I got my Audi back from the shop last month, 11 months after I dropped it off. To make a long story short, my family loves Audis. I own a gorgeous A7 (which, CarTriple notes, is among the most reliable of all Audis) and my wife owns an Audi Q5 SUV that she adores.
Well, 11 months ago, the “check engine” light on the Q5 popped on when the car started running really rough. Turns out that a piston had cracked and the car needed a new engine. Unfortunately, ours wasn’t the only Audi that had this problem (hence the 11-month wait), but Audi was great about fixing it and the company was wonderful to work with — no car insurance claim required.
That said, now more than ever, I take auto reliability super seriously (and so should you, for the benefit of your budget). So I did some digging to learn which cars the pros find the most reliable.
This is somewhat of a subjective list. But after reading articles and reports from J.D. Power, Consumer Reports, Reddit, and some auto and mechanical blogs, I am confident that it’s very accurate.
The top brands
Let’s start with the top brands. According to Consumer Reports, the most reliable auto brands in 2024 are the ones you might expect. Let’s round up the usual suspects (not in any particular order):
- Lexus
- Toyota
- Honda
- Acura
- Mini
Every year, Consumer Reports asks members about issues they’ve had with their cars from all years, from 2000 on. This year, it based the above list from owner reports of more than 300,000 autos. CR crunches the numbers to come up with a “reliability score.”
CR notes that “Seven of the 10 most reliable brands are from Asian automakers.” European car makers come in a far distant second, and American automakers are last, although “Buick’s entire lineup scored average or better.”
The top cars, according to multiple sources
Lithia Motors has sold hundreds of thousands of cars in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. In America alone, there are 299 Lithia Motors dealerships. Lithia also looked at auto reliability, based on reports from J.D. Power, as well as from mechanics.
When it comes to brands, Lithia notes that mechanics say the most dependable auto brands are Honda and Toyota. These cars can, when properly maintained, take you 200,000 miles or more.
And which specific cars do these mechanics like best? Not surprisingly, the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla come out on top.
But not everyone agrees. According to a story in MSN, and based upon both J.D. Power rankings and Reddit communities, the most reliable car “according to mechanics” is none other than…the Dodge Challenger.
The article notes, “The 2023 Dodge Challenger received a J.D. Power predicted reliability score of 85 out of 100,” putting it in the “Great” category.
Also high on that list is the Mazda MX-5 (“the Mazda MX-5 Miata is a reliable and robust sports car that can last between 200,000 to 300,000 miles on average when properly maintained”).
Finally, CarBuzz.com listed the “10 Vehicles That Will Last A Lifetime.” The site found, after looking at various lists, J.D. Power rankings and more, that Consumer Reports is the most trustworthy arbiter of auto reliability.
CarBuzz.com’s list of most reliable cards included the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, Lexus GX (not the all-new model), Mini Cooper, Toyota Prius, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Lincoln Corsair, Toyota Corolla, Subaru Crosstrek, BMW 3 Series, and the Toyota Prius Prime.
And the winner is…
Given all of the above, it is pretty safe to say that the most reliable cars according to mechanics and experts are:
- The Toyota Corolla
- The Honda Civic
- The Lexus GX
- The Dodge Challenger
- The Mazda MX-5
- The Mini Cooper
- The Toyota Prius
Please note this list is not exhaustive nor 100% definitive. Your results may vary.
It’s not enough to just choose a reliable car — you should shop around for auto insurance coverage, too. Shopping around and comparing rates should help you get the best deal on insurance. To save time, you might consider speaking with an auto insurance broker who can shop you to various insurance companies to find the best rates.
