Eight of the top ten spots are held by Japanese brands.
Consumer Reports compiles an annual list of global automakers that have the highest and lowest reliability ratings for new cars every year. This list is for 2021. If it looks familiar, that’s because there hasn’t been much in the way of new car buyers finding the most reliable brands.
Let’s first discuss how the rankings are created. Consumer Reports states that overall automaker rankings represent an average of the rankings for each model within a brand. These rankings are based on member surveys. They are then tabulated to produce a Consumer Reports predicted reliability score. The range is 0 through 100, with 41-60 representing the average.
A score is created when there are enough data to show at least two models of a brand. Many manufacturers were not ranked this year because they didn’t have enough data. This list doesn’t include Alfa Romeo or Dodge, Jaguar Land Rover, Maserati Mitsubishi, Land Rover, Land Rover, Land Rover, Land Rover, Maserati and Land Rover.
However, you will find Japanese automakers. You’ll actually find them all in the top 10, with Lexus leading the way. Mazda was the previous reliability champion but is now just one point behind Lexus to take second. Toyota is third, with Infiniti fourth. Buick ranks highest in the US, and sneaks into the top five behind Infiniti. Mini is the last spot, while Acura, Subaru, Acura and Nissan are in the bottom half. Mini is the only brand that falls below 60.
Brand |
Score |
| Lexus | 76 |
| Mazda | 75 |
| Toyota | 71 |
| Infiniti | 69 |
| Buick | 66 |
| Honda | 66 |
| Subaru | 66 |
| Acura | 64 |
| Nissan | 63 |
| Mini | 60 |
There are a lot of US brands on the less impressive side of this list, but Kia is the top-ranked brand with an average ranking at 43. Volvo and Ram occupy the top portion of the lower list. Mercedes-Benz is in the lowest range with a ranking of 40. Volkswagen and Genesis are the next in line, with Tesla following, but all falling below the average range. Lincoln is the least-rated brand, with a well rating of 18.
Brand |
Score |
| Kia | 43 |
| Volvo | 42 |
| Ram | 40 |
| GMC | 37 |
| Mercedes-Benz | 34 |
| Volkswagen | 31 |
| Genesis | 30 |
| Jeep | 26 |
| Tesla | 25 |
| Lincoln | 18 |
Consumer Reports highlights trends at more specific levels than the rankings. The trending SUVs of US brands is higher than the overall rankings. Hybrid vehicles score higher than any other vehicle genre in the electric realm, but all-electric SUVs rank as the lowest-ranking.