BMW, Subaru, Mini, Lexus, and Honda topped Consumer Reports’ top 2022 brand reliability survey, pushing Mazda off the podium after finishing second last year. The predicted reliability score is calculated on a scale of 0 to 100 points, with an average rating between 41 and 60 points. For a brand to be ranked, we must have sufficient survey data for two or more models.
Each year, Consumer Reports asks its members about problems they have had with their vehicles in the past 12 months. They gathered data on more than 300,000 vehicles, from model years 2000 through 2022 (with some 2023 model years introduced early), addressing 17 problem areas, including the engine, transmission, automotive electronics and more.
They excel in our evaluations of road-test performance, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety.
Consumer Reports
Asian automakers continue to lead in reliability by a wide margin with an overall average reliability score of 59 for the region, on a scale of 0 to 100. Seven of the top 10 most reliable brands were from Asian automakers. European automakers ranked second with 51, while US brands followed both with an average score of 40. Nearly every automaker had at least one model that had an average or better reliability rating, and several automakers had an entire lineup that scored average or better.
BMW moved up 10 spots to third in a survey released Tuesday during a presentation to the Automotive Press Association in Detroit. The X3, X5, X7 and 5 series rated average. For the first time, Mercedes-Benz finished 26th.
Jake Fisher, senior director of auto testing for Consumer Reports, said the big gap between the two top German luxury brands can be attributed to how they implement new and advanced technologies. ”The short answer to that really has to do with BMW and Mercedes-Benz’s modern approach to technology,” he said, adding that BMW has generally reduced the amount of technology used in the cabin, while Mercedes-Benz has embraced more technology to differentiate itself from rivals.
More technology means more bugs and glitches, such as frozen or blank screens, resulting in lower reliability. “A lot of technology doesn’t necessarily work all the time, and there’s a greater potential for problems,” Fisher said. “Mercedes-Benz decided to really stick it out with all the latest gadgets and gizmos and it kind of comes back to bite them.”
Japanese brands continue to dominate the rankings of the world’s most reliable passenger cars, with Toyota, Lexus, Mazda and Honda occupying four of the top five. Lincoln, at 14, is the only domestic brand in the top 10. Tesla dropped four spots this year, but still ranks 19th out of 24 brands.
Pickup trucks, one of the industry’s largest and most profitable segments, continue to struggle with poor reliability, according to the survey, with only seven of 17 models rated “average” or above. Large-scale changes at Chevrolet caused the brand to drop 10 places to 20th in the rankings.
Consumer Reports’ top brands
- BMW
- Subaru
- Mini
- Lexus
- Honda
- Toyota
- Genesis
- Mazda
- Audi
- Kia
- Acura
- Buick
- Hyundai
- Porsche
- Dodge
- Lincoln
- Tesla
- Infiniti
- Volkswagen
- Volvo
- Nissan
- Ford
- Chevrolet
- Cadillac
- Chrysler
- Mercedes-Benz
- GMC
- Mitsubishi
- Alfa Romeo
- Jaguar
- Jeep
- Land Rover
