Hybrids and sedans ranked high in Consumer Reports reliability survey, while EVs and pickups tank

Photo: Vauxford

Buying a car is such a complicated process. I always appreciate information from Consumer Reports on the topic.

Each year Consumer Reports issues a report on car reliability. It’s latest report showed hybrid vehicles and midsized or large sedans are among the most reliable, while electric vehicles and full-size pickup trucks are the two most problematic categories.

Seven of the top 10 most reliable brands are Japanese and Korean. Lincoln is the only domestic brand in this year’s top 10. 

Here are how the brands ranked, along with information about whether they went up or down in the rankings from last year:

1. Toyota, up two spots
2. Lexus, down one spot
3. BMW, up ten spots
4. Mazda, down two spots
5. Honda, unchanged
6. Audi, up five spots
7. Subaru, down one spot
8. Acura, down one spot
9. Kia ranked ninth, up six spots
10. Lincoln, up 14 spots
11. Buick, down seven spots
12. Genesis, up nine spots
13. Hyundai, down four spots
14. Volvo, up two spots
15. Nissan, down seven spots
16. Ram, up one spot
17. Cadillac, down five spots
18. Ford, down four spots
19. Tesla, up four spots
20. Chevrolet, down 10 spots
21. GMC, down three spots
22. Volkswagen, down two spots
23. Jeep, down one spot
24. Mercedes-Benz, down five spots

Consumer Reports based its rankings on a survey of owners representing more than 300,000 vehicles from the 2000 through 2022 model years, with a few new 2023 models included. The rankings are based on problems with vehicles in the past year.

For details on the pluses and minuses of different models within each brand, see Consumer Reports’ 2022 car reliability findings at CR.org/reliability.