Toyota and Honda were considered the most reliable cars for years. Now, these two brands have been surpassed by another Japanese brand. Why Subaru is now in first place and why they have been rather conservative with technological innovations for many years.
Where do the data come from? Consumer Reports, a globally recognized authority on consumer protection, has published its annual ranking of the most reliable car brands in 2025.
Every year, Consumer Reports surveys its members about problems they have experienced with their vehicles in the past 12 months. This year, data from more than 300,000 vehicles were collected:
- Consumer Reports assesses the severity of each problem to create a reliability rating from 1 to 100 for each vehicle.
- These ratings contribute to the final reliability scores assigned to each common vehicle.
- To calculate the overall rating of a vehicle, Consumer Reports combines the reliability score with data from their own test drives, as well as results from the owner satisfaction survey and safety data.
In recent years, car brands Toyota and Honda have consistently topped the rankings. But this time, the Japanese brand Subaru has made it to the top. Eight Asian brands are represented in the top 10, with Audi and BMW being the two German brands in 9th and 10th place.
Subaru is the leader in reliability
Why is Subaru at the top? Subaru tends to be conservative when it comes to developing new vehicles: there are few innovations, and often old, familiar parts are used even in new vehicles. Subaru relies on proven, mature technology and avoids unnecessarily complex innovations when updating their models.
Steven Elek, who is responsible for analyzing vehicle data at Consumer Reports, explains:
Subaru vehicles have many reliable components. These commonalities mean that Subaru can make fewer incremental changes when redesigning a vehicle, as proven systems can be adopted. This reduces the risk of new problems arising.
Popular Subaru models like the Impreza, Crosstrek, and WRX share many components, which makes maintenance easier and reduces the likelihood of errors. Additionally, spare parts are readily available and cheaper than with other companies, as no special customizations are needed for repairs.
Higher reliability does not always mean perfect workmanship: some consumers report minor weaknesses, including in paint or plastic quality. However, the central technology remains unobtrusive and durable.
A car is an expensive investment, and one usually hopes to be able to use a new car for many years. However, a 24-year-old’s experience ended after just 2 days. And this despite having waited 3 years for the car and making a down payment of around $80,000: A 24-year-old had to wait 3 years for his car and paid 80,000 euros – 2 days after the first drive, the car is already dead
