Fast facts:
Consumer Reports ranks car reliability based on surveys of its over 6 million members about their own vehicles. 8 out of the 10 vehicles ranked most reliable are manufactured by Toyota.Three different iterations of Toyota’s RAV4 model made the list — original, plug-in hybrid, and hybrid. None of the vehicles that made the top 10 come from American automakers.
Cars cost money, but they also eat money — and not just in the form of expensive gasoline. Cars require routine maintenance, and as they age, they begin to require costly repairs as well.
For most working people, cars represent a top spending category, between gas, insurance premiums, and maintenance and repair costs. Together, these secondary automotive expenses can be just as important — if not more so — than the up-front purchase price of a vehicle.
That’s why reliability is so important when it comes to choosing a vehicle. Not only can a reliable vehicle save its owner tens of thousands in repairs compared to a less dependable car — it can also be cheaper to insure.
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Car insurance companies are obsessed with data, and premiums are calculated based on (among other things) perceived risk of claim payouts, so choosing a vehicle with a reputation for reliability and safety can sometimes result in a lower monthly Geico bill.
So, for the frugally minded driver, reliability should be a major consideration when car shopping. But just how is reliability measured? And where can consumers find trustworthy, experience-based information about how different car models compare when it comes to dependability?
Consumer reports, a nonprofit that has been testing cars and other products since 1936, is one resource that everyday shoppers have leaned on for unbiased product information for decades.
What is Consumer Reports?
Consumer Reports, formed in 1936, is a non-profit consumer advocacy organization headquartered in New York State. The organization tests all manner of consumer products, cars included, at its private labs and facilities. For testing vehicles specifically, Consumer Reports uses a private, six-mile closed driving course that it maintains in Connecticut.
Related: How does Consumer Reports make money? The product-testing nonprofit explained
The organization purchases all of the products it tests (including vehicles) anonymously and at full price in order to keep its analysis objective. And, in addition to testing vehicles directly, Consumer Reports also surveys its over 6 million members annually about their cars. These surveys ask members about their driving experience, any problems that have arisen with their vehicles over the past year, how much these problems cost to repair, and more.
How does Consumer Reports measure vehicle reliability?
When looked at en masse and over the long-term, responses to Consumer Reports’ auto surveys help the organization identify vehicles that are more or less likely to experience certain problems at various stages in their ownership.
Collecting this data directly from owners of every vehicle model year over year allows the organization to assign relative reliability scores to each of the car models it reviews.
The 10 models listed below stand out as the most reliable on the market based on Consumer Reports’ auto survey data. Interestingly, 8 of the 10 models that made this list are manufactured by Toyota (two of which are on its luxury imprint, Lexus), and none of the vehicles that made the top 10 come from American automakers.
Here’s the full list:
Consumer Reports’ 10 most reliable car models
Toyota RAV4
TTTNIS, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
1. Toyota RAV4
CR reliability score: 86Overall CR score: 76City MPG: 19Highway MPG: 382025 price: $28,850–$40,205
Toyota Corolla
Mr.choppers, CC-BY-SA-3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
2. Toyota Corolla
CR reliability score: 84Overall CR score: 76City MPG: 24Highway MPG: 512025 price: $22,325–$28,190
Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid
Portland Press Herald/Getty Images
3. Toyota RAV4 Plug-in Hybrid
CR reliability score: 84Overall CR score: 88City MPG: 29Highway MPG: 392025 price: $43,865–$47,735
More automotive content:
The 10 cars with the most satisfied owners, according to Consumer ReportsConsumer Reports’ cheapest cars to maintain over 10 yearsThe best used cars under $10k according to Consumer Reports
Mazda MX-5 Miata
4. Mazda MX-5 Miata
CR reliability score: 84Overall CR score: 83City MPG: 25Highway MPG: 422025 price: $28,985–$40,210
Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers/Getty Images
5. Toyota RAV4 Hybrid
CR reliability score: 83Overall CR score: 81City MPG: 32Highway MPG: 412025 price: $28,850–$40,205
BMW i4
6. BMW i4
CR reliability score: 82Overall CR score: 89City MPGE: 94Highway MPGE: 982025 price: $52,800–$70,700
Related: Consumer Reports: Cheapest cars to maintain over 10 years
Hyundai Elantra (called the Avante in South Korea) Hybrid
7. Hyundai Elantra Hybrid
CR reliability score: 79Overall CR score: 82City MPG: 40Highway MPG: 552025 price: $25,350–$29,700
Lexus NX
Kevauto, CC-BY-SA-4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
8. Lexus NX
CR reliability score: 77Overall CR score: 78City MPG: 17Highway MPG: 352025 price: $25,350–$29,700
Lexus NX Hybrid
9. Lexus NX Hybrid
CR reliability score: 76Overall CR score: 83City MPG: 37Highway MPG: 392025 price: $41,955–$57,805
Alexander Migl, CC-BY-SA-4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
10. Toyota Corolla Hybrid
CR reliability score: 76Overall CR score: 75City MPG: 37Highway MPG: 592025 price: $22,325–$28,190
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