These are the 15 most reliable car brands of 2018

Mercedes-Benz

The increasing reliability of older models could mean a downturn in new car sales in 2018.

• J.D. Power released its 2018 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study on Wednesday.
• Lexus topped the survey for the seventh consecutive year.
• This year saw the first increase in dependability since 2013.

J.D. Power released its 2018 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, which measures the number of problems reported by consumers who have owned 2015 model-year vehicles for three years, on Wednesday.

The study found that vehicle dependability increased 9% over the 2017 study, which was the first increase since 2013.

"For the most part, automotive manufacturers continue to meet consumers' vehicle dependability expectations," J.D. Power vice president of global automotive Dave Sargent said in a press release. "A 9% improvement is extremely impressive, and vehicle dependability is, without question, at its best level ever."

Lexus topped the survey for the seventh consecutive year with a score of 99 reported problems per 100 vehicles, while the industry average was 142. Porsche, Buick, Infiniti, and Kia rounded out the top-five.

These are the 15 most reliable car brands.