1 Expert Ranks Toyota 7th out of the 8 Most Reliable Car Brands
Reliability means something different to everyone. If your infotainment system won’t stay connected to your smartphone, does that actually translate to a lack of reliability? In some cases, the answer is “yes.” Thankfully, RepairPal uses different parameters to bring us the most reliable car brands. Strangely, Toyota isn’t on top of the list, which is where many expect it to be. Let’s find out why.
What is the most reliable car brand?
According to RepairPal, Honda takes the top spot as the most reliable brand. With Honda sitting in this top spot, it’s not surprising that Acura is a close second. Honda claims this top position with the HR-V, Fit, Civic, and Accord arriving in the top 20 most reliable cars in RepairPal’s ratings.
Are Toyota models reliable?
Most experts feel the Toyota brand is one of the most reliable in the market. That said, RepairPal has the Corolla, Prius C, and Yaris in the top 10, but that’s not enough to push this venerable brand past the seventh spot. Maybe we need to ask what’s considered in RepairPal’s reliability rankings.
How does RepairPal determine the most reliable car brands?
RepairPal uses three components to determine the reliability and then measures these components on a scale of one to five. These three components are:
- Cost – the average annual cost of unscheduled repairs
- Frequency – how often vehicles require unscheduled repairs
- Severity – how serious the repairs are
Using these three components, RepairPal lists eight brands with a reliability rating of 4 or higher on its scale. These eight brands in order are:
- Honda
- Acura
- Kia
- Hyundai
- Mazda
- Lexus
- Toyota
- Nissan
Who makes the most reliable new cars?
According to Consumer Reports, the most reliable car brands aren’t the same as what RepairPal offers. The names are mostly the same but shuffled. Toyota tops the list for CR, followed closely by Lexus, BMW, Mazda, and Honda. In these rankings, BMW moved up ten spots from last year to join the Toyota family.
Which cars last the longest?
Longevity is a key factor in determining the reliability of a vehicle. As expected, Toyota is among the most reliable car brands, but how many Toyota models rank in the top 10 most reliable vehicles?
Here are the top 10 longest-lasting vehicles according to iSeeCars.com:
- Toyota Sequoia (296,509 miles)
- Toyota Land Cruiser (280,236 miles)
- Chevrolet Suburban (265,732 miles)
- Toyota Tundra (256,022 miles)
- GMC Yukon XL (252,360 miles)
- Toyota Prius (250,601 miles)
- Chevrolet Tahoe (250,338 miles)
- Honda Ridgeline (248,669 miles)
- Toyota Avalon (245,710 miles)
- Toyota Highlander Hybrid (244,944 miles)
In this study, we see 6 of the top 10 models belong to the Toyota family.
Is Toyota one of the most reliable car brands?
Overall, Toyota is certainly a reliable brand. The models in the top ten for RepairPal are the most affordable to repair when unscheduled repairs are required. Those models are some of the smallest vehicles offered. The iSeeCars.com list shows us the largest Toyota models, save the Prius and Avalon, are the vehicles that last the longest. Toss in the Consumer Reports rating with Toyota and Lexus in the top two spots, and you can certainly say Toyota is among the most reliable car brands.
Next, check out something special about the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, or learn more about Toyota reliability in this video below:
This article was updated on 3/25/2023.
