Less than a decade after the government bailed out the country’s largest carmakers, U.S. auto sales hit a 15-year high in 2015. Driven by an increasingly robust economy, low unemployment, and extremely low gas prices, many manufacturers are reaping the benefits of this surge.

There are many reasons Americans will choose to purchase one car over another. Brand loyalty, cost, and customer service all can have an impact on which cars Americans decide to purchase. Of course, the quality of the vehicle itself — its reliability, handling, and safety — is likely an important consideration for most buyers. In the latest edition of it annual Car Brands Report Card, Consumer Reports ranked 30 major car makes based on these factors. According to the report, Audi produces the best overall vehicles of any major brand, while Fiat rates as the worst among the 30 brands.

While buyers may not consider it a priority in their purchases, quality and safety do appear to have a meaningful impact on sales. Among the top-rated makes, nearly all were among the 10 top-selling brands in the United States in 2015 or had among the largest increases in sales compared to 2014. Sales of only one of the better-rated brands on the list — Volkswagen, which had to deal with its emissions scandal last year — declined over that time. Meanwhile, annual vehicle sales at Fiat, Dodge, and Cadillac, all among the worst-rated brands, declined.

Click here to see America’s best (and worst) car brands.

J.D. Power, one of the standards for consumer product reviews, also produces a Customer Service Index Study each year. The 2016 edition of the report has similar results to Consumer Reports’ findings on reliability. The majority of the top 10 makes for overall quality are also among the top 10 in J.D. Power’s ranking as well. All five of the worst car brands, according to Consumer Reports, are among the least dependable makes according to J.D. Power.

The Consumer Reports data cover 30 brands based on road-test performance, reliability, safety performance and active safety aids, and owner satisfaction. We also reviewed the results of JD Power’s 2016 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, which rates car makes based on the number of problems per 100 vehicles. We also considered 2015 U.S> sales, as well as the change in sales from the previous year, as listed in manufacturer press releases.

These are America’s best and worst car brands.

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

Audi is the luxury division of Volkswagen, but unlike its parent company, the brand has maintained a healthy sales increase in the last year.

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

Japanese automaker Subaru is a rapidly-growing manufacturer or low-priced four-wheel drive cars.

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

Toyota’s luxury division, Lexus, is a strong competitor with BMW and Mercedes.

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

Porsche is another luxury car brand controlled by VW.

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

Unlike some of the other major luxury brands, BMW has no parent company.

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

Buick is GM’s mid-price model line, and one of the best-rated non-luxury brands.

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

Mazda is among Japan’s smaller manufacturers, selling roughly 320,000 units in the U.S. Last year. Toyota, Nissan, and Honda all had sales of at least one million in 2015.

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

Japan’s largest car company, Toyota regularly vies with Volkswagen for the top spot among global manufacturers for cars produced each year.

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

Kia is a stablemate of Hyundai, and both are divisions of Hyundai Motor Group of South Korea.

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

One of Japan’s Big Three car companies along with Nissan and Toyota.

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

Hyundai is the flagship brands of Hyundai Motor Group.

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

A long-time Swedish brand, Volvo is now owned by China manufacturer Geely.

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

Mini is the small car division of BMW.

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

Mercedes-Benz is the luxury car division of German industrial giant Daimler Benz.

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

One of the world’s largest car companies, it has been battered recently by a diesel engine emissions scandal. U.S. sales fell by nearly 5% between 2014 and 2015.

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

Ford is America’s second largest car maker and the only one of the big three to avoid Chapter 11 during the recession.

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

Lincoln is Ford’s luxury car division.

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

A low end division of Toyota, Scion was introduced to attract younger, budget-conscious drivers. The brand will be shuttered this year.

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

GM’s largest division, Chevrolet manufactures the Silverado, the second best selling pickup in the U.S.

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

Acura is Japanese automaker Honda’s luxury division.

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

Infiniti is Nissan’s luxury vehicle brand.

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

Nissan is one of Japan’s big three, along with Toyota and Honda.

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

GMC is the SUV and pickup-centric division of GM.

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

Cadillac is American auto giant GM’s luxury division.

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

Chrysler is the U.S. flagship brand of the Fiat Chrysler holding company.

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

A division of Fiat Chrysler, Dodge manufactures minivans, sports cars, and SUVs.

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

Though Land Rover originated in U.K., the brand is now owned by Tata Motors of India.

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

A troubled Japanese car company, Mitsubishi is struggling to keep a foothold in the U.S. market.

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

The SUV division of Fiat Chrysler, Jeep is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

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

Fiat is the European flagship brand of Fiat Chrysler. Sales of the company’s iconic subcompact car are declining in the U.S.

Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.