These brands make the best cars according to consumer reports – Jalopnik

The average new car is now more than $50,000 more expensive than ever before, and the last thing anyone wants to do after spending all that money on a new car is deal with reliability issues. If you’re looking for a new car and don’t want to return to the dealer sooner or more often than you should, this research can be a big help. Consumer Reports has just released the list of the best car manufacturers according to the quality of their vehicles, based on the average of the overall score of their new vehicles. The overall score is a combination of results from CR’s road tests, safety ratings and reliability and owner satisfaction surveys.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a completely foolproof way to ensure that your new car will be completely trouble-free, but it is a good way to educate yourself before you go shopping for your car. These are the top 10 best car brands, and five of the worst.

According to Consumer Reports, Tesla is the tenth best car company, with an overall average score of 72 out of 100. Tesla’s road test results are quite good at an 81, but are dragged down by the average predicted reliability. The Acura comes in ninth, with a slightly higher overall score of 73, despite a slightly lower test score of 80. It also gets average marks for predicted reliability. Hyundai came in eighth place, the same as last year, with a total score of 74. The scores in the road tests are high at 85, but the predicted reliability is also average.

Seventh and sixth places may surprise you: In a remarkable performance, Lincoln made the biggest jump of any car brand, moving up 17th from last year and seventh with an overall score of 75. It also returns a good test score of 82, but it’s the only brand in the top 10 with an average predicted reliability score and an average owner satisfaction score. All other brands score well on owner satisfaction. Lexus finished sixth overall, tying Lincoln’s overall score of 75. That’s right, Lexus came in sixth, dropping three places from last year’s rankings, despite well-predicted reliability and owner satisfaction. CR says this is due to models like the Lexus GX falling below average reliability scores, and the absence of the high-performance Lexus ES sedan, which is being redesigned for the 2026 model year.

Toyota scored higher than its luxury brother, but not by a noticeable margin; it also earned an overall score of 75, but has a lower test score of 77. As with Lexus, predicted reliability and owner satisfaction are good, but only good enough for fifth place. Honda beat its Japanese opponent by one point, with an overall score of 76 and a superior test score of 83, as well as the same well-predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

German sports car manufacturer Porsche rounds out the top three best car companies, with an overall score of 79. The average road test score is 84, and predicted reliability and owner satisfaction are both good.

Another sporty German, or rather Bavarian, car manufacturer claims second place for another year. BMW earned a stellar overall score of 82, with the highest average test score of any automaker in this study: 89. Predicted reliability is only average, but Jake Fisher, senior director of automotive testing at Consumer Reports, said, “BMW has been making highly sought-after models for years, and their reliability easily surpasses all their European rivals.” Well done BMW, but there is still one company that finished higher.

According to Consumer Reports, Subaru is once again the brand that makes the best cars. It matched BMW’s overall score of 82 and received the second highest road test score on the list at 88, but received good scores for predicted reliability and owner satisfaction.

Spoiler alert: Stellantis brands make up a majority of the five lowest-scoring automakers out of a total of 31 companies. Italian carmaker Alfa Romeo ranks 27th, although its overall score of 55 equates to 28 and 29 places. The overall road test score is a respectable 73, but predicted reliability is below average. Dodge came in 28th with the same overall score and below-average predicted reliability as its Stellantis sibling Alfa, but a lower test score of 67. GMC comes in at 29th with the same overall score of 55, but a better test score than Dodge at 72. It also earned a below-average score for its predicted reliability.

The number 30 spot goes to Land Rover with an overall score of just 52 out of 100. It matched Dodge’s low road test score of 67, and received a below-average rating for predicted reliability. Would you like to take a guess at the worst car brand for 2026 according to Consumer Reports? Yes, you’re right, it’s Jeep. Jeep’s overall score is a dismal 48 out of 100, and it earned the worst average test score of any car brand on the list at 64. It also achieved a below-average score in predicted reliability, and an average score in customer satisfaction.