Ranking: Top Most Reliable Car Brands of the Year 2020

Like every year, the American magazine Consumer Reports publishes its list of the best and worst cars of the year in November. This publication enjoys a very good reputation because all the tests they perform are done with a very impartial procedure and taking a sample large enough to minimize error as much as possible.

Consumer Reports is funded by the monthly dues contributed by its members, does not accept advertising in its publications, and pays absolutely for all the products it analyzes and tests. The organization is non-profit, so they have no trouble criticizing a vehicle or an appliance since they do not fear retaliation. This guarantees their editorial independence.

These are the Best Cars of 2020 according to Consumer Reports

The report published for this 2020 takes into account a wide selection of vehicles of all types (SUV, Hatchback, Sedans…), but all those models that have not had a sufficiently representative sample to make a truthful verdict faithful to reality are excluded from the paper. The purpose is to extract from consumers a list of the cars that break down the least, whether due to more or less serious flaws, and to produce an ordered list from highest to lowest breakdown rate.

Some brands that have been left out of this study are Mitsubishi, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Maserati. On the other hand, there is also no representation of PSA French vehicles (Peugeot, Citroën, DS, or the newly acquired Opel, which is not sold in the US) or the Renault Group (including Dacia), because Consumer Reports has not considered the sample sufficiently broad.

How does Consumer Reports’ reliability scoring system work?

The reliability scoring system takes into account as a base score the result of said model in previous years if such an evaluation existed. For the new calculation, the evaluations provided by members regarding the current year’s models are also taken into account.

Consumer Reports states that the standard average for a car brand or model is around 50 points, with the range between 40 and 60 being a normal and acceptable score. A score lower than 40 would result in an unreliable car and therefore, unappealing to buy. On the other hand, a score above 60 would mean a reliable vehicle, with better finishes and more precise mechanics.

This score is reflected in a total of 3 variables, from least serious to most serious:

1. Finish Defects / Imperfections
2. Multimedia / Infotainment System Defects
3. Mechanical, Electrical, or Hydraulic Defects

Electric and Hybrid Vehicles: The most penalized by this Consumer Reports Ranking

Since electrical battery faults are considered primarily serious faults on par with a mechanical failure, many brands with little experience in car electrification and hybridization have been heavily affected by this scoring system.

It is taken for granted that the brands least benefited by this fact will step up their game for the new fiscal year and solve these inconveniences, but as of today, some overall evaluations of a good number of brands have been dragged down by the poor results of one to two models that have suffered this type of serious problems.

The Most Reliable Car Brands of 2020

In the original report published by Consumer Reports, there is a total of 13 brands that exceed 50 points on average out of 100. It is worth noting that four of these well-regarded brands (Infiniti, Dodge, RAM, and Buick) are not sold in Europe or have recently withdrawn from this market, so we have to settle for a Top 9 most reliable car brands.

In any case, Infiniti holds the 11th position with 54 points, Dodge is top 10 with a score of 54, RAM maintains the seventh position with 54 points, and Buick has experienced exponential growth, placing in 4th position, climbing 14 spots and acquiring a total of 70 points.

Legend:

• ■ Very Reliable: >80%
• ■ Remarkably Reliable: 60-79%
• ■ Average: 40-59%
• ■ Below average: 21-39%
• ■ Unreliable: <20%

Nissan (51/100)

Although we cannot enjoy its most reliable model, the Murano, in Spain, Nissan, which loses a few spots, positions itself as the first brand to surpass the passing mark in 13th position. The low score of the Pathfinder stands out, a vehicle that sells quite well and has some reliability issues that place it below average.

In any case, Nissan withstands this 2020 onslaught and is the only representative of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance that we will see in this ranking, so we can imagine that if either of these two brands had had enough population to be able to carry out the complete study, they would be at least in positions that would surpass the passing mark.

• Murano: 72 ■
• Altima: 69 ■
• Leaf: 54 ■
• Rogue Sport*: 33 ■
• Pathfinder: 29 ■

*The Nissan Rogue Sport is sold as the Nissan Qashqai in Europe

BMW (52/100)

Although it rises a couple of spots compared to the 2019 results, BMW still does not particularly stand out in terms of reliability, something that defined it in past times. Only the 3 Series and the X1 place above the market average, while the X3 gets a rather low score, conditioning it quite a bit since it is one of the brand’s best-selling SUVs.

Among the German premium brands, BMW is the best rated of the three, taking the 12th position. Audi does not make the passing grade with a 46 overall, which condemns it for another year to the 14th position, and Mercedes-Benz remains in a slump with a 20th position and a score of 40.

• 3 Series: 72 ■
• X1: 66 ■
• 2 Series: 53 ■
• X5: 46 ■
• 5 Series: 45 ■
• X3: 31 ■

Porsche (55/100)

Hybridization has not treated Porsche well, losing quite a bit of ground this 2020 compared to the previous year. The two models analyzed, Cayenne and Macan, have quite good scores, but the batteries and the introduction of PHEV technology have made it lose the top 5, dropping 5 positions and settling in 9th place.

• Cayenne: 55 ■
• Macan: 54 ■

Subaru (57/100)

The Japanese brand Subaru, a manufacturer that has always had a good rating in these types of reports, has seen its score severely affected due to the Subaru Ascent. This SUV, which is not sold in Spain, received a score of only 17 points, causing Subaru’s average to drop significantly.

Subaru ranks eighth in this 2020 ranking, losing one position compared to the previous report.

• Crosstrek: 78 ■
• Forester: 77 ■
• Outback: 60 ■
• Legacy: 59 ■
• Impreza: 52 ■
• Ascent: 18 ■

Hyundai (62/100)

Leaving past ghosts behind, Hyundai remains sixth and consolidates itself as a brand with a product lineup in very good health. The score is dragged slightly downward due to imperfections in the electric vehicles in its car portfolio, something common across all brands due to manufacturers’ lack of experience in designing this new type of product.

The Hyundai Kona, in both its thermal and hybrid versions, is crowned as the brand’s most reliable car. This compact SUV already has a track record in the market and becomes a highly recommended purchase within its segment.

• Kona: 87 ■
• Tucson: 78 ■
• Palisade: 65 ■
• Kona Electric: 54 ■
• Ioniq: 47 ■
• Sonata: 43 ■

Honda (63/100)

Returning to the Japanese, Honda recovers quite a few positions compared to last year with a product lineup that ranks very well in terms of reliability. Unfortunately, not all of these vehicles are on sale in Spain, but the extremely high score of the HR-V SUV and the Insight stands out, which becomes a very strong alternative to Toyota’s hybrids in the markets where it is available.

Fifth position overall, climbing 7 spots in total and threatening the podium in the future.

• HR-V: 90 ■
• Insight: 86 ■
• Clarity: 85 ■
• CR-V: 73 ■
• Ridgeline: 62 ■
• Civic: 60 ■
• Accord: 59 ■
• Pilot: 47 ■
• Odyssey: 35 ■
• Passport: 34 ■

Lexus (71/100)

Although it drops two positions compared to 2019, Toyota’s premium brand maintains the podium in third position with a very high score that would have remained intact were it not for the abysmal reliability of the Lexus LS, which is also the brand’s most exclusive vehicle. It is worth noting that in these top-of-the-line vehicles, consumers are much more sensitive to flaws due to the high price they have paid for the vehicle. That is why a serious fault is heavily penalized at these product levels, hence its very low rating by its owners.

However, setting aside the brand’s ugly duckling—which Lexus is surely already working on to prevent its flaws and regain the top position in 2021—the rest of the cars available to us have ratings well above average. Three models stand out particularly with an outstanding mark in reliability.

• UX: 95 ■
• NX: 91 ■
• GX: 90 ■
• RX: 74 ■
• ES: 65 ■
• LS: 13 ■

Toyota (74/100)

It seems ironic that Lexus drops two positions and Toyota is the one that gains one, placing second in the ranking, but the Japanese factory has once again made a statement demonstrating its precision and quality when manufacturing automobiles. Most of the cars they manufacture rank above average, with currently no models on sale having defects serious enough to receive a low grade.

Their highest-rated vehicle is the Prius. A hybrid that needs no introduction and has been polished generation by generation. Close behind is the Corolla, which will surely become the brand’s most reliable and recommended car next year. The Camry also places in a very interesting position (the Avensis already did in its time) and consolidates itself as one of the best sedans you can buy today without having to shell out a huge sum of money.

• Prius: 93 ■
• Corolla: 90 ■
• Prius Prime: 88 ■
• Camry: 83 ■
• 4Runner: 81 ■
• Tundra: 80 ■
• Highlander: 69 ■
• Avalon: 60 ■
• Tacoma: 58 ■
• Corolla Hatchback: 58 ■
• RAV4: 49 ■

Mazda (83/100)

The 2020 throne goes to Mazda. At this point in the game, it will hardly surprise us to have a triplet of Japanese brands at the top of the reliability ranking. However, Mazda has surprised because it has progressed little by little, even taking risks with a solution as innovative as the SkyActiv G. Despite this, the result of all that effort has been outstanding. It takes the position Lexus held in 2019 and positions itself as the most reliable car brand in the entire world.

• MX-5 Miata: 98 ■
• CX-30: 95 ■
• CX-3: 87 ■
• CX-5: 85 ■
• 6: 80 ■
• CX-9: 70 ■
• 3: 64 ■

Vehicle reliability studies. Why are they important?

Now that we know the data, it is time to reflect on the usefulness of these types of reports. Buying a new car is not an easy task; it requires a lot of time and analysis, as no one likes to shell out a large sum of money for a product they are not 100% sure about.

This Consumer Reports study demonstrates that if consumers unite, we can pool a large amount of information that ultimately benefits only ourselves. This pooling puts pressure on manufacturers to guarantee higher quality in their products.

In Spain, there are cases like the famous study conducted by the OCU on milk, where over a 6-year period, it could be observed how the quality of most brands rose dramatically to very good levels after this organization exposed the abysmal quality of the products they were selling us. Conducting a study of that caliber is not easy, but carrying out an analysis on the quality of passenger cars, vans, motorcycles, and other motorized vehicles is even less easy. Hopefully very soon, European consumers will also be able to unite and conduct a study on the reliability of our cars with the same precision and quality as the one carried out by this American organization.

Source: Consumer Reports