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The Street
The Street
Samanda Dorger

The Most Reliable Cars and Car Brands, According to Consumer Reports

Americans don't want their cars to break down. The majority of car shoppers care more about the reliability of a car than they do about its safety, affordability or fuel efficiency, according to a consumer perception survey conducted Cox Automotive and Kelly Blue Book.

Every year, Consumer Reports, the nonprofit consumer organization and magazine dedicated to independent product testing, surveys its members about the problems they’ve had with their vehicles in the previous 12 months to determine which car brands are most reliable. 

For their consumer satisfaction survey, CR gathered data on over 300,000 vehicles, covering a span of 22 model years, from 2000 to 2022, that address 17 trouble areas, including engine, transmission, in-car electronics, and more to determine a predicted reliability score for 24 auto brands.

Sedans, hatchbacks, and coupes make up the cars category, which is one of the most reliable vehicle categories in the survey with an average predicted reliability score of 58 out of 100. Those are followed by SUVs scored at 51, then minivans at 44. Pickups are the least reliable category with an average score of 39.

By category, hybrid cars and plug-ins turned out to be most reliable. Toyota (TM) tops the list of brands.

For some quality studies, such as J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Study that lists the car brands with the most and least problems, some states allow automakers the right to opt-out, according to Kelley Blue Book. That is why Tesla is often not ranked, because it refuses to participate in many quality studies. Because Consumer Reports conducts a survey of owners, Tesla (TSLA) and can't opt out, and so appears in this ranking.

Based on Consumer Reports survey, these are the most reliable car brands, from best to worst, followed by the five most reliable car models.

1. Toyota

Reliability score: 72/100

Toyota

2. Lexus

Reliability score: 72/100

Lexus

3. BMW

Reliability score: 65/100

BMW USA

4. Mazda

Reliability score: 65/100

Mazda

5. Honda

Reliability score: 62/100

Honda

6. Audi

Reliability score: 60/100

7. Subaru

Reliability score: 59/100

8. Acura

Reliability score: 57/100

Acura

9. Kia

Reliability score: 54/100

10. Lincoln

Reliability score: 54/100

Lincoln

11. Buick

Reliability score: 54/100

12. Genesis

Reliability score: 52/100

13. Hyundai

Reliability score: 46/100

14. Volvo

Reliability score: 45/100

Volvo

15. Nissan

Reliability score: 44/100

Nissan

16. Ram

Reliability score: 42/100

Ram

17. Cadillac

Reliability score: 42/100

18. Ford

Reliability score: 41/100

Ford

19. Tesla

Reliability score: 40/100

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

20. Chevrolet

Reliability score: 40/100

Chevrolet

21. GMC

Reliability score: 36/100

GMC

22. Volkswagen

Reliability score: 31/100

23. Jeep

Reliability score: 30/100

Jeep

24. Mercedes-Benz

Reliability score: 26/100

Because of insufficient data, Consumer Reports did not rank Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati, Mini, Mitsubishi, Polestar, Porsche, or Rivian.

Mercedes-Benz

The Most Reliable Car Models

1. Toyota Corolla Hybrid

Reliability score: 93/100

Among the models, Toyota takes the top spot again with its popular Corolla hybrid. 

Toyota

2. Lexus GX

Reliability score: 91/100

3. Mini Cooper

Reliability score: 89/100

MiniUSA

4. Toyota Prius

Reliability score: 89/100

5. Mazda MX-5 Miata

Reliability score: 85/100

The cars that scored the worst were the Ford (F) Explorer with a score of 16/100, the Nissan  (NSANY)  Sentra scored 9, the Lincoln Aviator scored 8, Hyundai's  (HYMTF)  Kona Electric scored 5, and at the bottom was the Ford F-150 Hybrid at 4.

Read the full results of the consumer satisfaction survey at ConsumerReports.org.

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