Consumer Reports has published a report on reliability for 2024. According to the survey, the brands that make up the top five remain the same as last year, but Subaru now holds the top spot as the most reliable car brand (you can view the list HERE).
So Toyota and Lexus are no longer at the very top. To recall, the findings are based on statistics from the non-profit research, testing and advocacy organization, related to more than 300,000 cars, trucks and SUVs sold between 2000 and 2025.
The overall score in this reliability report is determined by averaging several criteria, including owner satisfaction, safety rating, expected reliability and test results. This reliability ranking also assesses problems and weak points that affect consumers, whether it’s immediately or long after the vehicles leave the dealership.
It is worth noting that the list does not include models from brands such as Lincoln, Alfa Romeo, Dodge and Land Rover. The reason is that only companies that had “enough data” for at least two of their current models were considered. Therefore, Fiat, Jaguar, Lucid, Maserati, Polestar and Ram are also missing from the report.
What made Subaru so reliable? Was it the integration of new technology or an advancement in car design? None of that really, because the answer is quite the opposite. According to Steven Elek, head of Consumer Reports’ automotive data analysis program, the likelihood of new problems occurring has decreased because many Subaru vehicles carry over numerous components over several model years.
Car reliability was assessed in this finding using survey members’ responses to problems related to privately owned vehicles during the previous 12 months. Twenty possible “problem areas” were included in the study, ranging from minor irritations such as those related to paint and cosmetics to serious difficulties such as engine and transmission problems.
A 100-point confidence ranking is generated by combining scores for problem areas, with attention paid to problem severity. These statistics, along with the findings of owner satisfaction surveys conducted by Consumer Reports, as well as internal testing, are taken into account when forming the overall results.
What’s interesting is that this year’s reliability results include more electric vehicles than ever before. So is it finally okay to expect a long-term, reliable electric car? Maybe, but it depends on the brand.
Six of the seven Subaru vehicles ranked in the survey received average, above average or well above average scores, with all six having internal combustion engines. The only model that was not up to the task was the Solterra EV, created in partnership with Toyota.
Subaru achieved an average reliability rating of 68 out of 100. Lexus came in second with 65, while Toyota came in at 62. What is indicative is that the Tacoma, Tundra and bZ3X were below average, which had an impact on Toyota’s overall reliability rating.
Meanwhile, Jeep (33 average reliability rating), GMC (33), Cadillac (27) and Rivian (14) are the four manufacturers with the most unreliable vehicles in the survey.
In an industry that constantly strives for great new things, sometimes the real winners are those who stick with what works. In addition to taking the top spot in the reliability report, Subaru also took the top spot in the annual overall brand ranking report, dethroning BMW. Subaru beat out the likes of BMW, Porsche and Honda, which make up the rest of the top five brands.
Audi, although outside the Top 5, moved from 12th to 6th place. Similarly, Infiniti has improved by six points, so that it is now 10th in the list.
Source: Automotoshow.rs
Photo: Archive Autoblog.rs / Subaru
Source: autoblog.rs
