So you carefully researched your use car. You chose a good vehicle that fits your needs. You even made sure it has a good, reliable engine. Then, your transmission goes out on you and your “new” used car is underivable until you do a $1,000+ transmission swap. How do you avoid this? Choose a used car with one of the most reliable transmissions.

Aisin “U” series 4-speed automatic

Toyota’s reliability is legendary. One of its secrets is the durable transmission models Aisin engineers and builds, year in and year out. Even among that lineup, the four-speed automatic “U” series stands out. This transmission was available in many Toyota Corollas as recently as the 2014 model year.Toyota also installed variations of this engine in the Camry, Sienna, RAV4, and Highlanders.

M-Production

ZF 8hp 8-speed automatic

ZF is an engineering and component manufacturing company in southern Germany. It first made gears for Zeppelin airships. Later, it pioneered the six speed manual, synchronizer gears, the five-speed automatic, six-speed automatic, and eight-speed automatic. Today, many automakers build the “8hp” eight-speed automatic under license. Here’s the unbelievable list of automakers that build this transmission or order it from ZF for their vehicles:

• Audi
• Volkswagen
• BMW
• Porsche
• Chrysler
• Dodge
• Jeep
• Wagoneer
• Ram trucks
• Land Rover
• Jaguar
• Aston Martin
• Rolls Royce
• Bentley
• Morgan
• Alpina
• Ineos
• Alfa Romeo
• Maserati
• Lamborghini (Urus only)
• Jangling Motors
• China Motor Corporation/Mitsubishi
• Haval
• Great Wall Motors
• VinFaast
• Toyota (GR Supra only)

These transmissions are known to run up to 250k miles with no problems. Many car buyers are suspicious of automatic transmissions with a ton of gears. It is true that Ford and General Motors are facing lawsuits over the latest 10-speed automatics in their trucks. But the incredibly dependable 8hp transmission proves that more complex automatics can be reliable.

Toyota’s hybrids prove CVTs can be reliable

Constant variable transmissions don’t have a series of gear, but an infinitely adjusting ratio thanks to conical gears. Early Nissan CVTs earned a reputation for reliability issues and convinced many drivers that this isn’t a dependable transmission type. But CVTs don’t deserve that reputation.

For the Prius, Toyota improved on the “CVT” with a completely new (old) setup. It used a planetary transmission–the same method the Ford Model T used–to achieve theoretically infinite gear ratios and maximize efficiency. The tried-and-true technology, paired with its electric motor/generator, proved a legendary combination.

According to iSeeCars, the Toyota Prius has a 12.6% chance of hitting 250,000 miles. That’s 1.5x the probability of the average car. It’s one of many vehicles proving hybrids are more reliable than regular cars, despite technically being more complicated.