Consumer Reports: Ranking the most reliable vehicles and auto brands

Lexus, Mazda top list again

Mercedes Benz Parked in a Row (Pexels)

Do you drive one of the most reliable vehicles?

Consumer Reports released their new rankings for car reliability, ranking 28 brands based on how reliable their vehicles are over time.

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Consumer Reports’ reliability ratings show how well vehicles have held up and the odds that an owner could be inconvenienced by problems and repairs. The reliability score is calculated on a 0-to-100-point scale, with the average rating falling between 41 and 60 points. (Read more on the methodology here)

Topping the list, as they did last year, is Lexus, Mazda and Toyota, with just a slight reshuffling that saw Lexus earn the top spot and Toyota slide to number three. Infinity and Buick rounded out the top five.

Asian automakers scored the highest with an average score of 62; European automakers scored an average of 44; US domestic brands scored the lowest, with an average of 42, despite some individual vehicle standouts.

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Top-ranking domestic-branded vehicles that include the Buick Envision; Chevrolet Trailblazer; Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and its twin, the GMC Sierra 2500HD; Chrysler 300; and Ford Bronco Sport, Mustang Mach-E, and Ranger.

Buick ranked as the most reliable domestic brand, with the Envision topping the Luxury Compact SUV class.

Consumer Reports’ brand-level rankings are based on the average predicted reliability score for vehicles in the brand’s model lineup. Only brand with sufficient data were ranked.

Here’s how 28 automakers ranked:

  1. Lexus (76)
  2. Mazda (75)
  3. Toyota (71)
  4. Infiniti (69)
  5. Buick (66)
  6. Honda (66)
  7. Subaru (66)
  8. Acura (64)
  9. Nissan (63)
  10. Mini (60)
  11. Hyundai (56)
  12. Chrysler (54)
  13. Porsche (52)
  14. Chevrolet (48)
  15. Audi (47)
  16. Cadillac (47)
  17. BMW (45)
  18. Ford (44)
  19. Kia (43)
  20. Volvo (42)
  21. Ram (40)
  22. GMC (37)
  23. Mercedes-Benz (34)
  24. Volkswagen (31)
  25. Genesis (30)
  26. Jeep (26)
  27. Tesla (25)
  28. Lincoln (18)

Related: Toyota recalls 238K Camrys to fix power brake-assist problems


About the Author:

Ken Haddad has proudly been with WDIV/ClickOnDetroit since 2013. He also authors the Morning Report Newsletter and various other newsletters, and helps lead the WDIV Insider team. He's a big sports fan and is constantly sipping Lions Kool-Aid.