Buying a new car can be a truly daunting task. There are hundreds of models to choose from across dozens of brands, and sifting through reviews of quality, performance, design, and more can be overwhelming, even before working out the financials.
Fortunately, we at 24/7 Wall St. have already identified the 10 car brands that, based on their combined performance in the nation’s premier ratings of quality, may not be worth your time. We reviewed recent surveys and studies by leading review agencies J.D. Power and Consumer Reports as well as customer satisfaction ratings by the American Customer Satisfaction Index to find the worst-rated car brands. Of the 10 brands to make this list, eight are owned by only three manufacturers — Tata Motors, General Motors, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
While car quality and reviews are not the only factors affecting sales, many of the car brands on this list have been struggling of late.
U.S. sales of brands like Fiat and Chrysler have plunged by more than 25% in the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2018. Fiat is now selling less than 1,000 units per month in the United States. Other brands, like Cadillac and Volvo, have also struggled, with some models sitting on dealership lots for months on end. Here is the full list of 26 cars Americans don’t want to buy.
Click here to see the worst car brands of 2019.
Click here to see our methodology.
Source: Courtesy of General Motors
10. Cadillac
> 2019 Sales: 75,735
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 9 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 57 out of 100
Cadillac has been struggling as a brand for years, with U.S. sales effectively cut in half since the mid-1980s. The brand scored well in J.D. Power’s most recent overall quality survey, but in Consumer Reports’ reviews, it is one of the worst rated car brands. It received an average predicted reliability score of just 19 out of 100, the worst of any of the 28 car brands ranked by Consumer Reports.
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Source: Courtesy of General Motors
9. GMC
> 2019 Sales: 277,280
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 8 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 56 out of 100
GMC is the second-largest brand on this list, with over 270,000 units sold in the U.S. market through the first six months of 2019. Its sales, however, do not appear to be an indicator of the brand’s quality. The brand received just a 6 out of 10 in J.D. Power’s mechanical quality component of its quality survey, tied for the worst score awarded to any brand.
Source: Courtesy of FCA US
8. Jeep
> 2019 Sales: 456,281
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 8 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 50 out of 100
Jeep scored just a 50 out of 100 in Consumer Reports’ brand report card, the fifth worst score among the 33 auto brands ranked. Recent versions of the Wrangler, one of Jeep’s top-selling models, have compared poorly to modern vehicles in crash safety ratings, and the 2019 edition of the vehicle had not been tested as of June in the United States after receiving a one-star rating from Europe’s top safety ratings group, Euro NCAP.
Source: Courtesy of FCA US
7. Dodge
> 2019 Sales: 228,099
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 8 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 58 out of 100
Dodge is one of four Fiat Chrysler brands to make the list of the worst car brands of 2019. Consumer Reports recommended none of the five new Dodge models reviewed in its most recent brand report card. Dodge also received a score of 77 in the most recent ACSI survey, the second worst customer satisfaction score awarded in the industry.
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Source: Courtesy of FCA US
6. Chrysler
> 2019 Sales: 64,422
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 7 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 64 out of 100
Sales of Fiat Chrysler have been disastrous of late, largely due to the struggles of the Chrysler brand. Sales have declined 27% in the U.S. through the first half of 2019 compared to the same period in 2018. The brand may have trouble winning back customers with an ACSI score of just 74, the worst score of the 31 car brands rated.
Source: Courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors North America
5. Mitsubishi
> 2019 Sales: 71,100
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 7 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 49 out of 100
Mitsubishi scored 49 out of 100 in Consumer Reports’ most recent brand report card, the fourth worst score of any car brand ranked. Its road test score — which is part of Consumer Reports’ report card — was just 48, the worst among car brands reviewed. The next worst score was 60. In 2015, Mitsubishi closed its only remaining plant in the United States.
Source: Courtesy of Volvo Car Corporation
4. Volvo
> 2019 Sales: 50,120
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 6 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 63 out of 100
Volvo fares very well in one component of our index, customer satisfaction, with an ACSI score of 85, the highest among all brands ranked. However, Volvo scored poorly in every other measure considered. Consumer Reports recommended none of the four new Volvo models it tested. A recent study by J.D. Power on brand loyalty found that just one in three Volvo owners chose to buy another Volvo, the third worst loyalty among luxury brands.
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Source: Courtesy of FCA US
3. Fiat
> 2019 Sales: 5,103
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 9 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 44 out of 100
Fiat’s attempt to enter into the U.S. market may prove to be a failed experiment. Poor reviews and terrible sales may spell the brand’s eventual departure from American shores. Fiat’s overall Consumer Reports score of 44 is tied for the lowest among all brands. Fiat’s sales are so low that the brand sold less than 1,000 units in June 2019 in the United States.
Source: Courtesy of Jaguar Land Rover North America
2. Jaguar
> 2019 Sales: 16,282
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 5 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 44 out of 100
Two Tata Motors brands take up the two worst positions on this list. The first is the British brand Jaguar, which received a score of just 5 out of 10 in the J.D. Power quality survey, and a 44 in the Consumer Reports brand report card, each the lowest score awarded to any car brand. Jaguar had the most reported problems per 100 vehicles in J.D. Power’s Initial Quality Survey, at 130, compared to an industry average of 93.
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Source: Courtesy of Jaguar Land Rover North America
1. Land Rover
> 2019 Sales: 46,123
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 5 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 48 out of 100
Land Rover, another Tata Motors brand, ranks as the worst car brand in 2019, receiving industry-lowest scores of 5 out of 10 in the J.D. Power quality survey and its dependability survey as well. Of the five new Land Rover models tested in Consumer Reports’ most recent brand reliability rankings, none received a recommendation from the ratings agency.
Methodology
To determine the worst car brands of 2019, 24/7 Wall St. created an index consisting of ratings of car brands from Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Included in our index were: the 2019 J.D. Power quality report score; the 2018 J.D. Power dependability score; the 2019 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study; the February 2019 edition of Consumer Reports’ brand report card; the 2019 edition of Consumer Reports’ brand reliability rankings; and the 2018 figures from the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Car sales figures are through the first six months of 2019.
We excluded those car brands for which more than two measures included in the index were not available.
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