. Hyundai Motor sat third in six years since placing third in 2011 and Kia Motors ranked the highest since 2000 the survey began. Hyundai Motor rose by six notches in the rankings and Kia Motors one notch. "Hyundai Motor jumped most significantly among all brands," JD Power said. The durability quality survey shows scores based on complaints per 100 cars of customers who purchased cars three years ago. The lower a score is, the higher quality satisfaction is. US consumers refer to JD Power ratings as an important indicator in selecting models.
Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors were among the top 31 brands including premium brands such as Porsche. Hyundai Motor stood 6th and Kia 11th. In particular, Hyundai outweighed BMW (139 points), Jaguar (144 points), Audi (153 points) and Volvo (154 points) and towered over an industry average of 156 points. By models, a total of 4 models of the two automakers were also awarded the Excellent Quality Prize. Hyundai's YF Sonata stood second in the middle class and its Tucson ix third in the small SUV category. Kia Motors’s 'Soul' held second place in the multi-purpose car category and its 'K7' third place in the large car class.
The image of Hyundai Motor and Kia Motors among US consumers has been that their quality is excellent and they become prone to malfunctions after several years of use. In fact, JD Power's new car quality assessment ranked Kia Motors first for the first time among general brands since 1989 when Toyota did so. However, in the durability evaluation, Kia Motor always hovered around tenth place. However, JD Power named Kia Motors one of the top brands in its duality evaluation, giving a big helping hand to Kia Motors’s making an improvement to its brand image.