Reliability should be at the top of your priority list when buying a car. Whether new or used, it's important to ensure your car will last for a long time, avoiding headaches and potential mechanic bills. The team over at Consumer Reports compiled a list of the 22 most reliable car brands of 2024, giving buyers a solid place to start.
Consumer Reports calculated its list using data from its own reliability surveys, where it asks subscribers to report back on cars they've purchased. The members fill out a questionnaire, which includes a section where they can report problems.
The top 10 brands are mostly those you'd expect, with Toyota, Mazda, and Honda holding high spots. But there are a few surprises, too, with German brands like BMW and Audi among the top 10 most reliable brands. Sadly there are no American brands represented in Consumer Reports' top 10 most reliable brands.
1. Subaru
CR Reliability Score: 68/100
While we're not surprised to see a Japanese manufacturer at the top of this list, we are surprised to see Subaru. Usually, Toyota or its sister brand, Lexus, sit atop reliability rankings. But for 2024, it's the brand famous for its Symmetrical all-wheel drive and boxer-four engines. Consumer Reports says two of Subaru's models—the Forester and the Impreza—scored above average, while the rest of its lineup scored above average to average. The only car in Subaru's lineup to score below average was the all-electric Solterra which, coincidentally, is a rebadged Toyota.
2. Lexus
CR Reliability Score: 65/100
Now that's more like it. Lexus, Toyota's luxury-minded sub-brand, trails slightly behind Subaru for second place in Consumer Reports' list of most reliable brands for 2024. Lexus vehicles have long been known for their incredibly reliable powertrains. I should know: A friend and I just drove a 288,000-mile Lexus GX from New York to Alaska and back, and the only thing we had to change was the oil. Consumer Reports says four of the company's seven models scored above average, while the other three scored average.
3. Toyota
CR Reliability Score: 62/100
Toyota, best known for its unmatched reliability, comes in third place for 2024, just behind Lexus. We'd expect to see this brand in first place, but below-average reliability ratings for vehicles such as the Tundra and the all-electric bZ4X brought down the company's overall score. Toyota issued a recall earlier this year for faulty engines in around 100,000 trucks and SUVs, which surely contributed to this ranking. Still, Consumer Reports says Toyota had 11 models that scored either well above or above average. That's not bad.
4. Honda
CR Reliability Score: 59/100
Surprising no one, Honda arrives at fourth place for most reliable car brands in 2024, according to Consumer Reports. Like Toyota, Honda is known for its reliable cars, which can run for hundreds of thousands of miles with just regular maintenance. The Japanese carmaker had three models that scored above average in survey results, while seven received average scores.
5. Acura
CR Reliability Score: 55/100
Honda's luxury sub-brand Acura follows closely behind in Consumer Reports' reliability list for 2024, scoring one above-average model. The company sells just five models, two sedans and three SUVs. Acura's first EV, the ZDX, launched last year. It uses battery technology from American brand General Motors, though Consumer Reports didn't reveal whether issues from that vehicle affected the brand's overall score.
6. Mazda
CR Reliability Score: 55/100
Mazda, another Japanese automaker, slots into sixth place below Acura. While not as popular as the Toyota or Honda juggernauts, Mazda has developed a reputation for solid construction and long-lasting powertrains. The company's dedication to driving enjoyment is just the cherry on top. The reason Mazda didn't score higher seems to be its big CX-90 SUV, which scored well below average in hybrid form. Both gas and hybrid versions also had transmission, steering, suspension, and electronics problems, according to Consumer Reports subscribers.
7. Audi
CR Reliability Score: 54/100
This is a bit of a surprise. German brands usually aren't known for their reliability, yet Audi has managed to weasel its way onto this list, resting in a healthy seventh place overall. The German luxury carmaker is the first of just two European brands in the top 10. It's worth noting this list is calculated using issues reported on new cars, meaning it's still possible for reliability to drop off as time goes on, as is often the case with expensive European vehicles.
8. BMW
CR Reliability Score: 53/100
BMW is the second (and last) European carmaker on this Consumer Reports list, coming in as the eighth most reliable brand. Like Audi, we're surprised to see it here, as German cars aren't known for being the most reliable things in the world. But we're not mad; BMW makes some of the best cars on sale today, not only in its performance-oriented M cars, but its more pedestrian sedans and SUVs too. Like many other hybrids mentioned in its report, Consumer Reports says the X5 hybrid scored below its gas-only counterpart when it came to reliability.
9. Kia
CR Reliability Score: 51/100
Kia is the first Korean brand to appear in the top 10 list of most reliable car brands, slotting in just below BMW to ninth place. Once the butt of jokes in the car world, Kia has become a powerhouse in the affordable car sector, developing good cars that don't cost an arm and a leg to own. The company's design is one of the best in the business, and its GT models are genuinely fun to drive.
10. Hyundai
CR Reliability Score: 50/100
Rounding out Consumer Reports' list of the top 10 most reliable carmakers is Kia's sister brand Hyundai. Like Kia, Hyundai wasn't always a big force in the cheap car space. But this past decade has seen the Korean automaker explode in popularity. That's thanks not only to a robust 10 year, 100,000-mile warranty but also excellent design and a solid driving experience. Who would've thought 10 years ago one of the most exciting performance cars on the market would be an electric Hyundai? Not us.
