Read This if Reliability Ranks High on Your Car-Shopping Checklist

By Kelsey Mays

October 25, 2018

2019 Lexus GX 460
Cars.com illustration by Paul Dolan

The Lexus GX luxury SUV notched top reliability scores from owner surveys in Consumer Reports' latest annual reliability study, while the Ram 3500 heavy-duty pickup truck ranked worst. The magazine released the latest update to its influential reliability grades, based this year on survey data from owners of a claimed 500,000-plus cars. From these surveys, Consumer Reports derives reliability predictions for new 2019 model-year cars.

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Toyota and its Lexus luxury division are responsible for seven of the top 10 cars in predicted reliability:

1. Lexus GX

2. Toyota Prius c

3. Toyota Prius Prime

4. Mazda MX-5 Miata

5. Toyota Corolla

6. Lexus NX

7. Toyota Prius

8. Honda Fit

9. Kia Sedona

10. Toyota Highlander

The top finisher is hardly the newest finisher. Quite the opposite: The 2019 model year will be the GX's 10th without a full redesign. The SUV has had a checkered past over the years, too: Consumer Reports flagged its unresponsive electronic stability system at the outset, as it made the car too easy to tip over. The move prompted Toyota to stop sales and issue a recall to recalibrate the software.

What about the least reliable models? Consumer Reports cites these 10, starting with the worst:

1. Ram 3500

2. Tesla Model X

3. Cadillac ATS

4. Honda Clarity

5. Chevrolet Traverse

6. Kia Cadenza

7. Chevrolet Silverado 2500

8. Buick Enclave

9. Volkswagen Atlas

10. Honda Odyssey

The magazine has noted in years past that new or redesigned cars typically have lower reliability scores, a point this year's survey seems to underline. Among the 10 most reliable cars on the market, all but three — the Prius, Prius Prime and MX-5 Miata — trace their current generations back to the 2015 model year or earlier. Six of the 10 least reliable cars, meanwhile, were redesigned in just the last two years (2017 or 2018).

In terms of overall brand reliability, Consumer Reports rates Toyota and its Lexus brand at the top of the charts, followed by a collection of Japanese, Korean and European brands rounding out the top 10. At the bottom of the list, meanwhile, are three luxury brands from two continents.

1. Lexus

2. Toyota

3. Mazda

4. Subaru

5. Kia

6. Infiniti

7. Audi

8. BMW

9. Mini

10. Hyundai

11. Porsche

12. Genesis

13. Acura

14. Nissan

15. Honda

16. Volkswagen

17. Mercedes-Benz

18. Ford

19. Buick

20. Lincoln

21. Dodge

22. Jeep

23. Chevrolet

24. Chrysler

25. GMC

26. Ram

27. Tesla

28. Cadillac

29. Volvo

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