Consumer Reports: Most Reliable Car Brands of the Year - Find Out Who Ranks Highest

by TTAC Staff

Published: February 23rd, 2024

Photo credit: PaulLP / Shutterstock.com

The automotive industry offers a range of options for consumers seeking reliable vehicles. A recent study by Consumer Reports provides a detailed look into the reliability of various car brands, helping buyers make informed decisions.

Leading Brands in Reliability

Lexus (Score: 79)
Toyota (Score: 76)
Mini (Score: 71)
Acura (Score: 70)
Honda (Score: 70)

Rounding out the top 10 are Subaru, Mazda, Porsche, BMW, and Kia. These scores reflect a trend towards higher reliability across these manufacturers.

How Reliability is Scored

The methodology behind these scores involves comprehensive surveys of Consumer Reports members, covering over 330,000 vehicles from the years 2000 to 2023, including some early 2024 models. The survey assesses 20 different trouble areas, varying from minor issues to major system faults. The final score, out of 100, is a combination of problem severity, track testing, owner satisfaction, and safety data.

Focus on Electric and Hybrid Vehicles

The study pays special attention to electric and hybrid vehicles, including new criteria specific to these types of vehicles. These criteria assess electric motors, hybrid batteries, and charging systems. Hybrids show 26% fewer problems than traditional vehicles, but plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles often score lower in reliability.

Reliability by Region

Asian car manufacturers lead in reliability with an average score of 63, followed by European brands at 46 and domestic brands at 39. Cars, including sedans, hatchbacks, and wagons, are noted as the most reliable vehicle type.

Highlights of Specific Models

In model-specific observations, Lexus's NX model scores average in predicted reliability, with the rest of its lineup above average. Toyota's 4Runner SUV is noted for its high reliability, while the Tundra is marked for lower reliability. Acura's RDX and TLX models receive praise for their above-average reliability.

This article was co-written using AI and was then heavily edited and optimized by our editorial team.

TTAC Staff

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Varezhka The biggest underlying issue of Mitsubishi Motors was that for most of its history the commercial vehicles division was where all the profit was being made, subsidizing the passenger vehicle division losses. Just like Isuzu.And because it was a runt of a giant conglomerate who mainly operated B2G and B2B, it never got the attention it needed to really succeed. So when Daimler came in early 2000s and took away the money making Mitsubishi-Fuso commercial division, it was screwed.Right now it's living off of its legacy user base in SE Asia, while its new parent Nissan is sucking away at its remaining engineering expertise in EV and kei cars. I'd love to see the upcoming US market Delica, so crossing fingers they will last that long.
ToolGuy A deep-dive of the TTAC Podcast Archives gleans some valuable insight here.
Tassos I heard the same clueless, bigoted BULLSHEET about the Chinese brands, 40 years ago about the Japanese Brands, and more recently about the Koreans.If the Japanese and the Koreans have succeeded in the US market, at the expense of losers such as Fiat, Alfa, Peugeot, and the Domestics,there is ZERO DOUBT in my mind, that if the Chinese want to succeed here, THEY WILL. No matter what one or two bigots do about it.PS try to distinguish between the hard working CHINESE PEOPLE and their GOVERNMENT once in your miserable lives.
28-Cars-Later I guess Santa showed up with bales of cash for Mitsu this past Christmas.
Lou_BC I was looking at an extended warranty for my truck. The F&I guy was trying to sell me on the idea by telling me how his wife's Cadillac had 2 infotainment failures costing $4,600 dollars each and how it was very common in all of their products. These idiots can't build a reliable vehicle and they want me to trust them with the vehicle "taking over" for me.