We selected the 7 most reliable car brands on the market today when considering the miles a vehicle drives or how many significant mechanical problems a vehicle experiences during its lifetime.
Cars are a lot more reliable these days than they were just a few decades ago. In fact, it is rare to see a car pulled over on the roadside waiting for a tow truck…and it is common for them to reach the 200,000-mile mark.
That reliability doesn’t come cheap—the average new car costs well over $45,000 in 2024—but car buyers typically are getting many miles for their money. How many miles depends in no small part on which car they buy.
So which are the most reliable car brands? And within those brands, what are the most reliable used cars? Bottom Line asked our car expert Karl Brauer…
The rising tide of automotive reliability has lifted virtually all brands. With just a few exceptions, even automakers that once sold famously problem-prone cars have improved dramatically. But without question, some automakers remain more reliable than others.
Identifying which brands are most reliable can be tricky, because there’s more than one way to define automotive reliability—you can measure the number of miles a vehicle can be driven before it takes its final trip to the scrapyard…or how many significant mechanical problems a vehicle experiences during its lifetime.
Here are the seven most reliable car brands when you factor in both of these considerations…
Toyota continues to live up to its long-standing reputation for industry-leading reliability. Nearly one of every five Toyotas sold—19.5%—will exceed a quarter million miles, the best of any automaker. Numerous Toyota models are among the longest-lasting in their vehicle categories, including the SUVs Landcruiser, 4Runner and Sequoia… the cars Avalon, Camry and Corolla…and the trucks Tundra and Tacoma. The majority of Tundras and Tacomas (pictured above) sold will top 200,000 miles.
Meanwhile not a single Toyota model appears on a list of most-recalled vehicles for any segment—recall rates are a reasonable proxy for the overall number of mechanical problems a car owner is likely to encounter.
One side benefit: Because of Toyota’s well-deserved reputation for reliability, resale values usually are excellent. Used-car buyers correctly conclude that a reasonably well-maintained Toyota with 100,000 or 120,000 miles on its odometer still has a lot of life left in it.
Lexus is the auto brand that comes closest to matching Toyota’s reliability. That’s not surprising because Lexus is Toyota’s luxury brand. A Lexus is less likely than a Toyota to reach 250,000 miles—around 12% of them reach that mark—but that’s not because Lexuses aren’t as reliable as Toyotas. It is because luxury car owners tend to drive these cars fewer miles each year.
2025 Lexus ES
Honda often is cited as the automaker that comes the closest to matching Toyota’s reliability, and the data confirms that reputation. An impressive 17.2% of Hondas reach 250,000 miles, and several models rank among the most reliable in their respective categories, including the CR-V and Pilot among SUVs…the Accord and Civic among cars…and the Ridgeline among trucks.
Subaru is a brand on the rise. It is now considered Honda’s equal and is just a hair behind Toyota when it comes to reliability. Subarus are significantly less likely to reach 250,000 miles than Hondas or Toyotas—12.9% of them do—but that’s because Subaru sells mainly crossovers and small SUVs, not pickup trucks and large SUVs, which have the best odds of reaching extremely high mileage totals.
Acura is Honda’s luxury brand, and like Toyota’s Lexus, it delivers the stellar reliability of its parent company. An impressive 14.7% of Acuras reach 250,000 miles, and there are no Acuras on a list of most-recalled vehicles. The Acura MDX luxury crossover has historically been a particular reliability standout, with nearly 30% of them topping 250,000 miles—the Acura MDX has the best odds of reaching the quarter-million-mile mark among luxury vehicles.
2025 Acura MDX Type S
BMW (including MINI) has made a remarkable turnaround in terms of reliability. Not too many years ago, the German automaker was on many lists of the least reliable automakers, so some consumers will be surprised to see it featured among the best now. Numerous BMW models land very high on lists of the longest-lasting vehicles in their categories, including the X3 small luxury SUV…the 3-Series small luxury car…and the Z4 luxury convertible.
BMW 330i
Also worth noting: While BMW has made impressive strides in terms of reliability, any problems that a BMW does experience could be pricey to fix—BMW parts and service often cost more than average.
Thinking of buying a used BMW? BMW reliability was far less impressive prior to this decade, so used-car shoppers should proceed with extreme caution if they’re considering BMWs that are more than a few years old.
Similar: BMW isn’t the only German luxury automaker showing signs of improved reliability in recent years. By many measures, Audi and Mercedes are making massive strides as well—the list of the 25 least-recalled vehicles includes three Audis and eight Mercedes. That said, there is some reason to suspect that Mercedes still has some issues to iron out—analyses based on feedback from car owners continue to give that brand very low scores for reliability.
Chevrolet has taken the reliability lead among US automakers. The conventional wisdom that Japanese automakers tend to make the most reliable vehicles remains accurate, but the rest of the world is undeniably closing the gap. An impressive 19.2% of Chevys reach 250,000 miles, a figure topped only by Toyota. In part that’s a reflection of the fact that Chevrolet sells lots of pickups and large SUVs, which are more likely than cars to reach lofty mileage totals. But Chevy isn’t the only US automaker to sell a huge number of utility vehicles, and the domestic competition falls well short of Chevy when it comes to the odds of reaching a quarter million miles. Chevy’s Silverado 1500, Silverado 2500HD and Avalanche pickups all post particularly impressive mileage figures, as does the Chevy Suburban, a large SUV. Meanwhile, you won’t see any Chevy model on the list of the 25 overall most-recalled vehicles—but you will find five Fords. Clearly Chevy is doing something right.
2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1500
