Subaru has ascended to the top of our brand rankings, supplanting Lexus and Toyota, which have traded the two top spots for many years.
Of Subaru’s seven models in our survey, two—the Forester and Impreza—have well-above-average reliability scores, while the Crosstrek, Legacy, Outback, and Ascent rate above average and average.
“Subaru’s cars share many reliable components,” says Steven Elek, who oversees auto data analytics at Consumer Reports. “This commonality means that when Subaru redesigns a vehicle, it can make fewer incremental changes by carrying over dependable systems. This reduces the risk of new problems.”
This year, below-average reliability ratings for the redesigned Tacoma pickup truck, the full-sized Tundra pickup, and the bZ4X electric vehicle hurt Toyota’s score. Coincidentally, Subaru’s only model with below-average reliability is the Solterra EV, which is a version of the Toyota bZ4X with Subaru badging.
Lexus and Toyota have the second- and third-highest brand reliability scores in this year’s ratings. Four Lexus models scored above average, while three came in at average. Toyota has four models that scored well above average, seven that scored above average, and five that scored average.
After Subaru, Lexus, and Toyota, Honda comes in fourth place. Three of its models scored above average this year, while seven scored average. Acura, Honda’s luxury sub-brand, comes in fifth place, with one above-average model and one average model.
Consumer Reports’ brand-level rankings are based on the average predicted reliability score of the models in each brand’s lineup. We must have sufficient data for at least two models to rank each brand. The data allows us to determine whether a brand’s rank went up or down from its position in our last survey. For each brand, we list every model for which we have data.
Keep reading to see a full comparison of how brands compare using our interactive tool.
