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With a sample size of more than 300,000 vehicles, the latest Consumer Reports study has published the most reliable – and least reliable – car brands in the US, with some surprises on the list.
06:0122 November 2022
A new study out of the US has named the most reliable and least reliable cars in one of the world's biggest automotive markets.
Toyota, Lexus, BMW, Mazda, and Honda made the top five of the brands with the most reliable cars, with BMW jumping up from 10th to third position in just one year, pushing German rival Audi to sixth.
At the other end of the scale, Tesla, Chevrolet, GMC, Volkswagen, Jeep, and Mercedes-Benz were named as having the lowest average reliability scores across their model ranges.
Each car receives a score of between zero and 100 – compiled by not-for-profit organisation Consumer Reports – with data from more than 300,000 vehicles built between 2000 and 2022 – with the average score sitting between 41 and 60.
The data is sourced from vehicle owners and regarded as among the most comprehensive study of its type.
Popular brands such as Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover, Maserati, Mini, Mitsubishi, Polestar, Porsche, and Rivian were excluded from the study because the sample sizes were not large enough to be statistically valid.
| Rank | Brand | Average |
| 1 | Toyota | 72 |
| 2 | Lexus | 72 |
| 3 | BMW | 65 |
| 4 | Mazda | 65 |
| 5 | Honda | 62 |
| 6 | Audi | 60 |
| 7 | Subaru | 59 |
| 8 | Acura | 57 |
| 9 | Kia | 54 |
| 10 | Lincoln | 54 |
| 11 | Buick | 54 |
| 12 | Genesis | 52 |
| 13 | Hyundai | 46 |
| 14 | Volvo | 45 |
| 15 | Nissan | 44 |
| 16 | Ram | 42 |
| 17 | Cadillac | 42 |
| 18 | Ford | 41 |
| 19 | Tesla | 40 |
| 20 | Chevrolet | 40 |
| 21 | GMC | 36 |
| 22 | Volkswagen | 31 |
| 23 | Jeep | 30 |
| 24 | Mercedes-Benz | 26 |
Volkswagen recorded the lowest score for any single vehicle model.
The widespread adoption of the latest technology in Mercedes-Benz vehicles made its vehicles more vulnerable to failures, bringing the brand’s average down to last place for the first time – dropping five spots from last year.
“A lot of technology doesn't necessarily work all the time, and there's more potential for problems,” Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing at Consumer Reports, told US publication Automotive News.
“Mercedes-Benz has chosen to really try to distinguish themselves with all of the latest gizmos and gadgets … and it's kind of come back to bite them.”
The Toyota Corolla Cross took the top gong as the most reliable model in the report, with a score of 96 out of 100, while the Corolla Hybrid, Corolla, and outgoing Prius were also ranked “well above average”.
The Ford F-150 Hybrid was one of the worst performing vehicles in the reliability survey, with a score of just four out of 100.
Electric cars did not rank well, either, with just four of 11 models receiving a score of average or above average for reliability.
“It's very easy for someone to say, 'Electric vehicles are unreliable,'” Mr Fisher said.
“It's not so much that, as the point of any car that is loaded with technology is [that it is] going to have problems. And right now, that's not where the hybrid market is at all.”
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Ben Zachariah is an experienced writer and motoring journalist from Melbourne, having worked in the automotive industry for more than two decades. Ben began writing professionally more than 15 years ago and was previously an interstate truck driver. He completed his MBA in Finance in early 2021 and is considered an expert on classic car investment.
