Tesla falls behind in J.D. Power owner satisfaction study

Tesla has fallen behind a few points on a recently published owner satisfaction study, with others such as Rivian, Porsche, and Jaguar landing some of the index’s top spots.

J.D. Power published its 2024 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study last week, which measured owner satisfaction with their vehicles after 90 days of ownership. The index looked at responses from 99,144 owners of 2024 model year vehicles, noting that satisfaction for mainstream brands has increased from not resonating well with consumers in past years.

Tesla had an overall score of 870 in the evaluation, dropping from its 878 score in the 2023 APEAL Study. Meanwhile, OEMs like Porsche, BMW, Dodge, Ram, and several others saw their scores jump year over year.

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“Traditional manufacturers have listened to the Voice of the Customer,” notes J.D. Power Senior Director of Auto Benchmarking Frank Hanley. “They’re launching enhanced vehicles that are more in line with what customers want, including improved interior storage and higher quality materials, as well as ensuring features have ease of use.

“For BEVs, recent launches from traditional manufacturers have surpassed perennial leader Tesla when it comes to owners’ level of emotional attachment and excitement with their new vehicle.”

J.D. Power also notes that the study took place from July 2023 through May 2024, based on vehicles registered from April 2023 through February 2024. The APEAL is now in its 29th year with the 2024 publication, requesting that vehicle owners consider their satisfaction with 37 separate vehicle factors.

Infotainment systems were the lowest-ranking across all the categories evaluated with an average of 823, though the figure still marked a 5-point improvement from last year. Vehicles using Android Auto or Apple CarPlay generally ranked better, with averages of 832 and 840, respectively.

Despite Rivian and Tesla gaining high scores on the overall evaluation, these automakers and Polestar were not awarded, due to the brands not meeting study award criteria.

“There must be at least three models with 80 percent of market sales or four models with 67 percent of the market sales in any given award segment for an award to be presented,” J.D. Power writes on the criteria for inclusion in the awards. “In the Small Car, Midsize Premium Car, Large Car, Large Premium Car, Compact Sporty Car and Midsize Sporty Car segments, these criteria were not met, thus no awards have been issued.”

J.D. Power’s top-ranked vehicle brands in the 2024 APEAL Study

Top 10 premium brands by owner satisfaction

1. Rivian (900)*
2. Porsche (891)
3. Jaguar (886)
4. Land Rover (882)
5. BMW (881)
6. Mercedes-Benz (876)
7. Lincoln (874)
8. Genesis (873)
9. Tesla (870)*
   premium segment average (870)
10. Cadillac (868)

Top 10 mass-market brands by owner satisfaction

1. MINI (858)
2. Ram (854)
3. Kia (853)
4. Hyundai (846)
5. GMC (845)
6. Volkswagen (844)
7. Buick (842)
8. Chevrolet (841)
   mass-market segment average (838)
9. Dodge (837)
10. Honda (836)

*These brands did not meet the criteria for the APEAL Study’s awards, meaning that they were not rank-eligible, according to J.D. Power.

Other recent assessments from J.D. Power

Last month, Tesla, Rivian, and Polestar were given low ranks in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study for 2024, as many battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) were reportedly found to require more repairs, in part due to including newer technology.

In May, J.D. Power ranked Tesla’s mobile app the best among several automakers, just ahead of Mercedes, BMW, and Genesis. The firm also said earlier this year that Mercedes-Benz and Tesla have the best websites in the industry.

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