What are the most reliable car brands on the market?

Reliability is one of the most valued aspects when it comes to buying a car. Before putting money down, drivers look for vehicles that are going to last a long time, will have as few problems as possible, and whose repairs will not break the bank.

Year after year, various consumer organizations analyze the data available to them to draw up lists of the most and least reliable brands. According to a study from Consumer Reports, in 2023 the brands that stand out the most are Japanese. Not only do they occupy the first position, but they also occupy six of the top 10 positions, in which there is also a German and Korean presence.

The 10 most reliable car brands according to Consumer Reports (with a score out of 100 points) are as follows:

• Lexus: 79
• Toyota: 76
• Mini: 71
• Acura: 70
• Honda: 70
• Subaru: 69
• Mazda: 67
• Porsche 66
• BMW: 64
• Kia: 61

At the other extreme, the least reliable brand would be Chrysler (18 points), followed by Mercedes (23) and Rivian (24). There are certain brands for which the authors of the study did not have enough information to give them a score: Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lucid, Maserati, Mitsubishi, and Polestar.

And how does Consumer Reports conduct this analysis? The organization asks its members, on an annual basis, what problems they have had with their vehicle during the previous 12 months. For the current report, they used data on more than 330,000 vehicles registered between 2000 and 2023.

The analysis takes into account 20 different areas that can be a source of problems, ranging from serious breakdowns such as engine or transmission failure, to more minor annoyances such as squealing brakes, to battery problems in the case of electric vehicles.

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