When it comes to any discussion of which brands make the best cars, there is always dissent. Everyone has their favorite car manufacturers based on personal experience and allegiances. However, from a purely objective standpoint, which brand actually does make the best cars?
That is the question that a new report tried its best to answer. Based on a calculation of the averages of each brand’s new vehicles’ overall score, a combination of results from road tests, safety assessments, and reliability and owner satisfaction surveys, Consumer Reports has ranked car manufacturers from best to worst.
Which car brands make the best cars?
Based on their research, the Consumer Reports investigators and testers chose Subaru as the best car brand for 2025.
“While Subaru models provide good performance and comfort, they also excel in areas that may not be immediately apparent during a test drive,” said Jake Fisher, Consumer Reports’ senior director of auto testing. “They share proven parts that help assure consistently great reliability. They also use cutting-edge safety systems and perform well in our emergency handling and braking tests.”
Coming in second place, and first among all luxury car brands, was BMW. Fisher said, “BMW has made very highly desirable models for years, and their reliability easily outshines all of their European rivals.”
Porsche, Honda, and Toyota finished third through fifth in the rankings. Lexus, Lincoln, Hyundai, Acura, and Tesla rounded out the top 10 overall.
The biggest movers, both positively and negatively
That sixth-place finish was a three-spot drop for Lexus. Consumer Reports said it was “due to models like the GX SUV dropping to average reliability, and the absence of the strong-performing ES sedan, which is being replaced with a new version.” Chrysler also fell nine spots from last year to 25th, while Audi dropped 10 spots, down to 16th.
The most significant rise in the rankings went to Lincoln, which moved up 17 positions. Tesla also moved up eight spots. Both moves were attributed to their aging product lines becoming more reliable. (That assessment seems a little dubious with regard to Tesla.)
Coming in 11th through 20th on the overall list were Mini, Kia, Nissan, Mazda, Genesis, Audi, Cadillac, Ford, Mitsubishi, and Buick. Fiat, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lucid, Maserati, Polestar, and Ram were not ranked because an automaker is included in the brand rankings only if Consumer Reports has tested at least two of its current models. Not enough tests were made on those brands.
