Quick facts:
The less frequently a car has problems, and the less severe and costly these problems tend to be, the more reliable it is.Lexus was ranked the #1 most reliable car brand by Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and Edmunds, three of the most trusted names in automotive research. Toyota came in second on each list. Aside from Lexus and Toyota, the only brands that ranked in the top 10 across all three sources were Mini, Porsche, Mazda, BMW, and Kia.
Different types of drivers look for different things when shopping for a new or used vehicle.
An outdoor enthusiast who camps frequently might want high clearance and 4WD. Parents with young children might seek out best-in-class safety features and three rows of seating. Budget-conscious daily commuters might make fuel economy a priority.
One thing almost all car shoppers have in common, though, is the desire for a reliable, dependable vehicle. After all, no one likes having to go see their mechanic every couple of months. Unexpected car trouble costs time and money, throwing a metaphorical wrench in the proverbial gears of a busy schedule.
Related: How to buy a used car: A 6-step guide with tips & best practices
These days, most automakers offer a variety of model types, from capable SUVs to spacious minivans to fuel-efficient EVs and hybrids, so why not start the car-buying process by choosing a brand known for its vehicles’ dependability? Whether you’re into stylish sports cars or simple sedans, buying from a reliable make can save you hours of time and thousands of dollars over the course of your vehicle’s life.
But what exactly makes a car dependable? How is reliability measured? And what brands have the best reputation when it comes to their vehicles’ long-term performance?
What is car reliability and how is it measured?
Simply put, reliability is a measure of how frequently a car has problems and how severe and costly these problems are. If a car performs well over time with standard maintenance and rarely has issues that require a visit to the mechanic, it is considered reliable.
Different sources measure reliability differently, but most emphasize the powertrain — this is the portion of a car responsible for combusting fuel and transferring the resultant energy through the driveshaft and into the car’s axles and wheels. The powertrain includes the engine, transmission, driveshaft, differentials, axles, and wheels, all of which are crucial to a car’s proper functioning.
A car’s powertrain comprises its engine, transmission, driveshaft, axles, and wheels, among other components.
OSX, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
When powertrain components break or malfunction, a car may no longer be safely driveable and could require costly and time-consuming repairs.
Other parts of a vehicle, like its electrical systems and suspension, also contribute to its reliability, but these tend to hold less weight in measures of reliability, as a broken power window button won’t strand a driver in the middle of nowhere or compromise their safety to the degree that a malfunctioning engine could.
The most trusted sources for automotive reliability information include Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and Edmunds. Here are the 10 most dependable car brands according to each organization.
Lexus topped Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and Edmunds’ lists of the most reliable car brands.
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What are the most reliable car brands according to Consumer Reports?
Consumer Reports’ rankings are based on its member surveys, which it conducts every single year. The most recent CR survey collected data on about over 330,000 individual vehicles from model years 2000 to 2023.
These surveys ask respondents about any problems they’ve encountered with their vehicles across 20 different “problem areas,” with more serious problems given more weight in CR’s reliability index. Based on survey data, CR assigns each automaker an overall reliability score out of 100.
Here are CR’s reliability rankings:
Lexus: 79Toyota: 76Mini: 71Acura: 70Honda: 70Subaru: 69Mazda: 67Porsche: 66BMW: 64Kia: 61
Toyota came in second in terms of dependability across the ranked lists of Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and Edmunds.
What are the most dependable car brands according to J.D. Power?
Each year, J.D. conducts a vehicle dependability study, which focuses specifically on three-year old vehicles, and is thus more limited in scope than Consumer Reports’ survey, which includes vehicles going back to 2000. J.D. Power’s study divides vehicle problems into 9 categories, including the all-important powertrain.
Here are J.D. Power’s reliability rankings:
LexusToyotaBuickChevroletMiniPorscheMazdaKiaBMWDodge
More on car buying:
The 10 least dependable cars according to Consumer ReportsHow to buy a new car: An 8-step guide with tips & suggestionsUsed cars to avoid buying according to Consumer Reports
What are the most dependable car brands according to Edmunds?
Edmunds combines the results of the J.D. Power dependability study with additional car-problem statistics from a company called RepairPal (which gets its data from a network of over 2,000 auto repair shops in the U.S.) to create its own list of the most reliable automakers.
Edmunds’ top-10 list actually includes 14 car brands due to multiple ties in its rankings:
LexusToyotaBuickChevrolet and Mini (tie) PorscheMazdaKiaBMW, Dodge, and Jeep (tie) CadillacHyundai and Subaru (tie)
The takeaway
All three automotive review organizations agreed on one thing — Lexus, in general, is the most dependable car brand. All three also agreed that Toyota comes in second when it comes to reliability.
Consumers looking for a long-lasting vehicle that won’t require an abundance of mechanic visits can’t go wrong with a Lexus or Toyota. Aside from those two makes, the only brands that ranked in the top 10 across all three lists were Mini, Porsche, Mazda, BMW, and Kia.
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