Only 2 US Automakers Among 10 Most Reliable Brands
Consumer Reports publishes an annual ranking of predicted reliability for every major automaker. Its predictions are based on problems that owners of 380,000 vehicles from model years 2000 to the present report experiencing in the past 12 months. This year, Buick ranked eighth while Tesla climbed to ninth place. They’re the only U.S.-based automakers in the top 10. Here’s the lineup:
- Toyota
- Subaru
- Lexus
- Honda
- BMW
- Nissan
- Acura
- Buick
- Tesla
- Kia
The five lowest-scoring automakers are all U.S. brands. They are Chrysler, GMC, Jeep, Ram, and Rivian. Ford had a strong showing, landing at rank 11. The average score of a U.S. automaker is 41 out of 100. German automakers average 50 out of 100. Asian-based automakers lead with an average of 56 out of 100.
Buick’s predicted reliability score
According to Consumer Reports, Buick earned a 51 out of 100 score for predicted reliability. That was good enough for an eighth-place finish. Analysts note that the Chinese-built Buick Envision scored well above average. They also warned that the newly redesigned Buick Enclave — which debuted for 2024 — is struggling with reliability.
Tesla’s reliability glow-up
Tesla earned a 50 out of 100 for predicted reliability. That score moved the brand up eight places to ninth overall. It owes much of its improvement to the Model 3, the most reliable electric car in the CR rankings. The Model Y was the most reliable electric SUV in the rankings. The Model S and Model X have average predicted reliability. Meanwhile, the all-new Cybertruck is below average.
For the past decade, drivers have reported Tesla powertrains to be reliable. But they struggled with multiple build quality issues. These problems range from panels that don’t fit properly to poor paint jobs. The Model X powered doors in particular generate complaints. But after reviewing this year’s owner data, CR concluded that Tesla has addressed most of its build quality problems in recent years.
