Wondering which car, truck, or crossover suits your needs best? With numerous factors to ponder, such as price, performance, handling, features, and safety, it's a crucial decision. Consumer Reports has recently released its 2025 Automotive Report Card, placing a significant emphasis on dependability. The results may come as a surprise to some.

Uncover the Truth About Vehicle Reliability

Price vs. Expectations

New vehicle prices have been hovering near record levels since the COVID pandemic hit, currently averaging around $48,000. This is a substantial amount to invest in a vehicle. Whether you choose a car, truck, or crossover, ensuring it meets your expectations is of utmost importance. Jake Fisher, senior director of Consumer Reports' Auto Test Center, emphasizes that buying a new car is a significant expense that requires thorough research to make the best choice. The new experience at CR.org simplifies this research by presenting exclusive, unbiased data and insights on various aspects, from reliability to the cost of ownership, in a streamlined and easy-to-navigate manner.

Consumers need to carefully consider their budget and the value they expect to receive from a vehicle. With prices at such high levels, it's essential to make an informed decision that aligns with one's needs and financial situation.

Reliability: The Key Factor

Consumer Reports' annual Automotive Report Card grades individual brands and models using a variety of metrics. It examines safety and tech features and gathers reports from about 300,000 readers who have provided feedback on products from model years 2000 to 2024, as well as early 2025 models.

In some cases, the results were quite surprising. Little Subaru outscored bigger brands like Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai on the reliability chart. Toyota landed third, behind its upscale Lexus brand, which was unexpected. Honda and Acura rounded out the top five brands. At the other extreme, Rivian came in at rock bottom with a Brand Reliability Score of just 14, compared to Subaru's 68. Cadillac was second from last, followed by GMC, Jeep, and Volkswagen.

CR's owner/contributors attributed Rivian's poor performance to various issues, including battery failures and faulty onboard electronics. Cadillac's weak standing was largely due to problems with the Lyriq EV. Fisher noted that we are seeing more problems with all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles compared to those using internal combustion engines or hybrid powertrains, considering the newness of the technology. However, as automakers gain more experience with electrified drivetrains, the gap is closing, and significant improvements are being made.

Japan vs. Korea vs. Europe vs. US

From a reliability standpoint, Japanese marques tended to dominate the CR chart, while Koreans showed a mixed performance. Kia was ninth out of 22 brands, and Hyundai rounded out the top 10. However, the high-line Genesis fell to 14th, mainly due to issues with the drive and fuel systems on its best-selling model, the GV70.Audi and BMW were the only Europeans in the top group, ranking seventh and eighth respectively. U.S. automakers didn't fare well, with Buick being the highest-ranked brand at 11th, while others landed in the middle and lower third of the chart.

These results highlight the differences in reliability among different regions and brands. It shows that consumers need to carefully evaluate the reliability of vehicles from various sources and consider their specific needs and preferences.

Tesla's Performance

Tesla clearly had its challenges, coming in at 17th position. While it has some successful product lines like the Models 3 and Y, it also has problem children, such as the original Models S and X, which have been plagued with issues. There wasn't enough data yet to measure how the new Cybertruck would perform, but early reports were not optimistic.

Tesla needs to address these reliability issues to improve its overall standing in the market. Consumers are increasingly concerned about the reliability of electric vehicles, and Tesla needs to meet their expectations.

Subaru's Surprise

While Consumer Reports focused on reliability, it also looked at broader aspects. Subaru delivered another surprise by coming in as the number one brand overall, surpassing BMW by a single point. The overall results are based on a combination of CR's road-test scores, predicted reliability and owner satisfaction data, and safety for all models from each automaker.

Subaru's success highlights the importance of consistent performance and customer satisfaction. It shows that a brand can excel in multiple areas and gain a competitive edge.