Subaru leads reliability rankings in the U.S.

For the second time in four years, Subaru ranked first in Consumer Reports’ annual brand report card, which measures vehicle performance, safety, and reliability. The 2025 report card is part of an updated data set released by Consumer Reports that packages all its automotive rankings in one spot.

Consumer Reports also found that Subaru was the best when measuring vehicle reliability. This is the first time Subaru has claimed the Number 1 spot, which Lexus and Toyota have traded for the past five years.

Asian automakers dominated the top of the list. Lexus, Toyota, Honda, Acura, Mazda, Kia, and Hyundai made the top 10, joined by Audi and BMW.

Reliability score

This year’s survey covered 20 potential problem areas, including engines, electric motors, transmissions, and electronics. Consumer Reports gathered data on about 300,000 vehicles from the 2000 to 2024 model years, plus a few newly introduced 2025 models.

The scores are calculated by averaging each brand’s overall result for the past three years, provided that a model wasn’t redesigned during that time. Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports senior director of auto testing, said in an interview that automakers that follow a more long-term strategy that isn’t reworked every few years tend to perform better.

“The more you change, the more errors can crop up,” Fisher told Automotive News. “When you look at an automaker like Toyota or Subaru, which stays the course, makes incremental changes, and already has good competitive products, they’re poised to do quite well.”

“Other automakers swing quite widely; there’s a new platform, new powertrains, and you wind up having reliability problems. It’s the ones that have a long-term goal and stick to it; those are the brands that will satisfy consumers and make reliable products,” he added.

Fisher also said recalls didn’t necessarily affect a brand’s score unless customers directly experienced the flaw that prompted the recall. He also noted that issues with infotainment systems, long a sore spot for the industry, remain prevalent but aren’t weighted in the rankings as much as more dangerous mechanical issues.

The top 10 reliability ranking lists Subaru first, followed by Lexus, Toyota, Honda, Acura, Mazda, Audi, BMW, Kia, and Hyundai. Buick (11th) is the first domestic brand in the ranking, followed by Nissan and Ford. Genesis is in 14th place, and Volvo is in 15th.

Consumer Reports said issues with popular pickups and new electric vehicles hurt the Detroit 3. For example, Ford ranked 13th in part because of the F-150 hybrid, its least-reliable model. Owners reported issues with the transmission, drive system, climate system, electrical accessories, in-vehicle electronics, and hybrid battery. Chevrolet, which ranked 16th, struggled with its Blazer EV. Owners told Consumer Reports of battery, electrical accessories, and electronics issues.

Electrification issues

Consumer Reports noticed that conventional hybrids are the most reliable type of electrified vehicle. Despite being more complicated to build, they have roughly the same problem rate as ICE models.

However, plug-in hybrids have an average of 70% more problems, while EVs have 42%. Still, both figures are roughly half what they were in last year’s outlet survey. “We’re still seeing the same trends, but the gap is closing,” Fisher commented.

He noted that the reliability scores reflect vehicle problems and do not factor in issues with public chargers, which can be troublesome. He said EV reliability struggles because those models are often built on new platforms and packaged with the latest technology to attract buyers.

Brand report overall

Looking not only at reliability but also at the brand overall, BMW, which topped the brand report card in 2024 and 2023, was beaten by Subaru by one point. Lexus, Porsche, Honda, Audi, Kia, Hyundai, Toyota, and Infiniti rounded out the top 10.

Looking at the domestic brands, Chrysler jumped the most of any brands, rising eight spots to 16th, the best among the Detroit 3. Other domestic brands did worse compared with last year.

Buick fell four spots to 17th; Ford dropped two positions to 19th; Cadillac fell seven spots to 21st; Lincoln fell three places to 24th, and Chevrolet dropped three to 25th. Jeep finished last for the second straight year because of below-average reliability and the lowest average road test score. Also remarkable was Mercedes-Benz’s 23rd position, squeezed between Volvo (22nd) and Lincoln.