Buying a used car may be cheaper than a new one, but there are risks involved. Some cars just aren’t as reliable as others, and once the new car smell wears off, there are certain brands you should avoid altogether if you want the best ownership experience.
At the bottom the last one Consumer Reports Research into the reliability of used cars is done by Tesla. It ranked 26th on the list with a “Reliability Verdict” of just 31, lower than Jeep (32), Ram (35) and Chrysler (36). The study examined models from 26 brands that were between five and ten years old.
That time frame includes the period when Tesla began ramping up Model 3 production, prompting the automaker to build vehicles in a large tent in the parking lot of its factory in Fremont, California. That’s not the best environment for building long-lived vehicles.
CR notes, however, that Tesla has improved, with the latest models showing “better than average reliability.” It’s now in the top 10 of the publication’s new car predictability rankings — just avoid those older models.
At the other end of the reliability spectrum were Lexus and Toyota, with a score of 77 and 73 respectively. In third place, far behind, came Mazda with a score of 58. Honda and Acura rounded out the top five with 57 and 53 respectively. The results are below:
- Lexus-77
- Toyota – 73
- Mazda 58
- Honda-57
- Acura-53
- BMW-53
- Buick-51
- Nissan-51
- Audi-49
- Volvo-48
- Mercedes-Benz-47
- Subaru 47
- Volkswagen-46
- Lincoln-46
- Mini-46
- Cadillac-45
- Hyundai-43
- Chevrolet 40
- Ford-39
- Evade — 39
- Late – 39
- GMC-37
- Chrysler-36
- Ram-35
- Jeep-32
- Tesla-31
Consumer ReportsSteven Elek, the publication’s automotive data analytics program leader, said brands like Lexus and Toyota top the list for their “conservative redesigns” as they “incrementally improve their entire product line” rather than major updates with cutting-edge technology. According to Elek, the top brands’ cars are “reliable when new, and remain reliable as they age.”
Which new cars are the most reliable?
That said, it’s not all bad news for Tesla in terms of reliability. According to Consumer ReportsTesla ranks ninth in new car reliability, with a predicted reliability rating of 50. That’s just behind Buick (51) and Acura (54), but ahead of Kia (49) and Ford (48), as well as luxury rivals like Audi (44), Volvo (42) and Cadillac (41).
At the bottom of CRIts reliability ranking for new cars is that of fellow EV maker Rivian, with a score of just 24. Ram (26), Jeep (28) and GMC (31) are just above that.
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