China car tech experience index rises to record high

The overall tech experience in China's automotive sector continued to strengthen in 2026, even as execution quality showed signs of strain for the first time in four years, according to the latest J.D. Power study.

The J.D. Power 2026 China Tech Experience Study, released on Wednesday, found that the overall Tech Experience Index rose by 70 points year-on-year to a record 658 (on a 1,000-point scale).

The Market Depth Index climbed sharply to 428 points, reflecting continued expansion in the adoption of advanced in-vehicle technologies.

However, the Execution Index declined to 875 points, marking the first drop in four years and highlighting a widening gap between feature proliferation and real-world user experience.

The study noted that new energy vehicles continued to outperform internal combustion engine vehicles in Market Depth, with the gap between segments continuing to widen as advanced technologies become more deeply integrated into electrified platforms.

"The data suggests that owner satisfaction with technology execution has reached an inflection point," said Sean Wang, general manager of vehicle product competitiveness solutions at J.D. Power China.

"The era of feature overload has limits. Future competition will be defined less by 'more features' and more by 'better experience.'"

The TXI Study, now in its sixth year, evaluates both the Technology Execution Index and Market Depth Index to measure how effectively automotive brands bring advanced technologies to market.

The two components are equally weighted and reflect both adoption levels and user experience quality.

From a quality perspective, the study found that technology-related issues are becoming a more significant driver of complaints than traditional mechanical failures.

Problems related to instability and inaccuracy accounted for 48 percent of all complaints, making them the most prominent concern among vehicle owners.

While domestic start-up brands were found to manage quality relatively well while maintaining strong feature competitiveness, domestic affiliated brands saw higher complaint volumes due to wider feature deployment. International brands, by contrast, delivered more stable and reliable systems but lagged in introducing new features.

The study also highlighted several structural trends shaping the market:

Awareness of intelligent vehicle features continued to rise, reaching 10.7 on the study's index in 2026.

Growth was particularly strong among NEVs, while ICE vehicles lagged in both adoption and awareness, even at similar price points.

Consumers in vehicles priced below 100,000 yuan showed comparatively low awareness of advanced intelligent features.

At the same time, system instability and responsiveness emerged as key differentiators in user satisfaction.

Despite rising overall tech experience scores, total quality complaints increased by 22 PP100.

Smart cockpit complaints remained high, while smart driving-related issues saw a significant rise, particularly those linked to instability and inaccuracy.

Younger consumers, especially post-2000-born buyers, were identified as the most influential group shaping technology expectations.

They demonstrated the highest awareness of advanced features and the strongest sensitivity to system performance, particularly in NEV segments.

They also showed greater acceptance of functions such as automated parking and traffic jam assist, while demanding richer in-cabin entertainment and scenario-based experiences.

In terms of feature penetration, intelligent exterior lighting, safe exit assist, navigation-on-pilot driving, and ambient cockpit lighting recorded increases of 35 percent, 32 percent, 31 percent, and 28 percent respectively.

However, retained-user data showed that many advanced functions remain underutilized, suggesting untapped differentiation potential for automakers.

Among brands, Mercedes-Benz led premium ICE models with a score of 703, followed by BMW and Porsche.

In the premium NEV segment, AITO ranked first with 714 points, followed by Denza.

In mass-market ICE models, TANK led with 668 points, while ZEEKR topped mass-market NEVs with 794 points, ahead of AVATR and Li Auto.

The study covered 127 ICE models across 34 brands and 128 NEV models across 48 brands, based on feedback from more than 32,000 vehicle owners across 81 major cities in China.