Globally, new vehicle initial quality has risen again for the fourth consecutive year, according to J.D. Power. Genesis is at the top of the leader board for 2018.

Initial vehicle quality is quantified as the number of total problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), during the first 90 days of vehicle ownership. The lower the score, the higher the quality. For 2018, overall vehicle quality has improved by 4% over 2017. The study shows that six out of eight vehicle categories and 21 of 31 brands analyzed showed improvement.

Genesis ranked first among brands, with an initial quality score of 68 PP100, followed by Kia, at 72 PP100 and Hyundai at 74 PP100. This marks the first time that three Korean brands ranked above all others, and the fourth time that Kia finishes first among popular brands.

Porsche (79 PP100) and Ford (81 PP100) finished in fourth and fifth place respectively.

Top scores in respective segments

• Small car: Kia Rio
• Compact car: Toyota Corolla
• Small luxury car: Acura ILX
• Compact luxury car: BMW 4 Series
• Mid-size car: Nissan Altima
• Mid-size luxury car: Lincoln Continental
• Mid-size sports car: Ford Mustang
• Full-size car: Nissan Maxima
• Full-size luxury car: Genesis G90
• Minivan: Dodge Grand Caravan
• Small SUV: Hyundai Tucson
• Small luxury SUV: BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA
• Compact SUV: Buick Envision
• Compact luxury SUV: Lincoln MKC
• Mid-size SUV: Kia Sorento
• Mid-size luxury SUV: BMW X6
• Mid-size truck: Nissan Frontier
• Full-size SUV: Ford Expedition
• Full-size pickup: Chevrolet Silverado
• Heavy-duty pickup: Chevrolet Silverado HD and Ford Super Duty