Every year, Consumer Reports  asks its members about problems they’ve had with their vehicles in the previous 12 months. With data from over 300,000 vehicles that addresses 17 common trouble areas, CR’s reliability ratings are the best in the industry. The result of their testing and surveys is a rating system that assigns scores to brands and specific models. Below is their ranking of the top 10 most reliable car brands for 2025 and their overall scores. Subaru, Lexus, and Toyota top the charts. But, chances are you didn’t expect to see the likes of BMW, Kia, and Hyundai on this list! 

Below, CarEdge.com has added the change in Consumer Reports brand reliability score since last year for comparison’s sake.

No. 1. Subaru – 68 (-1)
No. 2.  Lexus – 65 (-14)
No. 3.  Toyota – 62 (-17)
No. 4.  Honda – 59 (-11)
No. 5.  Acura – 55 (-15)
No. 6.  Mazda – 55 (-12)
No. 7.  Audi – 54 (+11)
No. 8.  BMW – 53 (-11)
No. 9.  Kia – 51 (-10)
No. 10.  Hyundai – 50 (-6)

Among the top 10 brands by reliability, all except Toyota moved up this year. 

For 2025, Mini and Porsche were knocked off of the list.

It’s important to note that Consumer Reports lacked sufficient data for brand rankings for the following brands: Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Lucid, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Mitsubishi, Polestar, Porsche, and Ram.

Here’s how other major car brands scored in Consumer Reports’ testing.

No. 11.  Buick – 48 (-7)
No. 12.  Nissan – 48 (+3)
No. 13.  Ford – 44 (+4)
No. 14.  Genesis – 40 (-4)
No. 15.  Volvo – 38 (+10)
No. 16.  Chevrolet – 37 (-6)
No. 17.  Tesla – 36 (-12)
No. 18.  Volkswagen – 34 (+8)
No. 19.  Jeep – 33 (+7)
No. 20.  GMC – 33 (-3)
No. 21.  Cadillac – 33 (-3)
No. 22.  Rivian – 14 (-10)

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Most surprising findings

  • Luxury brands outperforming expectations: BMW and Audi both landed in the top 10, defying the long-held assumption that luxury equals lower reliability.
  • Mainstream stalwarts slipping sharply: Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Acura, and Mazda all posted double-digit score declines, even while remaining in the top tier.
  • Hybrids beat everything else: Traditional hybrids emerged as the most reliable powertrain, outperforming gas, EVs, and plug-in hybrids.
  • EV reliability gap persists: Fully electric vehicles showed 42 percent more problems than gas and hybrid vehicles, while plug-in hybrids performed worst with 70 percent more problems.
  • Tesla’s continued decline: Tesla fell to #17 overall with a significant year-over-year drop, reinforcing concerns around build quality and software reliability.
  • Rivian at the bottom: Rivian ranked last with an extremely low score, highlighting the challenges facing newer automakers.

Biggest movers up

  • Audi: +11 points, one of the strongest gains and a standout among luxury brands.
  • Volvo: +10 points, signaling improving consistency after recent struggles.
  • Volkswagen: +8 points, showing measurable progress.
  • Jeep: +7 points, a notable rebound given its recall history.
  • Ford: +4 points, modest improvement despite high recall volume.
  • Nissan: +3 points, incremental but positive momentum.

Biggest movers down

  • Toyota: -17 points, the steepest decline among top brands.
  • Acura: -15 points, a major drop for a reliability-focused brand.
  • Lexus: -14 points, surprising given its reputation as a reliability benchmark.
  • Mazda: -12 points, reversing recent upward trends.
  • Tesla: -12 points, reinforcing ongoing reliability concerns.
  • Honda and BMW: each down -11 points, notable given strong consumer trust.

The bottom half shouldn’t be a surprise. In fact, it resembles the list of automakers with the most recalls in 2024:

  • FCA US (Stellantis brands Jeep, Ram, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Alfa Romeo) – 64 recalls
  • Ford (Ford and Lincoln) – 62 recalls
  • BMW – 34 recalls
  • General Motors – 32 recalls
  • Mercedes-Benz – 25 recalls
  • Hyundai – 25 recalls

See the complete list of NHTSA automaker recalls, and check your vehicle’s VIN number for recalls.