Questioning which automobile, truck or crossover is the perfect so that you can purchase? There are many components to contemplate, together with worth, efficiency, dealing with, options, and security — although reliability sometimes lands within the prime spot for many American consumers. Shopper Studies has handed out its 2025 Automotive Report Card and this 12 months put a premium on dependability. The outcomes may take some readers abruptly.
New automobile costs have been hovering close to file ranges for the reason that COVID pandemic struck, presently averaging round $48,000. That’s loads to shell out for a automobile, truck, or crossover. And, no matter you purchase, you need to ensure it lives as much as your expectations.
“Buying a new car is a big expense and one that requires a lot of research to arrive at the best choice,” mentioned Jake Fisher, senior director of Shopper Studies’ Auto Check Middle. “Our new experience at CR.org makes that research easier by presenting exclusive unbiased data and insights on everything from reliability to cost of ownership in a streamlined way that’s simple to navigate.”
Readers Weigh In — And Ship Some Surprises
Because it has for many years, Shopper Studies in the present day issued its newest annual Automotive Report Card, grading particular person manufacturers and fashions utilizing a wide range of metrics. Amongst different issues, it put scores of recent fashions by their paces on each public roads and the group’s Connecticut check observe.
It checked out security and tech options, and it pulled collectively studies from about 300,000 readers who weighed in on merchandise from mannequin years 2000 to 2024, in addition to early 2025 fashions.
The outcomes had been, in some circumstances, stunning. For one factor, little Subaru outscored larger manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, and Hyundai on the reliability chart. Equally sudden, mentioned Fisher, Toyota landed third, behind its upscale Lexus model. Honda and Acura rounded out the highest 5 manufacturers.
Rivian Unplugged
Rivian R1T; (photograph/Rivian)
On the different excessive, Rivian got here in at all-time low, with a Model Reliability Rating of simply 14, in comparison with Subaru’s 68. Cadillac was second from final with — working up the size — GMC, Jeep, and Volkswagen rounding the bottom-of-the-barrel manufacturers.
CR’s proprietor/contributors mentioned Rivian suffered from all kinds of issues, every thing from battery failures to defective onboard electronics. Cadillac’s weak standing, in the meantime, was largely the results of points with the Lyriq EV.
2025 Cadillac Lyriq; (photograph/Cadillac)
And if you happen to acknowledge a sample right here, it’s the truth that “we’re seeing more problems with all-electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles” than these utilizing inside combustion engines or hybrid powertrains, Fisher advised me.
“It’s no surprise,” he added, contemplating the novelty of the know-how. Then again, as automakers get extra expertise with electrified drivetrains, “The gap is closing. We’re seeing big improvements.”
That’s already occurred with typical hybrids, which confirmed little distinction in reliability between gasoline and gas-electric variants.
Japan Dominates
2024 Toyota RAV4 PHEV; (photograph/Toyota)
From a reliability standpoint, Japanese marques tended to prime the CR chart, whereas Koreans had been a combined bag. Kia was ninth of twenty-two manufacturers, Hyundai rounding out the highest 10. However the high-line Genesis fell to 14th, largely attributable to points just like the drive and gasoline programs on its best-selling mannequin, the GV70.
Audi and BMW had been the one Europeans in that rarified group, at seventh and eighth. U.S. automakers weren’t faring properly, nevertheless. Buick was the highest-ranked model, at eleventh, whereas others landed within the center and decrease third of the chart.
Tesla Bother
Tesla clearly shall be grateful that it isn’t Rivian, however nonetheless made it solely as much as seventeenth place. It had its good product strains, mentioned Fisher, the Fashions 3 and Y, and its drawback kids: the unique Fashions S and X being a few of the most problem-plagued within the business.
There wasn’t but sufficient information to measure how the brand new Cybertruck fared — however Fisher isn’t optimistic, based mostly on early studies. “We don’t expect great things,” he mentioned.
Subaru Repeats
Whereas CR put the emphasis on its reliability report, it additionally checked out how numerous manufacturers and fashions fared from a broader perspective. And right here’s the place Subaru delivered one other shock, coming in because the primary model general. It clawed its method to the highest, surpassing BMW by a single level.
The general outcomes, the nonprofit mentioned, are based mostly on “a combination of CR’s road-test scores, predicted reliability and owner satisfaction data, and safety for all of the models from each automaker.”
At Least It Isn’t Rivian
Touchdown on prime isn’t simple, defined Fisher, noting that some manufacturers do rather well relating to reliability, touchdown within the quantity 3 spot. However “it was mid-pack when it comes to road tests,” he defined, dragging its general rating all the way down to ninth.
For its half, Rivian didn’t undergo the ignominy of anchoring each charts — Jeep fell to the underside within the general outcomes. However that was small consolation for the EV startup. It managed to clamber up only one place, rating second-to-bottom.
