The Chinese division of the reputable agency J.D. Power has published a fresh rating of the reliability of gasoline cars for 2025, based on a large-scale survey of nearly twenty-three thousand car owners who purchased their vehicles from February 2021 to June 2024. The study covered 166 models from 38 brands, where each respondent evaluated their car based on 177 parameters, including issues with the engine, transmission, interior, body, electronics, and other components. The final criterion was the PP100 index, reflecting the number of malfunctions per hundred vehicles: the lower the value, the higher the reliability.
The overall picture of gasoline car reliability in China is deteriorating year by year. The average problem rate has increased by seven points, reaching 197 per hundred cars. Owners most often complain about excessive engine vibration, multimedia system failures, and incorrect operation of driver assistance systems. Premium models demonstrate the best results with an index of 181 problems per hundred, mass-market brands are slightly worse at 202, and purely Chinese brands lag behind with an average of 221 malfunctions.
The leader among manufacturers is the joint venture FAW-Toyota with an outstanding index of 156 PP100, which underscores the superiority of Japanese-Chinese collaborations. In second place unexpectedly is British Land Rover with 157 problems, and third place is taken by GAC-Toyota with 158. Next are Porsche with 165, BMW with 166, Changan Ford with 172, GAC Honda with 175, Mercedes-Benz with 177, Audi with 178, and Buick with 181. Thus, the entire top ten consists of joint ventures or foreign premium brands, and purely Chinese manufacturers are not included.
Among domestic Chinese brands, Chery was the best with an index of 188 PP100, which allowed it to surpass many competitors, but still leave it behind the leaders. Second place among the "Chinese" was taken by Hongqi with 192 problems, and third by Geely with 200. Next were GAC with 201, Tank with 212, and Jetour with 217. Haval, popular in Russia, as well as other brands like Exeed or Lynk & Co, showed even lower results, confirming that purely Chinese models are still inferior in reliability to joint projects with foreigners.
Moving on to specific models, in the compact passenger car segment, the top three reliable cars are the Chery Arrizo 5, Geely Emgrand, and Jetta VA3 sedans, where Chinese representatives were still able to prove themselves at the budget level. In the more expensive subsegment of compacts, Toyota Corolla and Toyota Levin dominate, while among premium options, the Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and BMW 3 Series lead, emphasizing the advantage of European and Japanese technologies.
In the category of inexpensive mid-size sedans, the leaders are Nissan Sylphy, Nissan Tiida, and Buick Verano Pro. In the mid-price range, Volkswagen Lamando, Chery Arrizo 8, and Geely Preface stand out, where Chery again shows competitiveness. Expensive mid-size models are led by Ford Mondeo, Volkswagen Passat, and Toyota Avalon, while in the premium class, the BMW 5 Series is the undisputed leader.
Crossovers turned out to be a strong point for Chinese brands. Among compact SUVs, the fewest problems are with GAC GS3, Geely Coolray, Changan CS35 Plus, and again Geely Coolray in the Cool version. In the mid-size segment of crossovers, Geely Cityray, Chery Tiggo 8, and Changan Uni-T are more reliable than others, and in the more expensive subsegment, Chery Tiggo 8 Pro, Toyota Frontlander, and Volkswagen T-Roc. Here, Chinese models actively compete, but still often lag behind joint projects.
Finally, in the minivan class, breakdowns are least often recorded in Wuling Hongguang S and Wuling Jiachen, which makes them leaders in budget family transport. Among large minivans, the best indicators are Honda Odyssey, Buick GL8, and GAC M8, where collaborations with foreign brands again prevail.