Driving a reliable car is crucial for many vehicle owners, and organizations like Consumer Reports provide valuable insights through comprehensive studies on car problems and complaints. This year, they analyzed data from 330,000 vehicles, but Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lucid, Maserati, Mitsubishi, and Polestar weren't included due to insufficient data.
The rise of electric vehicles has made it possible to assess their reliability better, yet Consumer Reports doesn't always have positive things to say about them. New electric vehicles have about 79% more problems on average than traditional combustion engines, while plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) fare even worse with 146% more problems. However, hybrids are in a better position, experiencing 26% fewer problems on average.
Consumer Reports explained the discrepancies by mentioning that electric cars are still in their infancy, and manufacturers are still working out the issues. They nonetheless advise potential buyers to stay away from brand-new vehicles in their first model year if they value reliability. Problems in electric vehicles are often related to charging difficulties and battery breakdowns, but newer manufacturers, including Tesla, struggle with issues like body parts, paint, trim, and air conditioning systems as well.
In contrast, established car manufacturers like Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Subaru, and Mazda tend to have fewer problems with new technology. Asian brands dominate the top 10 of the most reliable cars, with seven of them in the top ten. Mini, Porsche, and BMW are the only three German brands to make the cut, with Tesla in 14th place. Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz rank lower on the list, with Volkswagen only managing 27th place.
However, the results may not be entirely reflective of the German market since models like the Atlas, Jetta, and Taos are not available there, and the damages reported in the U.S. may not be applicable in the same way in other countries due to varying infrastructure factors.
Sources: 1. Consumer Reports [1] 2. What Car? Reliability Survey [2] 3. J.D. Power 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study [3] (not directly mentioned in the article)
