Special Report

This Is the Worst Used Car Brand in America

Douglas A. McIntyre

Published: May 13, 2022 12:00 pm

Prices for both new and used vehicles are rising at an alarming rate. In fact, car prices are some of the fastest rising components of the consumer price index. Those who own cars that are reliable may postpone their new car purchase, but those who own less reliable brands may not. And the worst used car brand in America is GMC. 

Why do car prices keep rising? Supply chain shortages, particularly for the microchips used in vehicle electronics and navigation systems, have curtailed the rate at which cars can be manufactured. General Motors CEO Mary Barra recently said chip shortages will last well into next year. The problem is severe enough that some assembly lines have been taken offline. Buyers can wait months for the models that they want.

Car dealers have taken advantage of the situation, and some charge more than the manufacturer’s suggested price. This has angered car companies, which have even threatened to withhold inventory to penalize these dealers. (And this is the most overpriced used car in America.)

As new car prices rise, people have turned to used cars as an alternative. As is true with most cases of supply and demand, this has pushed used car prices higher as well. Some consumers have decided the price for both new and used cars is too high. They have elected to hold their vehicles for another year or two. The average age of a car on the road in America has risen to 12 years. (This car holds its value better than any other in America.)

Used car quality studies are not as readily available as those of new cars. However, a recent Consumer Reports “How to Find the Best Used Car at the Right Price” study looked at cars, sport utility vehicles, and light trucks from the 2017 model year. This period was chosen so that potential buyers could look at vehicles after five years of depreciation.

The primary metric Consumer Reports used was “reliability.” This was determined by a combination of fuel economy, repair history, customer satisfaction, and the safety systems for each model. Safety features included forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and blind spot warning. 

The study then rated brands, giving them a score on a scale of 100 to zero, based on the reliability of the evaluated models of each brand. To find the worst used car in America, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the Consumer Reports study and listed the brands by their reliability score, from the highest to the lowest.

The poorest performing brand was GMC, the SUV and pickup truck division of GM. GMC received an extremely low reliability score of 26, based on the individual rating of seven of its models.

Lexus, Toyota’s luxury brand, topped the Consumer Reports list with a rating of 91, based on an evaluation of five of its models.

Click here to see the worst used car brand in America

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23. Lexus
> Reliability score: 91
> Number of models evaluated: 5

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22. Toyota
> Reliability score: 84
> Number of models evaluated: 12

24/7 Wall St.
This Is the Most Overpriced Used Car in America

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21. Acura
> Reliability score: 81
> Number of models evaluated: 2

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20. Infiniti
> Reliability score: 77
> Number of models evaluated: 3

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19. Mercedes-Benz
> Reliability score: 66
> Number of models evaluated: 3

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18. Nissan
> Reliability score: 65
> Number of models evaluated: 9

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17. Buick
> Reliability score: 61
> Number of models evaluated: 4

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16. Mazda
> Reliability score: 61
> Number of models evaluated: 4

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15. Lincoln
> Reliability score: 59
> Number of models evaluated: 4

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14. Volkswagen
> Reliability score: 59
> Number of models evaluated: 7

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13. Honda
> Reliability score: 58
> Number of models evaluated: 8

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12. Subaru
> Reliability score: 55
> Number of models evaluated: 5

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11. Tesla
> Reliability score: 52
> Number of models evaluated: 2

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10. Kia
> Reliability score: 51
> Number of models evaluated: 7

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9. BMW
> Reliability score: 49
> Number of models evaluated: 5

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8. Audi
> Reliability score: 49
> Number of models evaluated: 5

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7. Volvo
> Reliability score: 49
> Number of models evaluated: 3

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6. Ford
> Reliability score: 41
> Number of models evaluated: 11

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5. Hyundai
> Reliability score: 38
> Number of models evaluated: 7

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4. Jeep
> Reliability score: 32
> Number of models evaluated: 4

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3. Chevrolet
> Reliability score: 32
> Number of models evaluated: 12

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2. Ram
> Reliability score: 26
> Number of models evaluated: 2

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This Is the Hottest Selling Car in America

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1. GMC
> Reliability score: 26
> Number of models evaluated: 7