CR’s latest survey is out this week, and the magazine breaks out the ten vehicles that performed worst.
It’s always worth taking Consumer Reports’ data with a grain of salt or perhaps a sprinkle of spice. The magazine gets its numbers from surveying its subscribers.
That means its results don’t measure how many problems the average owner has with their new car. Instead, it measures how many issues the sort of person who pays for a magazine measuring the quality of many consumer goods has with their new car.
CR subscribers tend to buy some cars more than others and may not represent the general population.
However, the CR approach has advantages, too. Some states let automakers opt out of providing data to organizations like JD Power. But CR doesn’t get data from automakers. So companies like Tesla, which traditionally declines to participate in quality tests, can’t refuse.
Adding a wrinkle, CR changed its methodology in 2023. The magazine explains, “We added three new trouble areas: electric motor, EV [electric vehicle]/hybrid battery, and EV charging.” With researchers breaking out some data specific to EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), those vehicles performed uniquely poorly for the first time.
CR tracks “20 potential trouble areas, from nuisances—such as squeaky brakes and broken interior trim—to major bummers, such as potential expensive out-of-warranty engine, transmission, EV battery, and EV charging problems.”
Based on that data, CR says, “these models are the least reliable. They’re presented in rank order, counting down to the least reliable model. Each is shown with its reliability score on a scale of 1 to 100.” Larger numbers are better on this list.
According to J.D. Power's 2023 Vehicle Dependability Study, Lexus topped the list of rankings and the RX model was named the most dependable vehicle on the market (tied with Toyota's C-HR). For 2024, the luxury brand led its segment and the overall industry for the second year in a row.
According to J.D. Power's 2023 Vehicle Dependability Study, Lexus topped the list of rankings and the RX model was named the most dependable vehicle on the market (tied with Toyota's C-HR). For 2024, the luxury brand led its segment and the overall industry for the second year in a row.
To put these rankings in context, CR's top five brands ranked on average predicted reliability — Lexus, Toyota, Mini, Acura and Honda — all scored in the 70s, making them twice as dependable as many of the brands listed below, according to CR's methodology.
Toyota's 22R engine is often hailed as one of the most robust and long-lasting engines ever produced. Introduced in the late 1970s, it powered various Toyota models for decades. Owners have reported these engines regularly exceeding 300,000 miles, and some even reaching half a million miles with proper maintenance.
Lexus, Toyota, and Mini are the three most reliable brands in this year's annual auto reliability brand rankings, with the two Japanese brands swapping spaces from last year. The automaker Honda follows, with its luxury Acura brand coming in fourth and the mainstream Honda brand rounding out the top five.
In 2023, Consumer Reports ranked Toyota as the most reliable car brand on the market, with the Corolla Hybrid claiming their top spot with a whopping ninety-three points.
Unsurprisingly, white cars are stopped by law enforcement because it's the most common vehicle color. In fact, about 35% of all vehicles on the road are white. And although red comes in second for the most-pulled-over car colors, only about 5% of all vehicles on the roadway are red.
Analyzing five-year depreciation rates of over 1.1 million vehicles sold from November 2022 to October 2023, iSeeCars found trucks (34.8% five-year depreciation) and hybrids (37.4%), plus some sports cars and economy cars, were the best at retaining value.
Following its 2023 survey to determine who makes the most reliable new cars, Consumer Reports concluded that Lexus and Toyota lead the industry with predicted reliability scores of 79 and 76, respectively. This doesn't surprise auto mechanics already familiar with Toyota's solid reputation for reliability.
Toyota is practically synonymous with dependability and longevity—a reputation that's further solidified by the brand's 147 PP100 score in J.D. Power's study. The automaker's vehicles are staples on American roadways, with cars like the Corolla and Camry known for providing long-lasting transportation.
Experts say that 2024 will be the best year to purchase a new car since 2019. As interest rates slowly drop throughout the remainder of the year, payments will become more manageable. Don't overlook manufacturer rate promotions, as they can save you thousands of dollars.
Toyota dominates the list with 10 of the top 20 models able to reach over 230,000 miles. The top 2 models with the longest lifespans are Toyota SUVs, with the Sequoia and Land Cruiser both enduring nearly 300,000 miles over the past 20 years.
1. Toyota Sequoia. In a separate study, iSeeCars.com analyzed over 260 million cars sold between 2012 and 2022 to find the probability that a vehicle would make it more than 250,000 miles.
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Sean Tucker12/01/2023 9:21am