Hyundai Motor and Kia have swept the top spots in J.D. Power’s electric vehicle experience (EVX) ownership study in the U.S. market—six models, including the Ioniq 6, secured positions in the top ten list.
J.D. Power’s latest report, released on Friday, reveals that the Hyundai Ioniq 6 earned the top position in the general electric vehicle category of the EVX ownership study. The model scored an impressive 751 points out of 1,000, surpassing the average score of 725 by 26 points.
The Kia EV6 claimed second place with 743 points, while the Chevrolet Equinox EV rounded out the top three with 737 points. The Ioniq 5 and Chevrolet Blazer EV secured the fourth and fifth spots with 728 and 724 points, respectively. Completing the top ten were the Kia EV9 (724 points), Kona EV (720 points), Ford Mustang Mach-E (718 points), Subaru Solterra (714 points), and Niro EV (702 points).
In its fifth year, the EVX ownership study evaluates American drivers’ experiences across ten key factors: range accuracy, charging convenience, maintenance costs, and driving satisfaction. This year’s study, conducted in collaboration with PlugShare, surveyed 6,164 owners of 2024-2025 model-year EVs between August and December last year.
A standout finding from this year’s survey was the strong performance of mainstream EVs. J.D. Power noted that these models outperformed their premium counterparts in quality assessments. Particularly in terms of reliability and fewer issues, seven out of the top ten models were from mainstream brands.
These survey results are expected to bolster Hyundai and Kia’s brand image and recognition in the U.S. market. The Korean automakers are locked in a fierce three-way battle with General Motors and Ford for EV market share, trailing only Tesla. Their strong showing against established domestic brands will likely boost consumer confidence in their EV technology.
Hyundai and Kia have also gained a competitive edge, as the number of models eligible for the U.S. federal EV tax credit has drastically reduced from forty to twenty-five. Korean automakers added five new models to the list: the Ioniq 5, Ioniq 9, EV6, EV9, and Genesis GV70.
In 2023, Hyundai and Kia sold 100,396 EVs in the U.S., marking a 6.8% increase from the previous year’s 94,000 units. Hyundai’s sales reached 56,664 units (including the Kona EV), with the Ioniq 5 accounting for 44,400 units and the Ioniq 6 for 12,264 units. Kia recorded 43,732 units, split between 21,715 EV6s and 22,017 EV9s.
