Study: the most and least desirable vehicle brands in 2025

Satisfaction among new vehicle owners continues to rise, and they are more passionate than ever about their vehicles.

This is the finding of the latest APEAL (Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout) study by the American firm J.D. Power, which is based on responses from nearly 100,000 people who leased or purchased a 2025 model three months after taking possession. More than thirty aspects are taken into account, ranging from acceleration power to the sense of luxury and comfort inside the vehicle.

“Manufacturers have made significant strides that continue to redefine the vehicle ownership experience and have become better at turning innovation into meaningful customer engagement,” notes Frank Hanley, senior director of automotive benchmarking at J.D. Power.

That said, the study reveals that owners of new models are less satisfied with vehicle setup and startup, as well as infotainment systems, compared to owners of earlier models. The takeaway: increasingly prevalent technology and growing menu complexity remain persistent challenges.

Gasoline vs. Electric

Moreover, the study indicates that vehicles with internal combustion engines and hybrids provide more consistent satisfaction, while plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles show greater year-to-year fluctuations. Notably, satisfaction among EV owners—excluding Tesla—has dropped significantly compared to 2024.

Another finding from J.D. Power: new vehicles that remain unchanged from the previous year tend to be more satisfying for their owners than brand-new models launched on the market. The latter are often more prone to quality issues and bugs.

The most desirable brands in 2025

J.D. Power notes that the satisfaction gap between popular brands and luxury brands has slightly widened over the past year, with the latter continuing to appeal more to consumers than the former.

For the industry as a whole, Porsche is the most desirable brand with a score of 890 on a scale of 1,000. Land Rover (886), despite its poor reliability reputation, and BMW (881) complete the podium of luxury brands, as shown in the following ranking:

Rivian (896) and Tesla (892) would rank at the top if they met all the eligibility criteria of J.D. Power’s APEAL study.

Once again, several Japanese brands as well as Chrysler are found at the bottom of the rankings.

As for models, the BMW X6 receives the highest score in 2025 across all categories. We invite you to visit the J.D. Power website to see the complete list.