The results from J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout study show that the satisfaction gap between owners of combustion-powered vehicles and EV owners is closing. Typically, satisfaction with fuel economy/range is stronger among owners of gas- and diesel-powered cars compared to satisfaction with range/charging speed among BEV owners. However, the gap is now just 8 points on a 1,000-point scale and there’s a pretty simple explanation for that.
J.D. Power says the drop in satisfaction among owners of ICE cars can be described as a natural result of the very high fuel prices in the United States. Or, put simply, the more you pay at the pump, the less you are satisfied with your vehicle in general, and its economy/range figures are looking worse than before.
The electric vehicles are not facing the same problem, which explains the smaller gap in satisfaction between the two types of vehicles. As a side note, the drop in satisfaction with ICE-powered cars contributes to a decline in overall new-vehicle satisfaction for the first time since 2014.
“The most important factor leading to the industry decline this year is owners’ perception of their vehicle’s fuel economy,” David Amodeo, director of global automotive at J.D. Power, comments. "The study was fielded as fuel prices were experiencing a meteoric rise, and that pinch at the pump is conveyed in lower vehicle satisfaction. Battery-electric vehicles have not been negatively affected by the increase in fuel costs but do have issues related to battery range and charging time.”
In general, the average score for the satisfaction of PHEV vehicles is 835 and 832 for hybrids. In comparison, traditional gas-powered vehicles have a rating of 846, while battery-powered vehicles have an index score of 838.
In the premium segment, Porsche ranks first with a satisfaction score of 888 (out of 1,000), followed closely by Genesis (886) and Cadillac (885). In the mainstream sector, Dodge comes first with 882 points, followed by Ram (863) and GMC (856). The BMW X6, meaniwhle, is the highest-ranked individual model.
J.D. Power’s study survey is based on responses from 84,165 owners of new 2022 model year vehicles. They were surveyed after 90 days of ownership.
