Toyota is no longer the most reliable brand, says consumer report

Mazda, Audi, BMW, Kia & Hyundai bring up the bottom five in the top 10 reliable brands list.

According to the latest 2024 brand reliability report from Consumer Reports, Toyota & its luxury sub-brand Lexus are no longer the most reliable car brands in the global market. The study reveals that Subaru has overtaken the Japanese car giant and now holds the top spot on the list.

Consumer Reports base their study on data collected from over 3,00,000 automobiles sold between 2000 to 2025. The overall reliability score is an average of several individual criteria such as owner satisfaction, safety rating, expected reliability & road test results. The study also only considers car brands that offer "sufficient data" for at least two of their current models.

Subaru received the highest reliability score of 68/100, just passing Lexus & Toyota in 2nd and 3rd positions, respectively. Lexus had an average score of 65/100 while Toyota scored 62/100.

The study states that the reason Subaru managed to outscore Toyota & Lexus is the sharing of components across their model range. Steven Elek, who oversees Auto Data Analytics at Consumer Reports, stated, "Subaru’s cars share many reliable components. This commonality means that when Subaru redesigns a vehicle, it can make fewer incremental changes by carrying over dependable systems. This reduces the risk of new problems."

Consumer Reports also stated that this year's study had the highest number of hybrids and electric vehicles than ever before. The study stated, "This year’s survey results have more data on hybrids and electric vehicles than ever before, revealing how newer technology’s teething pains start to dissipate after two or three years. These findings reinforce why it’s best to wait a couple of years before buying an all-new model."

Coming back to the list, Honda & Acura complete the top-5 most reliable car brands list, scoring 59/100 and 55/100, respectively. Other brands in the top 10 include Mazda, Audi, BMW, Kia & Hyundai.

Source: Consumer Reports