Buick, the automaker that once sold models like the Grand National, the Riviera, and Wildcat, has been reduced to a handful of semi-affordable, near-premium SUVs like the Envision. However, as disappointing as its lineup is these days, the SUVs currently available in Buick’s lineup are surprisingly some of the most dependable new cars on the market, according to the latest J.D. Power research.
The J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study is now in its 37th year. It covers 184 specific problem areas that span nine main categories: climate, driving assistance, driving experience, exterior, features/controls/displays, infotainment, interior, powertrain, and seats. The 2026 study’s results are based on responses from 33,268 original owners of 2023 model-year vehicles. The organization gathered responses over the course of nearly a year, from December 2024 through November 2025.
That said, this report is not meant to represent long-term reliability. We’d be substantially impressed to see a modern Buick last as long as a Toyota in the grand scheme of things. Nevertheless, Buick had a podium finish this year with relatively low complaints and issues regarding its new cars.
The J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study focuses on initial quality and reliability for models that are only a couple of years old. This report does not mean any given brand will continue to trend as reliable or unreliable over time.
Buick Lands on J.D. Power’s Podium for Reliability
The key takeaway from this whole dependability study isn’t that Toyota’s score is slipping, but that an American brand manages to score so well. Buick’s score places the automaker second overall among all valid brands in the J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability Study.
J.D. Power ranks each brand based on the number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100). The industry average for the 2026 study was 204 PP100. Keeping that in mind should help put Buick’s 160 PP100 into perspective. That’s an impressive feat, but it’s not perfect, as almost every brand is gaining more problems by the year.
The industry average for 2025 was 202 PP100, and 2024’s study averaged 190 PP100. Buick, while maintaining a spot in the top three for the past three years, follows this trend:
- Buick’s 2024 J.D. Power Results: 149 PP100
- Buick’s 2025 J.D. Power Results: 143 PP100
- Buick’s 2026 J.D. Power Results: 160 PP100
Even though the automaker’s score is slightly worse than in previous years, it’s still better than every other American automaker. The closest runner-up was Cadillac with 175 PP100 – up from 169 PP100 in 2025, but far better than its 2024 score of 196 PP100. Chevrolet follows close behind in 2026 with 178 PP100. The next-best American brands are well below average, with Ram at 216 PP100 and Ford at 228.
Toyota Falls Behind, and Honda is Below Average
Toyota has been slipping further down the rankings over the last few years. It once maintained a sense of longevity with legendary V8 engines and other reliable models that can’t be matched to this day. However, the brand is currently positioned in eighth place with 182 problems per 100 vehicles. That’s a far drop from its 2025 score in fourth place at 162 PP100, and a second-place finish in 2024 with 147 PP100.
Honda’s reputation with J.D. Power has remained consistently average or just below average over the last few years. In 2024, it reported 206 PP100; in 2025, it reported 201 PP100. The brand is back to being below average in 2026, with 211 PP100.
Lexus and Acura Couldn’t be Further Apart
As a brief mention, Toyota and Honda’s luxury divisions perform differently from their mainstream counterparts. Lexus consistently holds first place year after year, and this year is more of the same. The brand managed to hang onto its crown with 151 PP100 in 2026. The stat was a little higher than in recent years, though. There were 140 PP100 in 2025 and 135 in 2024.
Acura, on the other hand, is less consistent. Honda’s luxury brand resulted in 233 problems per 100 vehicles this year. The 2025 and 2024 studies reported PP100 values of 249 and 216, respectively.
Why Doesn’t Buick Have More Problems on Paper?
As fun as it is to look at numbers all day, think about the human side of these figures. Who buys models from each brand, and what are they using them for? Logically, Buick’s demographics might not be beating on the cars as hard as a family might use a Toyota or Honda.
One might consider that Buick sells fewer models, whereas Toyota and Honda have a full range of sedans, trucks, and SUVs. More vehicles sold means more owners who can experience issues and report them. That’s why J.D. Power reports problems per 100 vehicles so that the statistic balances low-selling brands with high-volume ones using a metric that makes sense for both.
For reference, Buick sold 183,421 units in 2024, while Toyota sold 2,332,623 vehicles. With so many more Toyota models on the road, it makes sense that J.D. Power would collect more data with more complaints from that brand.
Read the full article on CarBuzz
This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
Read the full article here