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

TTAC Staff
by TTAC Staff
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.

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  • Kjhkjlhkjhkljh kljhjkhjklhkjh so what?? .. 7.5 billion is not even in the same hemisphere as the utterly stupid waste of money on semiconductor fabs to the tune of more than 100 billion for FABS that CANNOT COMPETE in a global economy and CANNOT MAKE THE US Independent from China or RUSSIA. we REQUIRE China for cpu grade silicon and RUSSIA/Ukraine for manufacturing NEON gas for cpus and gpus and other silicon based processors for cars, tvs, phones, cable boxes ETC... so even if we spend trillion $ .. we STILL have to ask china permission to buy the cpu grade silicon needed and then buy neon gas to process the wafers.. but we keep tossing intel/Taiwan tens of billions at a time like a bunch of idiots.Google > "mining-and-refining-pure-silicon-and-the-incredible-effort-it-takes-to-get-there" Google > "silicon production by country statista" Google > "low-on-gas-ukraine-invasion-chokes-supply-of-neon-needed-for-chipmaking"
  • ToolGuy Clearly many of you have not been listening to the podcast.
  • 1995 SC This seems a bit tonedeaf.
  • 1995 SC Well I guess that will be the final nail in the Mini EV's coffin here. It was already not especially competitive, had no range and was way overpriced for what you get, but I like to get stuff like that used and well depreciated on occcasion though I likely would have passed anyway due to the Chinese manufacture.
  • MKizzy If China-branded vehicles arrive on these shores filling the gaping hole of sizes, body styles, and price points largely abandoned by established automakers, they will immediately find an interested customer base among those low/middle income consumers whose parents were (un)happily puttering around in old Hyundai Excels and Yugo GVs. Personally, I do think BYD or another of their major automakers will eventually circumvent the tariffs by building in Mexico and sending vehicles north.
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