Most Reliable Car Brands in 2022

What makes a car reliable?

A car that doesn’t break down often and can be used to commute thousands of miles without the need to visit the dealership frequently defines how reliable it is. In the case of most Japanese brands like Honda and Toyota, if you change the engine oil every 3,000-5,000 miles along with all other routine maintenance, you are good to go for thousands of miles. But it is not an easy task to define whether a car is reliable for you based on a company’s reputation. It is heavily based on one’s handling and driving characteristics. For example, if you buy a Toyota Camry and prefer to take it for off-roading, it will surely break down before you know it. Also, technologically advanced cars are mostly unreliable compared to the more conventional budget cars and you cannot help it. Brands like Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, and Land Rover, pack the cutting-edge tech to make it look futuristic but fall prey to recalls more frequently. Fewer parts replacements, longer powertrain life, no weird electronic malfunction, and good build quality make a car reliable.

Why are some cars more reliable than others?

Cars built at different price points can define how reliable they are. For example, if you buy a Nissan Versa which is priced below $20,000, it is a very good car for its offering price. But the cost-cutting done to it will surely result in wear and tear of various components faster than a BMW 3 Series will. The price of the car matters to a certain extent but not always. Jaguar Land Rover builds one of the most expensive cars but yet they have a long history of unreliability. Modern technology is sometimes a defining factor behind less reliable cars. Brands like Mercedes-Benz, Tesla, Audi, Maserati, and a lot of other brands are generally found less reliable than Honda and Toyota. The reason behind this is that the former brands use more up-to-date tech to stand out or maybe introduce new features without testing them thoroughly over the years. The fancy German brands are more prone to recalls because of this reason.

Most reliable car brands in 2022.

According to Consumer Reports, here is a list of the most reliable car brands to the least.

1. Lexus2. Mazda3. Toyota4. Infiniti5. Buick6. Honda7. Subaru8. Acura9. Nissan10. Mini11. Hyundai12. Chrysler13. Porsche14. Chevrolet15. Audi16. Cadillac17. BMW18. Ford19. Kia20. Volvo21. RAM22. GMC23. Mercedes-Benz24. Volkswagen25. Genesis26. Jeep27. Tesla28. Lincoln

Placed at the seventh position for the most reliable cars of 2022, this $25,760 hybrid sedan is heavily inspired by the Civic. The exterior looks are quite similar to the outgoing Civic while the interior is more upscale and modern-looking. Leather-wrapped steering wheel, leather upholstery, dual-zone automatic climate control, 8-inch touchscreen display, digital driver’s display are the main interior features that come fitted to the presently selling Insight. As a sedan, seating comfort inside the cabin is very good. You will have 39.3-inch headroom and 42.3-inch legroom at the front. The rear has 36.9-inch headroom and a good 37.4-inch legroom. Taller people will not have much of a problem at the rear.

Powering the Honda Insight is a 1.5-liter naturally aspirated inline-four engine coupled to an electric motor with a combined power output of 151 horsepower. It is a front-wheel-drive car with no optional all-wheel drive and the engine is mated to a CVT. All of these contribute to great mileage figures, 55/49/52 for city/highway/combined as per the EPA. The Insight takes about 7.7 seconds from zero to 60 miles per hour and about 16.2 seconds to reach a quarter-mile. J.D. Power has a consumer rating of 78/100 for the 2022 Honda Insight, which is “Average”.

The MX-5 Miata is among the most reliable two-door convertible coupes out there. It is priced below $30,000 and is definitely a fun-to-drive car with decent oomph. The MX-5 Miata is in its fourth generation introduced in the year 2016. In that regard, the car doesn’t look dated, at least on the outside. On the inside, it does, quite frankly. The new generation BRZ or the GR 86 has a lot better dashboard design with a digital instrument console and bigger infotainment screen. Nothing of that sort is present with the MX-5 Miata. Hard plastics dominate the cabin build. There is a seven-inch touchscreen display sitting atop the dashboard. The leather-wrapped steering wheel feels nice to touch. The front seats come cloth-covered as standard but leather upholstery is available on the higher trims. The seats are comfortable and there is ample room for the driver and the front passenger. There is 37.4-inch headroom and about 43-inch legroom at the front and is enough for long highway drives.

A 2.0-liter naturally aspirated inline-four engine sits under the hood of the 2022 MX-5 Miata. The engine puts out 181 horsepower, 151 pound-feet of torque, and comes mated to a six-speed manual as standard. The automatic transmission has been made a $500 option for the top Grand Touring trim. While driving the rear wheels only, the MX-5 Miata can accelerate to 60 miles per hour in 5.7 seconds and can continue to sprint till it reaches the quarter-mile in 14.5 seconds. The fuel economy, according to the EPA, is quite decent with 26/34/29 for city/highway/combined. Unfortunately, we don’t have ratings from J.D. Power for the Mazda MX-5 Miata.

The XT5 is a tuned-down Escalade with a room for five people instead of eight. Being in the top five most reliable cars means something and the XT5, an indigenous luxury SUV, competes well with the likes of the BMW X3 and the Audi Q5. It is a gorgeous-looking mid-size SUV reminiscent of its elder brother the Escalade. The cabin is spacious for four people and is filled with features even as standard. However, it is not similar to the X3 and the Q5 in terms of more high-tech features. There are dual-zone automatic climate control, leatherette upholstery, leather-wrapped steering wheel, power-adjustable, and heated seats at the front. Bose premium audio unit comes fitted as standard along with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. As for the cabin space, there is 39.7-inch headroom and 41.2-inch legroom in the front row. The rear is very spacious too with 38.4-inch headroom and 39.0-inch legroom.

The Cadillac XT5 is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot which puts out 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. There is another engine offered by Cadillac but only comes fitted to the Sport trim. It is a 3.6-liter naturally aspirated V-6 with a power rating of 310 ponies and 271 pound-feet. Both the engines come mated to a nine-speed automatic gearbox. The default 2.0-liter engine drives either the front or all four wheels depending on your choice. The bigger 3.6-liter engine drives all four wheels by default. Car and Driver estimate that the 2.0-liter engine equipped XT5 can do 0-60 in 7.6 seconds and a quarter-mile in 16.0 seconds. The EPA estimates for the 2.0-liter XT5 with FWD is 22/29/25 for city/highway/combined. The J.D. Power has rated the XT5 with 78/100 and even ranked it #3 in the midsize premium SUV category.

As a mild hybrid hatchback that is ahead of its time, the Prius ranks fourth in the Consumer Reports’ most reliable cars. The design aesthetics are kept in mind to increase efficiency, as per Toyota’s claims. But we think that it doesn’t look as attractive as its plug-in hybrid brother, the Prius Prime, especially the front fascia. Hard plastics rule the interior but the weirdness in the dashboard kind of looked futuristic at the time of launch, but now it is unrealistic. There is a 4.2-inch multi-information display at the center of the dash while the infotainment display is placed just below. You can get the optional 11.6-inch display to make the cabin feel more upmarket but the software is older and with no Android Auto support. For a $25,000 hybrid car, the Prius comes with loads of advanced driver safety features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, road-sign assist, and many more.

Powering the Prius is a 1.8-liter naturally aspirated inline-four engine, coupled with an electric motor which puts out 121 horsepower, combined. According to today’s standard, the power figures are a bit subpar, and that reflects in the acceleration results: 0-60 in 10.8 seconds and a standing quarter-mile in 18 seconds. Braking performance is quite poor too, taking 194 feet to come to a standstill from 70 miles per hour. But the EPA ratings are quite good if you only care about efficiency and lower fuel cost. You can get about 54 miles per gallon in the city, 50 miles per gallon on the highways, and combined figures of 52 miles per gallon. A 76/100 rating was given by J.D. Power in accordance with their customer reviews.

The Prius Prime is the plug-in hybrid variant of the standard Prius. But unlike the Prius, the exterior of the Prius Prime looks better and in fact, looks quite aggressive. The interior, on the other hand, is quite similar to the standard Prius. You will get the same dashboard design along with a center-mounted multi-information display and just below comes fitted is a seven-inch infotainment display. There are heated seats at the front, a six-speaker audio unit, automatic climate control among other features found with the standard Prius. The interior space is quite limited, especially at the rear. The front has a good 39.4-inch headroom while the legroom is set at 43.2 inches. The rear has about 33-inch legroom which is really less and the headroom available is just 37.2 inches. Behind the rear seats, you will have 19.8 cubic feet of cargo space.

Like the regular Prius, the Prime too is powered by a 1.8-liter naturally aspirated inline-four engine and an electric motor. The combined power output is the same with 121 horsepower. However, as the Prime is a plug-in hybrid, the battery size is quite small with an 8.8-kWh capacity. The engine drives the front wheels only and is mated to a continuously variable transmission to increase efficiency. Like the standard Prius, the Prius Prime is slow with a 0-60 timing of just 10.3 seconds. But what’s interesting is the fuel economy which the Prime boasts. The EPA calculated an all-electric range of 25 miles. The hybrid mileage figures are 55/53/54 for city/highway/combined which are very similar to the Prius. This $30,000 plug-in hybrid hatchback has no J.D. Power rating as of now.

A full electric variant of the hybrid Niro is quite impressive in day-to-day activities. Especially for the price tag of $40,000, the Niro EV packs quite the list features including the 10.25-inch touchscreen which now comes as standard. The exterior is very similar to the standard Niro except for the covered tiger-nose grille and zero exhaust pipes. The cabin looks nice and stylish with the seven-inch driver information display and the leather-wrapped steering wheel. The faux-leather seats are nice and comfortable. Power-adjustable seats come standard at the front. The cabin is decently spacious for a compact crossover but as always, the rear row has lower legroom but nothing troublesome (36 inches). You will get 18.5 cubic feet of cargo capacity behind the rear seats.

The Niro EV is powered by a single electric motor which puts out 201 horsepower and 291 pound-feet of torque. As it is an EV, the acceleration is slightly better than the other 200 horsepower gas-powered engine. Car and Driver recorded a 0-60 in 6.2 seconds and a standing quarter-mile in 14.9 seconds which is not bad at all. There is a 64-kWh battery pack that will take about 9.5 hours to fully charge using the household power outlet. The EPA estimates a total range of 239 miles in one charge.

The Lexus GX scored 100 points in the Consumer Reports surveys and is the most reliable car in 2022. The Lexus GX is the only truck-based SUV that is sitting largely unchanged for more than a decade now. It surely looks dated, especially from the rear but the front fascia still holds the charm thanks to the 2020 facelift. The LED headlights and the spindle grille design keep up with the other Lexus models. The interior saw a big change for the 2022 model year with the introduction of a bigger and more advanced 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment display. The cabin is supremely built with good quality materials but the second and third rows are not very spacious. This full-size SUV can tow up to a massive 6,500 pounds.

The Lexus GX is powered by a naturally aspirated 4.6-liter V-8 that puts out 301 horsepower and 329 pound-feet while driving all four wheels. A six-speed automatic gearbox comes mated to the engine.The GX can go from 0-60 mph in 7.2 seconds and runs a standing quarter-mile of 15.6 seconds, according to Car and Driver. The EPA ratings are quite low and it is expected since its high-revving nature: 15/19/16 for city/highway/combined. J.D. Power has rated the GX with 80/100 points and also placed it #2 in the midsize premium SUV category.

FAQ

What are the most reliable car brands?The top-ten most reliable car brands as per Consumer Reports are1. Lexus2. Mazda3. Toyota4. Infiniti5. Buick6. Honda7. Subaru8. Acura9. Nissan10. Mini

Is BMW a reliable car brand?Placed #17 in the most reliable brands list by Consumer Reports, BMW ranks mediocre and is not as reliable as Toyota, Honda, and Nissan.

Why isn’t BMW known for reliability?Over the years, BMW has had a mediocre reputation over its engine reliability, mainly the fuel system, and other complex electronics.

Which brands make the most reliable cars?Brands like Lexus, Mazda, Toyota, Infiniti, and Buick make the most reliable cars, according to Consumer Reports.

What is the most reliable luxury car?According to iSeeCars, the Lexus IS 350 is the most reliable luxury car with a reliability score of 8.

What is the most reliable truck?The Ford F-150 is the most reliable truck, according to Carvana.

What is the most reliable sedan?According to iSeeCars, the Toyota Avalon is the most reliable sedan.

What is the most reliable sports car?The Mazda MX-5 Miata is the most reliable sports car and has scored 95.5% in What Car surveys.