The 10 Most Reliable Car Brands - Consumer Reports Says Subaru Is Now 7th
Which Subaru models are the most reliable, and how does the Japanese automaker compare with other car brands' reliability? In the updated Consumer Reports reliability scores and who makes the most reliable new cars report, Subaru scores seven out of twenty-four car brands in the U.S. market. They stay the same in the overall ranking but drop their overall reliability score.
The ten most reliable car brands according to Consumer Reports
Toyota achieves the number one spot with a score of 72, tied with Lexus (72), BMW (65), Mazda (65), Honda (62), Audi (60), Subaru (59), Acura (57), Kia (54), and Lincoln (54). In last year's study, Subaru was number seven overall but scored 66 points in reliability.
Consumer Reports' new-vehicle reliability score is calculated on a 0-to-100 point scale, with the average rating falling between 41 and 60 points. The Subaru Forester, Crosstrek, Outback, Ascent, Impreza, and Legacy overall reliability scores also include road-test performance, owner satisfaction survey results, whether the model comes with critical safety systems, and crash test data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
Which Subaru models are the most reliable?
The updated CR report says the 2023 Subaru Crosstrek subcompact SUV scores highest with a score of 80 and has "above-average" reliability. The 2023 Forester compact SUV is next, scoring 75 points. The Impreza (56), Outback (51), and Legacy (50) also have above-average reliability. The Ascent (44) scores lowest but is up considerably from last year's score of 18 points. CR did not have scores for the 2022 WRX and 2023 BRZ sports cars.
The 2023 Subaru Crosstrek scores best and is among the ten most reliable new cars you can buy today. CR says, "We expect the Subaru Crosstrek will be more reliable than the average new car." This prediction is based on data from 2020, 2021, and 2022 models that have had few problems.
CR's ten most reliable cars
According to Consumer Reports, the ten most reliable cars are the Toyota Corolla Hybrid, Lexus GX, Mini Cooper, Toyota Prius, Mazda MX-5 Miata, Lincoln Corsair, Toyota Corolla, Subaru Crosstrek, BMW 3 Series, and Toyota Prius Prime.
Is the 2023 Subaru Ascent reliable?
The 2023 Subaru Ascent 3-Row SUV is now on Consumer Reports' newly-recommended models list with improved reliability. CR says, "We expect the 2023 Ascent will have about average reliability compared to the average new car."
What Consumer Reports says about Subaru models
"It seems that Subaru has worked out most of the Ascent's kinks, so it improved to average predicted reliability. There were still reports of transmission issues, but fewer than in the past. The Outback and Legacy have average reliability, suffering from in-car electronics issues with its screen freezing, electrical system problems with the battery, and power equipment problems. The Impreza has average reliability, and the Crosstrek and Forester both had above-average reliability," Consumer Reports said.
Conclusion
According to Consumer Reports, the Subaru brand ranks in the top seven of twenty-four car brands in the U.S. market for reliability. All of Subaru's all-wheel-drive models stay consistent with last year's report in reliability except for the Ascent.
The 2023 Subaru Crosstrek scores highest among Subaru's models with well-above-average reliability, and the 2023 Subaru Forester is a close second. The 2023 Outback, Impreza, and Legacy are all expected to have above-average reliability. The 2023 Subaru Ascent makes a significant jump in reliability.
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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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