Vehicle Reliability Based on 2015 Consumer Reports Data

This is a summary of the 2015 Consumer Reports magazine vehicle reliability data "New Car Prediction", based on repair statistics. Each car model is given a rating 1 through 5, 5 being the best. I took the average of the model reliability ratings for each vehicle make ("New" or "Discontinued" models are omitted), and sorted the make ratings as follows. Thus, we see that Lexus has the highest rating of 4.78, followed by Toyota of 4.44, Mazda 4.25, and so on, semi-graphically shown below.

New Car Prediction

 1 Lexus 4.78               ************************************************
 2 Toyota 4.44              ********************************************
 3 Mazda 4.25               ******************************************
 4 Subaru 3.875             ***************************************
 5 Honda 3.78               **************************************
 6 Acura 3.6                ************************************
 7 Audi  3.57               ************************************
 8 Buick, Porche 3.5        ***********************************
10 Kia 3.40                 **********************************
11 Hyundai 3.11             *******************************
12 Volkswagen 3.09          *******************************
13 Infiniti, Scion, Tesla 3 ******************************
16 BMW 2.875                *****************************
17 Lincoln 2.75             ****************************
18 Nissan 2.73              ***************************
19 Chevrolet 2.54           *************************
20 GMC 2.40                 ************************
21 Cadillac 2.25            ***********************
22 Mercedes-Benz 2.17       **********************
23 Ford 2.08                *********************
24 Chrysler, Dodge 2        ********************
26 Jeep 1.33                *************
27 Fiat 1                   **********

Some reliability ratings may be surprising or inconsistent with our common conception. For example, is Subaru really more reliable than Honda? Let's focus on these two makes. Since many middle-class drivers keep their cars from brand-new up to approximately 10 years of age, let's look at the half-life i.e. 5-year-old or 2010 models only. The original data in the magazine (not shown here) is broken down to detailed ratings on what year's what model's specific auto component. For example, 2010 Honda Accord Sedan (4-cyl.) has these ratings on each component:

Engine, Major: 5
Engine, Minor: 5
Engine Cooling: 5
Trans., Major: 5
Trans., Minor: 5
Drive System: 5
Fuel System: 5
Electrical: 3
Climate System: 4
Suspension: 4
Brakes: 1
Paint/Trim: 4
Body Integrity: 3
Body Hardware: 4
Power Equipment: 4
Audio System: 5

Average of these component ratings is 67/16=4.188. The following are average scores for each model of Honda and Subaru:

Honda Accord Sedan (4-cyl.): 4.188
Honda Accord Sedan (V6): 3.875
Honda CR-V: 4.500
Honda Civic Hybrid: 4.375
Honda Civic Sedan: 4.000
Honda Civic Si: N/A
Honda Crosstour, Accord Crosstour: 4.250
Honda Element: 4.375
avg=(4.188+3.875+4.500+4.375+4.000+4.250+4.375)/7=4.240

Subaru BRZ: N/A
Subaru Forester (nonturbo): 4.188
Subaru Forester (turbo): 3.938
Subaru Impreza: 4.063
Subaru Impreza WRX/STi: N/A
Subaru Legacy (4-cyl.): 4.688
Subaru Outback (4-cyl.): 4.438
Subaru Outback (6-cyl.): 4.125
avg=(4.188+3.938+4.063+4.688+4.438+4.125)/6=4.240

We can see that 2010 Subaru models have the same ratings as 2010 Honda models, both with an average rating of 4.240. It is surprising to me that Honda Accord Sedan (V6) has such an exceptionally bad score, the only one in Honda series lower than 4. I remember when this model initially came out about ten years ago, it was almost unanimously praised by various automobile magazines as superb, better and quieter than the 4-cylinder model. But, if you care more about vehicle reliability or your precious time wasted in a car shop waiting lounge than about the vain glory of new car ownership, never base your car buying decisions on new car evaluations constantly popularized in those magazines.

Appendix Reliability ratings of models (not down to the level of components; the last column is the make average)

WARNING: In compliance with Consumer Reports No Commercial Use Policy, this information must not be used for any commercial purpose including displayed on any Web page with advertisement.

See also 2016 ratings

December 2015