J.D. Power poll finds customers embracing smart technology features

Smart technology features are starting to have a positive impact on the way consumers view a vehicle, according to J.D. Power.

Several of these features, including smart ignition, climate control and driver preferences, ranked in the top 10 of J.D. Power’s 2025 U.S. Tech Experience Index Study for low problems experienced and high satisfaction.

The study is based on over 76,000 responses from owners of new 2025 model-year vehicles. The study was conducted from June 2024 through May.

Today’s consumers are embracing the convenience of these technologies despite minor issues, said Kathleen Rizk, senior director of user experience benchmarking and technology at J.D. Power.

Sign up for the weekly Automotive News Mobility Report newsletter for the latest developments at the intersection of transportation and technology.

Any reduction in workload for the consumer makes a difference, she said. One example is smart doors.

“As the customer approaches and that door opens, they love it,” she said. “So it might not open wide enough or fast enough yet, but they love that.”

Table of Contents

Genesis tops brands in innovation, Hyundai tops mass market

Genesis had the highest innovation ranking overall for the fifth consecutive year, scoring 538 out of 1,000. Cadillac and Lincoln were second and third among premium brands, with 526 and 523 points. The premium brand with the lowest innovation score was Jaguar, with a score of 410.

The premium segment average was 671 because of the inclusion of Tesla and Rivian. But Tesla, which had a score of 873, and Rivian, which had a score of 730, were still excluded from the brand rankings because they did not meet the study’s award criteria, J.D. Power said.

For the mass-market segment, Hyundai topped the rankings with a score of 493. Kia was second with a score of 474, and Mitsubishi was third with 471. Chrysler was the brand with the lowest innovation ranking at 346. The segment average was 440.

Genesis and Hyundai ranked so high because the brands have decided to become leaders in advanced technology, Rizk said.

Recognition technologies, car wash mode are still struggling

Recognition technology and car wash mode are both promising, but have kinks that need to be worked out, J.D. Power found.

Car wash mode automatically prepares a car to go through the wash by closing windows, disabling windshield wipers and more. More than a third of owners surveyed said they need better instructions on how to use it.

There are too many steps to initiate car wash mode and it needs to be simplified, Rizk said.

Recognition technologies are also struggling to reach their full potential, with the highest number of problems per 100 vehicles reported in the study. Biometric authentication had over 29 problems per 100 vehicles, while touchless or hidden controls and direct driver monitoring had over 19.

The big problem with these features is inconsistency, Rizk said. If they don’t work on the first try, drivers can get frustrated.

No automaker has been able to solve the inconsistency issue, Rizk said, but it’s important to identify which features would benefit from recognition technology to reduce frustration.

Blind spot camera becomes a must-have feature, in-vehicle payments make a comeback

Over 90 percent of owners surveyed said they use blind spot cameras most of the time, and nearly 75 percent said they want the feature in their future vehicle, the study found.

The popularity comes from the fact that blind spot cameras support a known issue, Rizk said. When you give drivers a solution to a specific issue, they can’t live without it.

Interest in in-vehicle payment features is on the rise, with 62 percent of owners surveyed desiring these, most often used for charging, fuel, parking and tolls.

These features have the potential for success if automakers focus on convenience purchases, Rizk said in a statement. Customers love the idea of being able to pull up to a charging station or a gas pump and fuel up without having to take out their credit card, but the industry isn’t there yet.