The 10 Least Reliable Car Brands And The Ones To Avoid Most

What are the ten least reliable and ten most reliable car brands for 2024? First, let's look at the least reliable automakers. I've covered Subaru's reliability ranking, which is number six best overall, but which are the worst? You may want to avoid them. 

According to CarEdge, "It's never been more clear that more money often equals more problems," says Ray Shefska. Spending a lot of money on a car does not mean it has high quality. Let's take Subaru as an example. They are considered a value brand in terms of pricing and are in the top ten for reliability. 

Conversely, Mercedes-Benz, a high-dollar luxury car brand, is the second worst on this year's list for reliability. You can spend over $100,000 on a luxury car, but it doesn't necessarily translate to reliability. 

Then, there is the maintenance of many luxury brands. Here is my recent report on the car brands with the highest maintenance costs. You can probably guess which automaker is number one. Check out the list here. 

Stay Away From These 5 Car Brands With The Highest Maintenance Costs, You’ve Been Warned @torquenewsauto @worldscoolrides https://t.co/XB1q0YmgHu#bmw #MercedesBenz #audi #porsche #landrover pic.twitter.com/whbh2RFy8E
— Denis Flierl (@DenisFlierl) April 24, 2024

How Does Consumer Reports Rank Car Brands For Reliability?

Every year, Consumer Reports asks its members about problems they've had with their vehicles in the previous 12 months. This year, they gathered data on over 330,000 vehicles from the 2000 to 2023 model years, with a few early-introduced 2024 model years. 

CR says, "We study 20 trouble areas, from nuisances—such as squeaky brakes and broken interior trim—to major bummers, such as potentially expensive out-of-warranty engine, transmission, EV battery, and EV charging problems. We use that information to give reliability ratings for every major mainstream model. We weigh the severity of each type of problem to create a predicted reliability score for each vehicle, from 1 to 100." 

Here's a breakdown of the ten least reliable car brands in 2024. Ray Shefska says, "If you buy one of these cars, you ought to have a car maintenance emergency fund at your disposal or start getting quotes for extended warranty protection!" 

The 10 Least Reliable Car Brands of 2024, According To Consumer Reports

1. Chrysler

• Predicted Reliability Score: 18/100
• Recalls: 17 (across all FCA brands)
• Average Selling Price: $47,818

2. Mercedes-Benz

• Predicted Reliability Score: 23/100
• Recalls: 8
• Average Selling Price: $75,264

3. Rivian

• Predicted Reliability Score: 24/100
• Recalls: 1
• Average Selling Price: est. $85,000

4. (Tie) Volkswagen

• Predicted Reliability Score: 26/100
• Recalls: 4 (across all Volkswagen Group brands)
• Average Selling Price: $37,327

5. (Tie) Jeep

• Predicted Reliability Score: 26/100
• Recalls: 17 (across all FCA brands)
• Average Selling Price: $50,918

6. Volvo

• Predicted Reliability Score: 28/100
• Recalls: 1
• Average Selling Price: $58,901

7. GMC

• Predicted Reliability Score: 36/100
• Recalls: 6 (across all General Motors brands)
• Average Selling Price: $61,434

8. Lincoln

• Predicted Reliability Score: 38/100
• Recalls: 21 (across all Ford Motor Company brands)
• Average Selling Price: $62,707

9. Ford

• Predicted Reliability Score: 40/100
• Recalls: 21 (across all Ford Motor Company brands)
• Average Selling Price: $51,167

10. Dodge

• Predicted Reliability Score: 42/100
• Recalls: 17 (across all FCA brands)
• Average Selling Price: $46,822

From frequent breakdowns to excessive recalls, these brands show signs of potential trouble for consumers. Surprisingly, the least reliable car brands are often expensive. With Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, and Lincoln on the list, it's clear that when it comes to reliability, you don't always get what you pay for.

If You Buy A Chrysler, Jeep, or Dodge, You’ve Been Warned

Other than that, I see a mix of manufacturers from around the world on this unfortunate list. Stellantis, to no one's surprise, has a heavy presence, with Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge all ranking poorly. I would say you should avoid these three brands of cars. 

What are the Stallantis car brands?

Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Citroen, Dodge, DS, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot, Ram, and Vauxhall. Not all those automakers are sold in the U.S. market.

What Are The Most Reliable Car Brands?

These are the top 10 most reliable car brands for 2024, and Consumer Reports ranks their overall scores. It's unsurprising that Toyota and Lexus top the charts—they are there every year. But seeing BMW, Kia, and MINI on the list may have been a surprise. 

1. Lexus – 79
2. Toyota – 72
3. Mini – 71
4. Acura – 70
5. Honda – 70
6. Subaru – 69
7. Mazda – 67
8. Porsche – 66
9. BMW – 64
10. Kia – 61

Lexus, MINI, Acura, Audi, Subaru, and Porsche improved their rankings and increased their presence in this year's top 10 rankings.

Consumer Reports says, "Asian automakers are still leading reliability by a wide margin with an overall reliability average score of 63 for the region, on a scale of 1 to 100. Seven of the ten most reliable brands are from Asian automakers. European automakers are in second place at 46, with three brands filling out the rest of the top 10 most reliable brands." 

4 Popular New Small SUVs To Avoid, They Just Failed The New IIHS Safety Test @torquenewsautohttps://t.co/w4jmc0kRuU#chevrolet #mazda #mitsubishi #volkswagen pic.twitter.com/XuBeT1fS54
— Denis Flierl (@DenisFlierl) April 27, 2024

MY TAKE

After 13 years of working directly with most automakers and their service departments, I've seen that the Japanese brands are consistently among the best in reliability, and some luxury and the same domestic brands always seem to be among the lowest ranked. This mostly stays the same year to year. 

Wait, Don't Leave Yet, IT'S YOUR TURN

What reliability issues have you had with your car brand? Or do you own a very reliable car? If so, click the red Add New Comment link below and let us know.

Thanks for reading, everyone. I hope you enjoyed this story about the ten least reliable car brands. I'll see you tomorrow for my latest report.

I am Denis Flierl, a top Torque News and Subaru reporter since 2012. I’ve invested over 13 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role, working with every major car brand. I am an experienced Rocky Mountain Automotive Press member. You'll find my expert Subaru analysis here. Follow me on my The Dirty Subaru website, Dirty Subaru blog, X SubaruReport, All Subaru, WRXSTI, @DenisFlierl, Facebook, and Instagram.

Please share the article with friends, and post X to your followers! 

Photo credit: FreePik