J.D. Power Study Shows New-Car Buyers Are Annoyed by New Tech
J.D. Power’s 2024 U.S. Tech Experience Index (TXI) Study surveyed more than 81,000 new car buyers 90 days after each person took possession of their new ride. The market research company found that plenty of drivers thought at least some of the newest high-tech features in their cars tried to solve problems that didn’t exist or were just poorly implemented. Sounds about right.
“A strong advanced tech strategy is crucial for all vehicle manufacturers, and many innovative technologies are answering customer needs,” said Kathleen Rizk, senior director of user experience benchmarking and technology at J.D. Power. “At the same time, this year’s study makes it clear that owners find some technologies of little use and/or are continually annoying. J.D. Power’s ability to calculate the return on investment for individual technologies is a major step in enabling carmakers to determine the technologies that deserve the most attention while helping them ease escalating costs for new vehicles.”
This study seems to back up what many of us experience when driving modern cars. Functions that used to be simple are buried in a touchscreen menu, beeps and vibrations abound, and screens are everywhere, including ones that cater to the passenger. So much about the cabin seems unnecessary.
The TXI study found that some automakers are doing much better than others—for example, Genesis and Hyundai, who score 584 and 514, respectively, to earn them a place toward the top of J.D. Power’s ranking. However, keep in mind that the maximum possible score is 1000 points. Lexus (535 points) and BMW (528 points) followed just behind Genesis, leading the premium brands, while Kia (499 points) and GMC (439 points) took second and third among mainstream ones. Both Genesis and Hyundai earned praise for their front-cross-traffic warning.
Because of how they permit researchers like J.D. Power to see the data, Tesla, Rivian, and Polestar were not fully ranked, but they each scored much better than average with 786, 666, and 578 points, respectively. However, even Tesla’s seemingly runaway performance shows signs of decline as the brand expands into the mainstream, where it must satisfy customers who aren’t just early adopters.
As for Polestar’s score, we tend to agree that infotainment systems from this automaker are among the top of those we’ve spent time in. Its Google-based user interface was intuitive and placed information where it was easy to access.
J.D. Power didn’t explain why Nissan (411), Ford (406), Mini (396), and Dodge (392) scored at the bottom, but most brands fell between the 400–450 range.
We hope that manufacturers are listening, as plenty of new tech is useful and can increase the safety of those inside and outside the vehicle, but it takes a deft touch to implement properly. As buyers seem to be increasingly emphasizing infotainment and its interface as deciding factors in new car purchases, competition in that space will only heat up. Brands will have to differentiate themselves while balancing the increasing costs of the new tech. We’re eager to see how things shape up, but we’re also leery. Let us know what you like best—and least—when it comes to new car tech, specifically infotainment systems.
I am completely and firmly in the anti-tech camp. My newest car is a 2005 with a bit of tech. It has ABS and traction control. The latter can be turned off with a toggle switch on the dash. Radio controls are finger operated on the steering wheel. Cell phone stuff is a non-issue, I usually forget it on the table anyway. I will never buy a new car because of the tech junk. Fortunately for me, I am in my mid-seventies and with a bit of luck my 1998 4Runner will outlive me. If the car world had spent as much on driver education over the last number of decades instead of catering to the lowest common denominator a 1950 Buick would just as safe as any modern nanny car today. The key to safety is proper operation of the vehicle at hand. It is not the car that is unsafe, it is the idiot behind the wheel.
too many poor drivers on the road. why does any state dmv allow 16 or 18 year old drivers to get a license and drive 65+ mph when they have only proven they can drive down a quiet street at 30 mph? total inexperience threatening all of us.
Stronger and more regular driving exams would be nice. As frustrating as it is seeing young people on the road, it’s not just one age section of the population that causes problems. Make the drivers test a real exam, update it regularly, and make drivers re-take it every five years to keep their license.
Sadly we don’t have the public transportation infrastructure to be that cruel to the elderly.
Not only annoying but too much to go wrong!
I have a 22 Bronco Sport and have no issues with the tech features many which can be turned off or adjusted as needed. Start stop is as simple as pushing one button to disable, same with lane assist. Has real knobs for climate controls, radio volume etc. Once everything is set up minimal touch screen input is needed at least on the Bronco. If I had to adjust or access everything via the touch screen then I too would hate it.
Who wants to bet they don’t learn the right lessons or just double down on screens everywhere, haptic everything and while we are at it piano black all the things we touch.
None of it is useful!! It makes drivers lazy and not pay attention when they should be. Give me regular power steering, throttle cabled carb or EFI, power brakes, manual windows, analog gages and buttons, am/fm radio and a manual trans is all I’ll ever need. Simplicity at its finest, driving freedom baby!!
My 1963 has absolutely no tech and is the most fun to drive. My 2008 is loaded with worthless superseded tech. The date display has been off by six months and 21 years for about the last seven years. A new GPS format was not compatible with my Porsche’s. Can’t set it in the car software. I have a permanent message to check headlight beam adjustment. They are self adjusting and I have been assured they are good. No way to get rid of this annoying message. My 2018 has way to many confusing dash display options and ways to get what you want. Every trip to the dealership involves a second trip back to re-set the dash display. Sometimes the touch screen is very sensitive other times it just doesn’t work which makes it attention diverting dangerous. I will never get rid of my “63”.
When the auto companies did away with the dip stick to check the oil ( BMW , MINI ) that did it for me !!! I’m in my mid seventies and my 2007 Mercedes is my go to car and I hope it out lives me.
My two teenage grand daughters love getting rides in Pop’s ’88 Fiero, ’89 Volvo 240 and ’98 F-150 ‘cuz they love rolling down the windows. I gave up on their parents and now concentrate on saving the next generation. Of course, we have to have the discussions in person because I don’t own a phone. 🙂
I’ll never want auto e-brake but I want everyone else to have it. Getting rear ended by phone zombies is a plague around here, and a constant concern while riding my motorcycle.
Whenever I get into my ’63 Pontiac these days, I am struck by the fact that she really doesn’t care if I buckle up while jockeying cars in the driveway, and trusts me to look in the mirror when I’m backing up without b-tching…er…beeping at me. She has no passenger side mirror, so I don’t need to be concerned that “objects in mirror are closer than they appear.”
Also, unlike my ’06 Caddy STS-V, I can turn the radio off (or down) before waiting for a computer to boot.
No lane assist, no airplane-like gauges (though the few that are there are useful: fuel, ammeter). In short, no real distractions when driving, and as so much of the newer driving aids are specifically to combat distracted driving (while simultaneously compounding the problem), I’m left wondering what a modern vehicle which trusted the driver to actually drive might look like.