Why JD Power’s Tech Awards Ignore Tesla and Rivian Despite Leading Scores

JD Power just released its 2025 US Tech Experience Index Study and the results are both eye-opening and frustrating. At the very top was Tesla with an impressive 873 out of 1,000 points. Rivian followed in second place with 730 points. Based on those scores you’d think Tesla and Rivian would be the ones walking away with the awards, right? Wrong.

Here’s the catch. JD Power has an outdated rule that says an automaker must sell vehicles in every single US state to qualify for the award. Both Tesla and Rivian, who sell direct to consumers instead of through dealerships, don’t meet that requirement. So despite finishing one and two in the study, they’re ineligible. That means Genesis, who scored only 538 points, over 300 points less than Tesla and almost 200 less than Rivian, was named the official winner.

Think about that for a second. The two companies actually delivering the best in-car tech are left out because of a rule tied to dealership networks, not customer experience. It’s hard to take the award seriously when the numbers don’t back up the outcome.

The study itself wasn’t without some interesting insights though. JD Power says technology-related problems reported by drivers dropped by 6.3 per 100 vehicles compared to last year, which means overall satisfaction is improving. Automatic climate control was one of the most loved features thanks to how seamlessly it manages heating, cooling, and airflow. Blind spot cameras also got huge praise, with 93% of drivers saying they use the feature regularly and nearly three-quarters saying they’d want it in their next car.

On the flip side, car wash mode caused headaches for many drivers, mainly because of how buried it is in infotainment menus. Recognition systems also got some negative marks for being glitchy.

Still, the big story here is how flawed JD Power’s award structure is. When Tesla and Rivian are clearly leading in tech but aren’t even eligible to win, it shows how outdated the criteria have become. If the awards are supposed to highlight who’s pushing the industry forward, leaving out two of the biggest EV innovators makes the whole thing feel hollow.

It’s time JD Power rethinks its rules, because right now they’re rewarding the wrong companies and ignoring the ones that are actually driving tech forward.