The 10 Most and Least Reliable Car Brands in the USA in 2024

Buying a new vehicle is a big deal. Whatever your budget, a car is a significant expense and the last thing any new car-owner wants is to be plagued with problems post-purchase. But which manufacturer do you go for to ensure a reliable ride? Are EVs more or less hassle than a hybrid? And is an SUV more likely to break down than a sedan? Is the vehicle sold with a car warranty?

Spoiler: it’s not always the luxury, big brands that provide the smoothest service.

Each year, the independent consumer advocate organization Consumer Reports surveys its members on their level of satisfaction with their vehicles, noting any problems they’ve had with anything and everything, from brakes and interior trim to EV efficiency and engine trouble. Testers at Consumer Reports also conduct their own product testing and compare different cars within each brand, collating information on models made between 2000 and 2024. With the data they’ve collected, they can rank the most to least reliable automotive brands over the past 12 months. Here’s what you need to know.

The Verdict

• Most reliable car brand: Lexus
• Least reliable car brand: Chrysler

The 10 Most Reliable Car Brands

According to Consumer Reports, these are the most reliable vehicle brands, ranked in order of points awarded. However, don’t just assume that all cars are equal: from each brand, some models will outperform others and some simply don’t come up to scratch. Read on to discover which brands and models you can rely on this year.

1. Lexus: 79 points

Lexus retains its hold on the top of the list, demonstrating the popular brand’s enduring reliability. The UX SUV bagged an extremely impressive 83 reliability points with Consumer Reports – making it Lexus’ top model – while its compact SUV, the NX, is best avoided. With models including the ES, ES Hybrid, NX, NX Hybrid, RX, RX Hybrid and UX being studied, it is notable that the NX collected just 49 predicted reliability points, managing to drag Lexus’ overall score down a good few points.

2. Toyota: 76 points

Toyota tends to do well in these surveys, with their whole catalogue generally achieving a high level of reliability. Encompassing the 4Runner, bZ4X, Camry, Camry Hybrid, the Corolla models, Crown, GR86, Highlander Hybrid, Prius, Prius Prime, Rav4 plus Hybrid and Prime, Sienna, Tundra and Venza, the Toyota brand brings in a solid score only just behind Lexus. The 4Runner is their top performer, with 87 reliability points – remarkable for a model unchanged for a decade – while the newer Tundra crawled in with 30.

3. Mini: 71 points

Though Mini may not have a reputation for reliability, its flagship Cooper model recently surpassed all expectations, thanks to the brand’s progress in making this vehicle a risk-free purchase. The Cooper scored a huge 80 points for reliability, and it’s only down to the Countryman’s relatively low 63-point score that Mini hasn’t ranked higher in the chart.

4. Acura: 70 points

Decent results here from the four models in Honda’s luxury arm, Acura, with a respectable 70 points overall. The best of the bunch is the oldie-but-goodie RDX, with a rating of 80, but the new Integra brought things down for Acura, with only 47 predicted reliability points while they get to grips with some glitchy new tech.

5. Honda: 70 points

Sometimes you don’t get what you pay for, which certainly seems to be the case here, with Honda commanding the same overall score as its more premium line. With a portfolio of vehicles spanning the Accord, Accord Hybrid, Civic, CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline collected in the survey, the highest levels of satisfaction were reported with the top-scoring HR-V. While the lowest score went to the Passport, with 48 points.

6. Subaru: 69 points

Subaru is the proud holder of the top-performing car award, with its Crosstrek scoring an incredibly reassuring 99 points in the reliability stakes. But a few of their models let the side down – Subaru ended up scoring an average of 69 thanks to the poorly-rated Legacy and Solterra, both clocking in with just 47 points.

7. Mazda: 67 points

Another Japanese brand occupies a comfortable spot in the top ten with 67 points. Again, it’s the oldest car, the MX-5, that proves the most reliable of all the vehicles, with 73 points – showing that there’s no reason to fix what isn’t broken. The CX-5 brings up the rear with an acceptable 65 points, signalling that any Mazda model is a good bet when shopping around.

8. Porsche: 66 points

Coming in just behind Mazda is Porsche. The Cayenne scored the highest with 67 reliability points, while their compact SUV, the Macan, was a few points short with 63. But, overall, still supported a healthy enough average to place Porsche comfortably in eighth position.

9. BMW: 64 points

Ten BMW models were surveyed and, while the X5 and X3 scored highly with 82 and 73 points respectively, the brand is currently experiencing something of a game of two halves, with the X7 and others performing badly. Consumer Reports panels awarded just 47 points to the X7, bringing the German brand’s average down to 64 points for reliability overall.

10. Kia: 61 points

Kia’s Sportage PHEV just about squeezes the brand into the top ten, thanks to its score of 83 points, but the rest of their lineup leaves more than a little to be desired when it comes to reliability. The worst of the lot are the Sorrento and EV6 with 47 and 48 predicted points, respectively. So, if you’re considering purchasing a Kia and you don’t want to find yourself immediately back at the garage, do check out the specific models first.

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The 10 Least Reliable Car Brands

At the other end of the spectrum are the car brands that Consumer Reports members have encountered the most problems with over the last year. From reports of finishing problems and recharging difficulties to some lackluster owner satisfaction surveys, of the 330,000 vehicles studied in the research, these are the brands that have come out worst. Here are the top 10 (bottom 10?) least reliable brands, with the worst at #1.

10. Dodge: 42 points

Despite all of the Dodge models surveyed having been around for a number of years, it seems they have still not got around to sorting out their problems, as Dodge edges into 21st place of reliable car brands. With 49 points, the Durango is their highest-scoring vehicle, so the remainder of their models have brought their overall score down a lot.

9. Ford: 40 points

Ford consistently ranks highly in the most-popular-vehicle lists but, unfortunately, also has a significant presence on the industry recall list. However, the enduringly loyal fans of the Maverick pickup may be on to something as this model scored 71 points for reliability. The Edge SUV had nothing to be ashamed of either, with 68 points. Just steer clear of the hybrid F-150. with its expensive-sounding 19 points.

8. Lincoln: 38 points

Surprising no one, Lincoln – Ford’s premium brand – is at number eight of the least reliable brands this year. Using the same tech as Ford, Lincoln’s models all scored poorly, with its Corsair performing best (45 points) and the Aviator worst (35 points).

7. GMC: 36 points

There must be a lot of unhappy GMC truck owners out there as the General Motors brand could only muster 36 reliability points across the entire brand. The Terrain is the most reliable with an okay 56 points, but Sierra owners will surely be regular visitors to the garage with just 29 points predicted.

6. Volvo: 28 points

Having once had a good reputation for reliability, Volvo’s average score of 28 points is a signifier that something has gone seriously awry. Reliability across the brand’s portfolio looks significantly worse when you consider that their S60 clocked an impressive 60. Such a low average is down, in part, to the hybrid XC60, which managed a meagre 21 points, suggesting that the brand needs to fix things quickly if they hope to recover.

5. Jeep: 26 points

Jeep may be able to handle a range of terrain, but reliability is clearly not one of their strengths, earning them the fairly undesirable prize of fifth place in the most unreliable car brands. The Compass scored 45, making it the best-performing model they produce, but Grand Cherokee L owners are generally dissatisfied with their vehicle, scoring it 23.

4. Volkswagen: 26 points

Tied with Jeep on 26 points is Volkswagen. This beleaguered brand has struggled to put out any well-performing vehicles lately. The Tiguan is the best of the bunch with a lowly 34, while the problem-ridden Taos scored a terrible 18 points.

3. Rivian: 24 points

Rivian bagged the dubious honour of third place – not exactly what a new brand looking to make its mark would want. With just two models in its pocket, Rivian will certainly be hoping the satisfaction levels for their R1T pickup and R1S SUV do better in future since, this time, they scraped just 22 and 23 predicted reliability points, respectively.

2. Mercedes-Benz: 23 points

For a heritage brand with such a plethora of vehicles on the market, averaging only 23 points is a serious concern, suggesting that none of the models under the Mercedes-Benz badge has any real reliability to nudge up the scores. Despite years of experience and know-how under their belt, the brand has failed to keep their vehicles in good repair. Their best car is the GLE SUV with a worrying 37 points, while the C-Class achieves just 19.

1. Chrysler: 18 points

Chrysler represents the real bottom of the barrel when it comes to reliability – except for their Pacifica minivan, which somehow managed to scoop 43 points, while the hybrid version of the Pacifica bottomed out the average by collecting just 14 points. Consistent low performance across many of their other models means trouble for the brand. Avoid.

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*Note: Data was not robust enough to include the following brands in the ranking: Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lucid, Maserati, Mitsubishi and Polestar.

Brands occupying 11th-20th place are (in order of most to least reliable): Hyundai, Buick, Infiniti, Tesla, Ram, Cadillac, Nissan, Genesis, Audi and Chevrolet.