This study by Consumer Reports puts a certain country in the spotlight when it comes to the world’s most reliable cars: the chosen one shouldn’t shock you.
If you were asked what do you think is the most reliable brand of car, what would you say? Tesla with its semi-autonomous vehicles? Mercedes or Volkswagen for German quality? Ford for American robustness? If your answer is in this suggestion, you are completely wrong! Consumer Reports took stock of the most trusted brands in 2023 using data collected on 330,000 vehicles among consumers. The result may surprise.
Japanese brands at the top of the ranking
Among the 330,000 vehicles classified by Consumer Reports, we find cars released on the market between 2000 and 2023. A few models were released in early 2024, but they are rare. The organization looked at 20 problems that cars can encounterranging from squeaky brakes to charging problems on electric vehicles. The whole was then used to give a reliability score for each vehicle, ranging from 1 to 100. The average per brand was then established.
And in this context, Lexus, a Japanese brand, ranks first with a reliability score of 79 out of 100. Toyota, also a Japanese brand, comes in second with a score of 76. Mini, a British brand, takes third place on the podium with a score of 71.
If it is indeed two Japanese brands which are at the top of the ranking, four other Japanese brands follow one another from fourth place : Acura, Honda, Subaru and Mazda. Porsche and BMW, two German brands, arrive next, followed by Kia and Hyundai, from South Korea.
Tesla’s surprising place in the ranking
Tesla only comes in 14th position with a score of 48 out of 100: Elon Musk’s company fails to reach the average. However, the brand is doing very well compared to other American car manufacturers: Cadillac has a score of 45, Chevrolet 43, Ford 40, GMC 36 and Jeep 26. The last place in the top 30 is also an American brand: Chrysler, with a very dismal score of 18 out of 100.
We also note thatthere is no French brand in this ranking. German brands are present and only one Swedish brand, Volvo, is doing well. No other European country has managed to impose one of its brands in the top 30. There are no brands either Chinese, moreover.
“Overall, Asian automakers showed long-haul reliability indicators in 2023, with an average score of 63 for the region. Seven of the 10 most trusted brands come from Asian automakers », explains the organization. “European automakers came in second, with a score of 46 for the region. With British carmaker Mini reaching third place, German carmakers Porsche and BMW were the highest-ranked European brands, in eighth and ninth place, respectively. »
Consumer Reports says it added three criteria related to electric vehicles this yearnamely problems related to the motor, battery and charging. Enough to give realistic indicators concerning the current automobile market.
