Cars and Drivers
The Most Dependable Cars In the US: All Major Brands Ranked
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There are many major expenses you will undertake throughout your life, but one of the more costlier is a new car. Unlike other pricey items, a new vehicle is a sound investment. The majority of Americans not only use cars daily but are quite reliant on them as a result of nearly all regions of the country being structured toward cars. Not all areas have public transportation or are close to places we frequent on the regular, like markets and healthcare.
However, not all Americans can afford to purchase new cars and they depend on their current vehicles to be reliable. According to the research and consulting firm Cox Automotive, the average new-vehicle sale price hit $48,759 in December 2023, nearly 82% of what the typical full-time worker earns annually in the United States. But as car prices have surged in the U.S. in the last few years, a new study from J.D. Power shows that overall vehicle reliability appears to have declined.
The 2024 U.S. Vehicle Dependability study conducted by J.D. Power calculated the average number of problems reported for every 100 vehicles after the first three years of ownership. According to the report, there were an average of 190 problems per 100 vehicles in 2024, up 2.2% from 2023. The most commonly reported problems were tech-related, particularly with vehicle infotainment systems. These include connectivity issues with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as failures with voice recognition software. Other more serious problems were related to vehicle controls, driving assistance features, and the powertrain.
24/7 Wall St. identified the most dependable cars in the U.S. in 2024 by using data from J.D. Power. All major auto brands in the U.S. were ranked on the average number of problems reported in the first three years of ownership for every 100 vehicles. The brands listed here are owned by 16 different companies. Among the brands on this list, the number of problems reported per 100 vehicles ranges from 135 to over 300. Overall vehicle dependability, meanwhile, declined for 21 of the 30 makes on this list between 2023 and 2024. (Here is a look at the cars that hold their value the longest.)
The two highest-ranking brands on this list are Toyota and Lexus, both owned by the Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corporation. Along with Buick, a division of Detroit automaker General Motors Company, they are among the only three brands with fewer than 150 problems for every 100 vehicles after the first three years of ownership. According to data compiled by GoodCarBadCar, Toyota also ranked as the second best-selling vehicle brand in the U.S. in 2023.
The least reliable make includes an iconic, formerly British car that is now owned by a Mumbai-based conglomerate, as well as a make that once ranked among the largest American brands, but was recently bought by an automaker headquartered in the Netherlands. (Here is a look at the most dangerous cars on the road today.)
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