Special Report

America's Most (and Least) Reliable Car Brands

Car dependability is one of the leading considerations when buying a car. But what are the most dependable car brands, and which are the least? To help address this question, consumer research companies release their findings each year.

JD Power is the preeminent provider of American auto research. It releases three studies a year, the most recent of which is the 2016 Automobile Dependability Study. This research is based on interviews with 33,560 individuals, covering all 2013 model year vehicles. The rank is based on the number of problems per 100 vehicles and ranges from 95 problems for Lexus vehicles to 208 for Dodge. This year, the study covered 32 brands.

Consumer Reports, part of a non-profit consumer research company, releases another important measure of car quality. The Consumer Reports data cover 30 brands based on performance, reliability, safety performance and active safety aids, and owner satisfaction. While there are exceptions, many of the cars that rate poorly for dependability in the JD Power study also tend to rate poorly in this overall measure.

Click here to see America’s most (and least) reliable car brands.

24/7 Wall St reviewed both sets of data using the JD Power study to create the ranking. Consumer Reports data were added along with 2015 sales by brand and a comparison with 2014 sales.

These are the America’s most (and least) reliable car brands.

Lexus
Source: http://www.lexus.com/

1. Lexus
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
95
Consumer Reports overall quality: 76
2015 sales: 344,601
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 10.7%

Porsche
Source: https://newsroom.porsche.com/

2. Porsche
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
97
Consumer Reports overall quality: 76
2015 sales: 51,756
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 10.1%

2015-Buick-Enclave
Source: buick.com

3. Buick
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
106
Consumer Reports overall quality: 74
2015 sales: 228,963
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 11.4%

Toyota, Sequoia
Source: toyota.com

4. Toyota
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
113
Consumer Reports overall quality: 72
2015 sales: 2,154,712
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 4.5%

GMC, Savana
Source: gmc.com

5. GMC
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
120
Consumer Reports overall quality: 60
2015 sales: 501,853
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 11.3%

6. Chevrolet
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
125
Consumer Reports overall quality: 64
2015 sales: 2,033,442
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 4.4%

Honda
Source: http://automobiles.honda.com/

7. Honda
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
126
Consumer Reports overall quality: 71
2015 sales: 1,409,386
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 2.6%

8. Ram
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
129
Consumer Reports overall quality: ..
2015 sales: 493,807
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 5.0%

Acura
Source: acura.com

9. Acura
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
129
Consumer Reports overall quality: 64
2015 sales: 177,165
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 5.6%

LIncoln
Source: lincoln.com

10. Lincoln
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
132
Consumer Reports overall quality: 65
2015 sales: 101,227
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 7.1%

Audi S8 Sedan 4D
Source: audiusa.com

11. Audi
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
134
Consumer Reports overall quality: 80
2015 sales: 202,202
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 11.1%

Mercedes-Benz GL-Class GL63 AMG Sport Utility 4D
Source: mbusa.com

12. Mercedes-Benz
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
135
Consumer Reports overall quality: 67
2015 sales: 343,088
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 3.8%

Infiniti
Source: infinitiusa.com

13. Infiniti
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
136
Consumer Reports overall quality: 63
2015 sales: 133,498
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 13.8%

BMW X6 M Sport Utility 4D
Source: bmwusa.com

14. BMW
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
142
Consumer Reports overall quality: 76
2015 sales: 346,023
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 1.8%

Cadillac CTS
Source: cadillac.com

15. Cadillac
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
145
Consumer Reports overall quality: 58
2015 sales: 170,750
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : -6.5%

Volvo XC90
Source: courtesy of Volvo Cars of North America

16. Volvo
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
152
Consumer Reports overall quality: 69
2015 sales: 70,047
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 24.3%

17. Kia
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
153
Consumer Reports overall quality: 72
2015 sales: 625,818
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 7.9%

Mini
Source: miniusa.com

18. MINI
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
155
Consumer Reports overall quality: 68
2015 sales: 58,514
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 4.3%

Hyundai Veloster
Source: hyundaiusa.com

19. Hyundai
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
158
Consumer Reports overall quality: 70
2015 sales: 761,710
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 5.0%

Mitsubishi
Source: mitsubishicars.com

20. Mitsubishi
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
161
Consumer Reports overall quality: 51
2015 sales: 95,342
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 22.8%

Mazda3
Source: mazdausa.com

21. Mazda
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
163
Consumer Reports overall quality: 74
2015 sales: 319,184
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 4.4%

Chrysler
Source: chrysler.com

22. Chrysler
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
165
Consumer Reports overall quality: 58
2015 sales: 324,846
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 5.0%

Subaru Impreza
Source: subaru.com

23. Subaru
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
166
Consumer Reports overall quality: 78
2015 sales: 582,675
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 13.4%

Scion iA
Source: scion.com

24. Scion
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
167
Consumer Reports overall quality: 65
2015 sales: 56,167
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : -3.2%

Volkswagen Passat
Source: vw.com

25. Volkswagen
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
169
Consumer Reports overall quality: 67
2015 sales: 366,970
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : -4.8%

FIAT 500 Pop
Source: fiatusa.com

26. Fiat
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
171
Consumer Reports overall quality: 38
2015 sales: 42,410
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : -8.0%

Nissan, Armada
Source: nissanusa.com

27. Nissan
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
173
Consumer Reports overall quality: 63
2015 sales: 1,351,420
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 6.4%

2014 Jeep Cherokee
Source: Chrysler Group LLC

28. Jeep
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
181
Consumer Reports overall quality: 43
2015 sales: 865,028
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 25.0%

Land Rover
Source: landroverusa.com

29. Land Rover
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
198
Consumer Reports overall quality: 55
2015 sales: 70,582
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 37.0%

Smart car
Source: smartusa.com

30. smart
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
199
Consumer Reports overall quality: ..
2015 sales: 7,484
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : -28.4%

2016 Ford F-150 Limited
Source: courtesy of Ford Motor Co.

31. Ford
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
204
Consumer Reports overall quality: 66
2015 sales: 2,511,935
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : 5.3%

Dodge
Source: dodge.com

32. Dodge
J.D. Power problems per 100 vehicles:
208
Consumer Reports overall quality: 58
2015 sales: 517,153
Sales chg. 2014-2015 : -10.0%

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