Consumer Reports' brand reliability report for 2024 has been released. According to the survey, the brands that make up the top five remain the same as last year, but it is Subaru which now holds the #1 spot, becoming the single most reliable car brand.
That’s right, Toyota and its sub-brand Lexus are no longer the very top brands when it comes to reliability. The findings are based on the nonprofit research, testing, and advocacy organization's statistics on over 300,000 automobiles, trucks, and SUVs that were sold between 2000 and 2025.
The total score in this reliability report is determined by averaging the results of several criteria, including owner satisfaction, safety rating, expected reliability, and road test results. These reliability rankings also assess issues and weak spots that affect consumers either immediately or long after they leave a car dealership.
It is worth noting that the list does not include any models from brands like Lincoln, Alfa Romeo, Dodge, and Land Rover. This is because it only considered companies that had “sufficient data” for at least two of their current models. Thus, the likes of Fiat, Jaguar, Lucid, Maserati, Polestar, and Ram, too, are all missing from this report.
So, what made Subaru so reliable? Was it the integration of new tech or advancement in car designs? None of that actually – the answer is quite the opposite. According to Steven Elek, head of Consumer Reports' car data analytics program, the likelihood of new issues arising dropped because many Subaru vehicles carry forward a lot of their parts across several model years.
Car reliability was assessed in this finding using member survey responses concerning personal car issues during the previous 12 months. Twenty possible "trouble areas" are included in the study; ranging from small irritations like paint and trim concerns to more serious difficulties like engine or gearbox problems.
A reliability ranking out of 100 points was generated by combining the scores for trouble areas, which were weighted according to the severity of the issue. These statistics, along with the findings of Consumer Reports' owner satisfaction surveys and internal testing, are taken into account in the overall model scores.
What’s interesting is that this year's reliability results feature more electric vehicles than ever before. So is it finally OK to expect a long-term, reliable EV? Maybe, but it depends on the brand.
Six of the seven Subaru vehicles that were ranked in the survey received average, above average, or well above average ratings – all six of those cars have internal combustion engines. The sole subpar Subaru was the Solterra EV, which was created in partnership with Toyota.
Subaru had an average reliability rating of 68 out of 100. Toyota's luxury car brand Lexus had an average reliability score of 65, while Toyota itself scored an average reliability score of 62. Apparently, the Toyota Tacoma, Toyota Tundra, and the all-electric Toyota bZ4X SUV all performed below average, which had a bearing on Toyota's overall reliability score.
In the meantime, Jeep (average reliability rating: 33), GMC (33), Cadillac (27), and Rivian (14), the four automakers with the most unreliable vehicles in the research, were all made-in-US brands.
"This year, among US brands, the Ford Mustang scored well above average, while the Chevrolet Trailblazer and Ford Escape scored above average. The Buick Encore GX and Envision; Cadillac XT5; Chevrolet Corvette, Silverado 2500, and Trax; Chrysler Pacifica; Ford Bronco, Bronco Sport, Explorer, Maverick, Maverick Hybrid, and Mustang Mach-E; GMC Sierra 2500; Ram 2500; and Tesla Model 3 and Model Y all scored average," stated Consumer Reports.
In an industry constantly chasing the next big thing, sometimes the real winners are the ones who stick to what works. In addition to bagging the top spot in the reliability report, Subaru took the top spot in the annual overall brand rankings report too, dethroning BMW off its perch. Subaru has surpassed marques like BMW, Porsche, and Honda, which make up the rest of the top five brands.
Brands like Audi, whilst still outside the top five, moved up from 12th to 6th place. In a similar vein, Infiniti rose six points to take the 10th spot on the list.
Now that’s no mean feat.
Source: Consumer Reports
