Not Toyota, Not Subaru – This Is JD Power's Most Dependable Mass-Market Car Brand In 2026

The most dependable mass-market automotive brand was recently announced by J.D. Power in its 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study. This automotive brand may not be one that readily comes to mind, so we have shown it above. In case you are still not sure, that brand is Buick, which sells four different vehicles in the U.S., all of which are SUVs. Buick vehicles are made in a variety of factories located all over the world. 

According to J.D. Power, Buick came in at second place overall, right behind luxury class winner Lexus. Lexus had a winning score of only 151 problems per 100 vehicles, while Buick was right behind with 160 problems per 100 vehicles. Even though Buick did very well in this study, there are still some used Buick models you should steer clear of at all costs.

Some other interesting findings came out of this study, too. Based on consumers' three years of experience with cars that were purchased new in 2023, the company found there were more problems than were recorded during the previous year, with an industry average of 204 problems per 100 cars. The largest problem area continued to be infotainment systems, with 56.7 problems per 100 cars, followed by vehicle exteriors, which had 27.5 problems per 100 cars. A particular area of concern related to over-the-air updates — of those having received one in the past 12 months, only 27% noticed an improvement, while 58% did not notice any difference.  

Buick is owned by General Motors. Among the vehicles it sells in the U.S., the Buick Enclave — which we quite liked in our review of the 2025 model — is the only one made in the U.S., at GM's plant in Lansing, Michigan — at least for now.  The Buick Envision is currently made by GM in China, but the next generation of this vehicle is slated to be made on the same platform as the Chevrolet Equinox, at a plant in Kansas City, Kansas. Two of the Buicks sold here are imported from South Korea. They are the Buick Envista and the Buick Encore GX, which are the two smallest vehicles in the Buick lineup.

In terms of pricing, the 2026 Buick Envista Preferred is the entry-level Buick, available only with front-wheel drive, coming in at $26,495, not including destination charges. Next in line is the Buick Encore Preferred GX with front-wheel drive, starting at $27,995 (not including destination fees), with all-wheel drive a $2,000 option. The next most expensive Buick is the Envision Preferred, with all-wheel drive standard, which starts at $42,995. The top of the Buick lineup is represented by the Enclave Preferred starting at $48,395, which has front-wheel drive as standard and all-wheel drive available for a $2,000 upcharge. In addition to the entry-level Preferred trim, two higher trim levels are also available on every Buick model. These are the mid-level Sport Touring and the high-end Avenir.