Which automakers make the longest-lasting cars? According to a recent Consumer Reports study (by subscription) and a new report from iSeeCars, say the 2022 Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, or other new Subaru models are not included as in past years.
As in past studies, Toyota and Honda have the most new models in the top twelve Consumer Reports rankings. Toyota has seven models; Honda has four and Ford one new model. In the iSeeCars top fifteen rankings, Toyota has eight models, Honda two, Chevrolet and GMC have two, and Ford one new model.
photo credit: Maita Subaru
CR's top-12 cars that go 200,000 miles and beyond
The Toyota Camry is ranked number one, followed by the Honda Accord, Toyota Prius, Honda CR-V, Toyota Sienna, Toyota Highlander, Toyota 4Runner, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Tacoma, Honda Odyssey, Honda Pilot, and Ford F-150.
Where is Subaru?
In Consumer Reports' recent annual report card, ranking thirty-two car brands, Subaru jumped two spots to claim the best overall car brand title in 2022. Subaru scores ahead of Toyota, Honda, and all luxury brands, including Lexus. And Subaru scored five recommended models and two green choices.
photo credit: Cross Creek Subaru
What do the scores tell new car shoppers?
Consumer Reports says each car brand's overall score for individual models is based on four key factors: the road test, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety. Subaru's top picks are the 2022 Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, Impreza, and Legacy. The refreshed 2022 Forester is now a Consumer Reports' top-10 car of 2022 and the best in class. You can read the complete report here.
Why Subaru is not included in the top models to go beyond 200,000 miles
Consumer Reports says the Top 12 Cars That Go 200,000 Miles list includes the "most problem-free cars." CR says that many other models in its annual auto surveys reached the 200,000 milestone, "but they did not have as high a percentage of trouble-free vehicles."
Are Subaru models reliable?
According to the latest Consumer Reports ratings and reliability report, Consumer Reports is inconsistent with its ranks because, for the 2022 model year, Subaru now has four models that score highest in their class. The 2022 Subaru Forester, 2022 Crosstrek, and 2022 Outback scored the best SUVs in their category. The 2022 Impreza was the best in the small car segment.
Subaru says 96 percent of Subaru vehicles sold in the last ten years are still on the road today, more than Honda or Toyota brands. The data is based on Experian Automotive non-luxury vehicles in operation vs. total new registrations for the model year 2011-2020 as of December 2020.
Our take
Are Subaru vehicles trouble-free? In our experience of working with the Subaru brand for over 40 years, Subaru has had issues with some of its models, and no car brand is trouble-free. Overall, Subaru has been one of the most reliable car brands.
The current generation 2022 Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, Ascent, and other new models are among the most reliable new vehicles that will go well over 200,000 miles and, with regular maintenance, have proven to be long-lasting vehicles.
You Might Also Like: Consumer Reports Says Subaru Now Scores the Best Car Brand In 4 Areas
Denis Flierl has invested over 30 years in the automotive industry in a consulting role working with every major car brand. He is an accredited member of the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press. Check out Subaru Report where he covers all of the Japanese automaker's models. More stories can be found on the Torque News Subaru page. Follow Denis on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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Photo credit: Subaru USA
Comments
My current vehicle has 350
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My current vehicle has 350,000 miles. 4 cylinder standard transmission little truck. Previous car was a small 4 door sedan that I put 200K on it. I believe the durability of vehicles has a lot to do with maintaining properly. I just ordered a new Crosstrek and expect it to last at least 200k.
I own a 2012 Impreza sport
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In reply to My current vehicle has 350 by Mike Terry (not verified)
I own a 2012 Impreza sport and I have 230,000 miles on it, proper maintenance is key,went thru a lot of tires. Change the oil every 5000.
It's unfortunate the person
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In reply to My current vehicle has 350 by Mike Terry (not verified)
It's unfortunate the person who made these comments stating that they're Subaru lasted $350,000 MI did not make any mention of oil consumption. Subarus are factually known for consuming between 1 and 4 quarts of oil between oil changes. How did this person handle oil consumption of the horizontally opposed piston engines?
I have a 2011 Impreza 2.5
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In reply to It's unfortunate the person by Mike (not verified)
I have a 2011 Impreza 2.5 premium with 140,000 mi, which consumes no oil between changes. The key to this is having an aftermarket head gasket installed that is 3x thicker than the factory gasket, which usually starts to fail at 100,000. I realize that is an somewhat expensive thing to do, but we’ll worth the investment in fixing the Achilles heal of 2010+ model Subarus.
Have a 2003 RAV with over
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Have a 2003 RAV with over 220,000 miles and still going.
What's the definition of
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What's the definition of reliable? Does the car start? Then it's reliable. Does it need lots of costly repairs that don't affect the engine and transmission? No but it needs a lot of other costly repairs. But speaking of longevity without any real engine work, nothing beats the Audi 5 cylinder motors. They will typically last well over 400K miles as long as the oil has been changed....and even with that kind of mileage, using a quart of oil every 3000 miles is what it consumes. If only a Subaru could do that!!
Just had my 2012 Impreza in
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Just had my 2012 Impreza in for oil change and state inspection. No issues. Left to go to dealer’s car wash a block away and chk engine, oil, and vehicle stability warning lights came on. Got back to service center and engine died as garage door was rising. Pushed into service bay and diagnosed as needing new engine. 60,130 on the odometer and taken to dealer for scheduled service/maintenance. Car was driven easy as the goal for it was max out mpg (I have a Mustang GT for fun driving). So I’m not surprised Subaru didn’t make the 200k mileage list — mine won’t do 100k on its first engine….
Just about any car can go
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Just about any car can go 200k+. It is just a matter of how long you can put up with repairs. My first car a VW Fox circa 1987 went 267k before I got rid of it. My second car a 2001 Ford Focus wagon went 207k before I sold it to a coworker who gave it to his kid. My current Ford focus has 105k on it and I expect. It to do more than 200k as well. Note that after about 120k things start happening. A window might not roll, you might need a new water pump - somewhere in there between 120 and 200 you also will need a starter and front wheel bearings. That is why most people give up the car before 200k, they don't want to deal with the servicing.
Well, this is certainly an
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Well, this is certainly an article with nothing to say.
As usual, Hyundai & Kia are
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I've had the top cars over the years from all of the top manufacturers since 1987. The one vehicle that I've had that had lasted the longest was the 2007 Kia Spectra 5. Mine lasted 13 years, and was in great shape for its age when I sold it too. Never had a major problem either. Have had Hyundai/ Kia's ever since with NO major problems. All of the other brands have given me major problems...
This stat seems silly to me,
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This stat seems silly to me, "Subaru says 96 percent of Subaru vehicles sold in the last ten years are still on the road today". The only reason I can think of a vehicle not being on the road after 10 years is a vehicle that is wrecked/totaled in an accident. Even the most unreliable cars aren't going to be junked at 10 years for a drivetrain/mechanical issue. Am I wrong?
Well, you didn't answer the
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Well, you didn't answer the question you posed in the headline. Consumer reports is inconsistent is not an answer. Did you reach out to CR? /Tony
If you do proper maintenance
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If you do proper maintenance on your vehicle 200,000 miles isn't a big thing. Every vehicle in our family has it 300,000 in the last 15 years (domestic models, Fords and Chevy's and one Honda). Now my wife and I have switched to Japanese cars, she a Camry and myself a Subaru Legacy. Both are over 100 k and haven't had a single issue. I fully expect to get even better mileage from these, even my Kawasaki motorcycle has 150,000 on it. Proper and regular maintenance is the key.
Overall numbers I agree with,
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Overall numbers I agree with, the engines always have blown head gaskets, but many do surpass.
However, I disagree, there are a handful of cars in Australia not even mentioned that are always 300-500+K KMs. These are obviously Toyota Hilux, Toyota land cruiser and the Toyota HiAce van.
Nissan patrols and a handful of other great models and engines out perform many on the list there on distance above Camry.
Even with such high KMs they still hold value!
I gave up on Subaru after my
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I gave up on Subaru after my fifth. My 2013 Forester had a warranty repair for a minor oil loss issue. That lead to a non-covered head gasket replacement - which the dealer stepped in to cover - on a car with 75,000 miles.The air conditioner needed total replacement at the same time. By then I had bought two more. I knew people with almost identical as well as other issues. I just traded in my 2019 Outback for a Toyota Venza.
I don't like any of them. I
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I don't like any of them. I settled on a 07 jeep compass n my baby is running with 236,000 miles. If taken care of any vehicle will continue to run. Providing it's got a good engine and transmission. Key to longevity don't beat the crap out of the vehicle and keep it serviced before parts break. New or old jeep is the way to go when it comes to off-road or winter driving. Especially in the Northeast we're we get a good foot of snow from a single storm.
Subaru over engineering their
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Subaru over engineering their vehicles has made for poor reliability in some of their models, for that, it has pushed me into a different direction for this years purchase.
110465 miles on my 2019
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110465 miles on my 2019 Subaru Forester regular oil changes. That’s all I have done to it besides not letting the gas pedal of the floor
#1 reason Subaru didn't make
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#1 reason Subaru didn't make the list: CVT. They ditched the traditional transmission for a CVT and reliability went into the toilet. I have never seen a CVT make it to 200k without major issues. When Toyota started calling the shots, they lost their way. Their vehicles became pedestrian and boring.
I really don't think CVT is
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In reply to #1 reason Subaru didn't make by Steven Peterson (not verified)
I really don't think CVT is the main issue. Toyota and Honda have also moved to CVT in many of their models yet Toyota and Honda rankings have not fallen.
Thank you for the information
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Thank you for the information. Years and years I was member of Consumer Reports.Because I live in Europe, forbidden by the European Community!
We had 2004 Forester that
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We had 2004 Forester that went to 365,000. We have a 2014 Forester at 128,000. We had a number of recalls. And had to personally paid out over $5,000 this past year & a half. The miles per gallon is very low around 21 per gallon on long trips which should be around 31 t0 35. We have a 2018 Forester but that is the last subaru we will purchase.
Ive had my honda civic 06.
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Ive had my honda civic 06. From very start . Got it brand new .im at 510 000 km . Engine still sounds good . Hoping it can still make it longer.
Total BS! There are WAY more
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There are WAY more Honda Civics on the road than Toyota Corolla's. The Civic should be #1 followed by the Accord and Camry.
Have 14 Forester. 230k. Car
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Have 14 Forester. 230k. Car has high mileage but to get it there god knows how many wheel bearings and now gotta replace valve body in tranny. My 06 Accord EXL V6 approaching 290k completely different story and yes they are taken care of at home.
Marty Simonich in Utah has
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Marty Simonich in Utah has nearly 900,000 miles on his 01 Subaru Outback sedan. There is at least one Subaru with over a million (although in km). Odometer stops at all nines. These vehicles are documented in the Subaru High Mileage Club FB group.
My current vehicle is 2011…
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My current vehicle is 2011 Nissan Pathfinder 4x4 presently 212,500 miles 9x went to Washington State, 3x to Vegas, 1x in Arizona and 1x in Vancouver Canada straight from the biggest problem that I encounter Valve cover gasket leaking and front suspension replaced, since I purchased my SUV with low mileage, I do change oil every 3,000 mile.