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.
