TROY, Mich.: 25 June 2026 — The quality of new vehicles has improved industry-wide year over year. According to the JD Power 2026 U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS),SM released today, overall new-vehicle quality, as measured by the total number of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) experienced in the first 90 days of ownership, has improved sharply this year, with fewer problems cited across nine of 10 categories evaluated. Infotainment is the exception, where connectivity issues continue to strain customer experience with new-vehicle quality. A lower PP100 score indicates higher vehicle quality.
I’ve talked for years about something I call the Cupholder Quotient. Number of cupholders divided by number of people seated comfortably in a car. Greater than one is good. It’s an off the cuff measurement of a car’s design quality and it tends to be pretty accurate. The more cups a car is designed to support per passenger, the more likely the designers were empathically considering how the vehicle might be used from the passengers’ perspective.
I’ve talked for years about something I call the Cupholder Quotient. Number of cupholders divided by number of people seated comfortably in a car. Greater than one is good. It’s an off the cuff measurement of a car’s design quality and it tends to be pretty accurate. The more cups a car is designed to support per passenger, the more likely the designers were empathically considering how the vehicle might be used from the passengers’ perspective.
I’m positive this is why Ford had to hire back all their engineers ;)
We don’t drink in our cars. It’s a distraction.