It turns out the biggest improvement in 2026 model-year cars is not advanced driver assistance systems or ultra-connected infotainment setups. It’s better cupholders. Yes, cupholders were the biggest single contributor to the improvement in new-vehicle quality compared with last year’s models, according to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study, which was released last week. The annual study, which is now in its 40th year, combines survey data from about 78,500 purchasers and lessees of new 2026 vehicles after their first 90 days of ownership with repair visit data from dealerships. It measures new-vehicle quality by the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles (PP100). A lower score means fewer problems. Overall, JD Power found that new-vehicle quality improved significanllty this year, falling to 175 PP100 from 192 PP100 last year. That marks the biggest year-over-year improvement since 1997 and the fourth-best score in the study’s history.
Quality measured over nearly a dozen categories The study looks at 10 categories to determine its score, like infotainment, features and controls, exterior, interior, powertrain, driving assistance, and driving experience. In this report, nine of those 10 categories saw an improvement over last year. The only one that got worse was infotainment.
