Older technology held an advantage in one new comparison of three-year-old vehicles. Owners of gasoline-powered models reported fewer problems than owners of hybrids and battery-electric vehicles in J.D. Power’s 2026 dependability study. The finding reflects the complete ownership experience, not only engines, batteries or failures that stop a trip.
Gasoline vehicles recorded 198 problems per 100
The study examined 2023 model-year vehicles after three years in service. It measures problems per 100 vehicles, or PP100, so lower numbers represent fewer reported complaints. Gasoline models averaged 198 PP100 and finished below both hybrids and battery-electric vehicles.
J.D. Power published the result in its 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study on February 12. The comparison offers a snapshot of how owners experienced one model year across different powertrains during the first three years of ownership.
It does not mean every gasoline model outperformed every electrified vehicle. Each category combines products from different brands, prices and designs. Individual model results can vary widely around a powertrain average.
Complexity extends beyond the propulsion system
A hybrid combines an internal-combustion engine with electric motors, a traction battery, power electronics and software that coordinates the parts. That arrangement can reduce fuel use, but it also gives owners more systems whose behavior may generate a complaint. Battery-electric vehicles remove the engine and conventional fuel system while adding different charging, thermal-management and software demands.
Many reported issues may have little to do with the equipment turning the wheels. Infotainment, phone connections, displays and driver-assistance features contribute to dependability scores across all powertrain types. Electrified models often launch with newer interfaces and technology, which can expose them to early design and software problems.
Gasoline vehicles benefit from mature platforms, repair knowledge and components refined over many product generations. That head start can matter in a three-year study even if newer architectures eventually improve. Dependability rankings describe the vehicles owners had, not the theoretical simplicity of one propulsion design.
A problem count does not measure severity
The official 2026 VDS report counts reported problems rather than assigning every complaint a repair price or safety weight. Several minor frustrations can produce a higher PP100 result than one expensive failure, while that single failure may matter more to a household’s budget.
Different propulsion systems also produce different ownership consequences. A gasoline fault may be familiar to many repair shops. A high-voltage or charging fault can require specialized equipment, but fewer scheduled maintenance items may offset some inconvenience over time. The study’s score cannot answer every cost question by itself.
Three years is also an early checkpoint in a vehicle’s life. It captures problems that emerge after initial ownership but does not reveal which batteries, engines or transmissions will last 10 or 15 years. Long-term durability, depreciation and repair access require additional evidence.
Usage patterns can further complicate comparisons. An electric vehicle charged mostly at home encounters a different routine from one dependent on public fast chargers, and a hybrid driven in dense traffic may use its systems differently from one covering long highway distances. Owner-reported problems combine those environments, so the category result does not isolate a single engineering cause.
The model year matters
The vehicles in the 2026 study were designed and sold during a period of rapid electrification. Some battery-electric platforms were new, and manufacturers were still changing charging systems, software and user interfaces quickly. Results from 2023 models should not be projected automatically onto vehicles introduced several years later.
Over-the-air fixes can improve a vehicle after sale, but updates can also introduce new behavior or leave hardware limitations untouched. Traditional vehicles receive software changes too, making the dividing line between mechanical and digital dependability increasingly porous.
Newer products often pass through a learning cycle in manufacturing and service. Suppliers revise components, technicians gain experience and software teams resolve faults found only after thousands of vehicles reach daily use. A powertrain category with more recently launched models may carry that transition burden even when its basic design has long-term advantages.
Buyers should compare models before categories
A powertrain average can guide questions, but a purchase decision belongs at the model level. Reliability history, warranty coverage, local service capacity, charging access and expected mileage can matter more than the category headline. Fuel savings or home charging convenience may outweigh a difference in reported complaints for some households.
Buyers can also separate common irritations from expensive or safety-related defects when reading owner reports. A recurring connection bug and a recurring battery fault should not carry the same practical weight even if each counts as a problem.
The gas-vehicle advantage in the 2026 study is therefore meaningful but bounded. It shows that electrification did not automatically deliver fewer owner-reported problems after three years for the 2023 model year. It does not settle the broader contest over operating cost, emissions, performance or lifetime durability.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
More from Morning Overview
