Satisfaction with Non-EV Vehicle Apps Edges Up Slightly in 2025, but Speed and Connection Issues Continue to Negatively Impact Use, J.D. Power Finds

My BMW Ranks Highest Overall among Mobile Apps for Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles

TROY, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The J.D. Power 2025 U.S. OEM ICE App Report,^SM released today, finds that owner satisfaction with mobile apps for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles is increasingly shaped by reliable connectivity, intuitive design, and the availability of essential features. Nearly 80% of ICE vehicle owners indicate using the OEM-provided app, yet engagement and satisfaction remain inconsistent year-over-year. High-performing brands are pulling ahead, widening the gap with competitors.

The results of this year’s report reinforce trends identified in previous J.D. Power studies. The J.D. Power 2025 Initial Quality Study^SM (IQS) shows that OEM app connectivity concerns remain one of the top 10 industry problems. Further, despite slight improvements, satisfaction with vehicle apps continues to lag due to slow and inconsistent connection speeds. These insights align with findings in the 2025 U.S. OEM ICE App Report, and stresses the importance of delivering dependable, customer-focused app experiences.

“Connectivity and speed continue to be the most significant challenges for ICE vehicle apps,” said Violet Allmandinger, mobile apps lead at J.D. Power. “Owners want apps that work seamlessly every time, with core features that are easy to access and perform reliably. The top performers notably stand out, and this year’s scores reflect that.”

Following are some key findings of the 2025 report:

• App usage rises, engagement remains limited: Nearly 80% of owners this year say they use their vehicle’s app, an increase of 2 percentage points from 2024. Despite this growth, only 27% identify as frequent users, which is defined as those who use the app every time or more than half the time they drive. This represents a modest 3-percentage-point increase year over year. Mass market vehicle owners show slightly higher engagement than do premium owners, but both remain well behind that of EV owners, who continue to lead in vehicle app usage and interaction.
• New insights on feature usage: The report provides a clearer picture of how often owners expect to use the features they want. The most wanted feature to use daily is garage door opener (61%), followed by smartphone as key (39%) and heated/cooled seat controls (38%). Remote lock/unlock (34%) and trunk control (31%) show moderate daily use, while low-frequency features such as remote park pilot and vehicle order status checks have much lower interest. Surprisingly, garage door integration is missing from most vehicle apps, creating a strong opportunity for differentiation if offered as a built-in feature rather than through a separate app or a basic setup process in the manufacturer’s app.
• Connectivity and interface issues remain top barriers: Among the 38% of owners who stopped using their app, the most common reason cited is connectivity problems. Unintuitive interfaces and unreliable remote start are additional pain points, each cited by 14% of owners. Slow response times (10%) and inconsistent functionality (7%) further add to frustration. Additional concerns include lack of desired features (5%), outdated or inaccurate information (4%), and difficulty managing multiple users (4%).
• User-defined accessibility priorities: Owners say they want core commands such as remote lock/unlock, garage access, and climate control to appear on the app’s home screen for maximum convenience. New survey questions added in 2025 reveal that 69% of owners say lock/unlock should be front and center, followed by garage access at 66% and climate control at 66%. Mid-tier features such as service scheduling (37%) and software updates (32%) remain important but are acceptable within one or two taps from the home screen, allowing manufacturers to streamline usability without reducing functionality.

Report Rankings

MINI ranks highest in customer satisfaction among mass market brands with a score of 810 (on a 1,000-point scale). Kia Access (805) ranks second and MyHyundai with Bluelink (798) ranks third.

My BMW ranks highest in overall customer satisfaction and highest among premium brands with a score of 821. Genesis Intelligent Assistant (771) ranks second and Mercedes-Benz (768) ranks third.

See the rank chart for each segment at http://www.jdpower.com/pr-id/2025163.

The U.S. OEM ICE App Report gauges ICE vehicle owners’ experience with their brand’s mobile app. Insights are derived from surveying ICE vehicle owners and an expert assessment of the most relevant ICE vehicle mobile apps. Results are based on a standardized assessment approach relying on more than 300 best practices for vehicle apps that include more than 160 mobile app functionality-specific attributes.

The report includes apps from the top 32 award-eligible branded apps that sell ICE vehicles in the United States. More than 2,100 ICE vehicle owners in the United States were surveyed between September-October 2025 to gather insights on app connectivity issues; app usage; feature desirability; and app overall execution.

For more information about the U.S. OEM ICE App Report, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/automotive/us-oem-app-benchmark-study.

About J.D. Power

J.D. Power is a global leader in consumer insights, advisory services, and data and analytics. A pioneer in the use of big data, artificial intelligence (AI) and algorithmic modeling capabilities to understand consumer behavior, J.D. Power has been delivering incisive industry intelligence on customer interactions with brands and products for more than 50 years. The world's leading businesses across major industries rely on J.D. Power to guide their customer-facing strategies.

J.D. Power has offices in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. To learn more about the company’s business offerings, visit JDPower.com/business. The J.D. Power auto shopping tool can be found at JDPower.com.

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