Green cars hold up
When the Prius came to market 12 years ago,
there was plenty of skepticism about how well hybrid powertrains would hold up.
But those fears were unfounded: reliability is a high point for most hybrids.
All but the relatively new Hyundai Sonata Hybrid proved reliable in this year’s
survey.
New
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
Nissan’s Leaf, the first all-electric car
in our survey, had an excellent showing and was the most reliable Nissan in the
lineup. The Chevrolet Volt has been above average in our past two surveys. And
Toyota’s new Prius Plug-in earned a top reliability score.
Owners helping buyers
We rely on car owners to supply the
Consumer Reports National Research Center with the data used in our surveys.
Earlier this year, we asked our subscribers
to tell us about any serious problems they’ve had in the prior 12 months with
vehicles they own or lease. We use that data to compile reliability histories
and to predict the reliability of new models now on sale. We base our predicted
–reliability scores on the most recent three models years of data, provided the
model has not been redesigned in that period. The scores are presented as a
percentage better or worse than the average for all cars.
Occasionally
we make positive predictions for redesigns, if the brand has had an outstanding
track records, has we do there for the Lexus ES 350.
Some new and redesigned models are released
too late to be included in our survey, and redesigned 2013 models are not
included in the brand’s overall reliability score. Occasionally we make
positive predictions for redesigns, if the brand has had an outstanding track
records, has we do there for the Lexus ES 350.
What’s up, what’s down
Our reliability predictions play a key role
in our decision to recommend a model or not, along with our road-test results
and independent safety tests.
Here we show how our recommendations have
changed based on the latest reliability results. We list models that are newly
or no longer recommended, based on improved or declining reliability,
respectively. We also list models for which we now have sufficient data to rate
and recommend or not.
Models that changed status are those that
turned out better or worse than we thought they would last year.
Sometimes, prediction changes especially
for cars that got worse in reliability were based on respondents’ early
experiences with new models. Predictions for vehicles based on only a single
year’s data are somewhat tentative, because many problems don’t emerge right
away, and others are redressed by the carmakers during the production run. That
reinforces our advice to not buy a new or redesigned model in its first year.
Newly recommended
Models
with improved reliability
·
BMW 136i*
·
BMW 535i
·
BMW X5 (6-cyl., turbo)
·
Buick Enclave
·
Buick Regal
·
Chevrolet Cruze
·
Chevrolet Silverado 1500 (V8, 4WD)
·
Ram 1500 (V8)
·
GMC Acadia
·
GMC Sierra 1500 (V8, 4WD)
·
Honda Odyssey
·
Nissan 370Z*
·
Toyota Sienna (AWD)
·
Volkswagen CC
·
Volkswagen Eos
·
Volkswagen Jetta Sedan TDI
Models
that now have sufficient data
·
Audi A6 (3.0T)*
·
BMW 328i*
·
Chevrolet Sonic*
·
Chrysler 300 (V6)
·
Hyundai Accent*
·
Hyundai Equus*
·
Hyundai Veloster*
·
Kia Rio*
·
Lexus GS*
·
Mazda2*
·
Mazda CX-5*
·
Mercedes-Benz C250 (1.8T)*
·
Mitsubishi Outlander Sport*
·
Nissan Leaf
·
Nissan Quest*
·
Toyota Camry (V6)*
·
Volkswagen Passat (5-cyl.)*
·
Volkswagen Passat (TDI)*
Not recommended
Models
with declining reliability
Volvo
C30
·
Chevrolet Corvette
·
Dodge Challenger
·
Ford Mustang (V8)
·
Hyundai Genesis Coupe
·
Hyundai Sonata (turbo)
·
Infiniti G Convertible
·
Jeep Grand Cherokee (V8)
·
Mini Cooper Countryman
·
Nissan Titan
·
Volkswagen GTI
·
Volvo C30*
·
Volvo C70*
Models
that now have sufficient data but are below average
Chrysler
300
·
Buick LaCrosse (4-cyl., eAssist)*
·
Buick Verano*
·
Chrysler 300 (V8)*
·
Dodge Charger
·
Ford Edge (4-cyl. Ecoboost)*
·
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
·
Volkswagen Touareg
*Most models for which we now have
sufficient data are based on one model year of data only. Some models in the
improved or declined reliability group are also based on one model year.
Best & worst
These models earned the highest and lowest
predicted reliability ratings, based on our 2012 Annual Auto Survey. Models
with * use data based on one model year only. Under the Most Reliable are
models that are recommended and did well in our testing are marked with
. Not
all reliable models are recommended either they scored too low in our testing
(marked in italics), or we have not tested that particular version.
Mazda
3
These
models earned the highest and lowest predicted reliability ratings
How makes compare
This graph show how the makes rank based on
the average of their models’ predicted reliability scores. The score is
calculated as a percentage better or worse than the average of all cars. Each
bar shows the range between a make’s best and worst models. The rank change
shows how many spots a brank rose or fell in the standing compared with last
year’s survey. We needed sufficient data on at least two models to include a
rank. Ram (formerly Dodge trucks) was not included last year. A –indicates no
rank change from last year.
This
graph show how the makes rank based on the average of their models’ predicted
reliability scores.
Scion
xD
