Top 10 Most Reliable Cars of 2014

Buying a new car can be a daunting experience and the last thing you want to do is have to go back to have to serviced to fix an issue that shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

If reliability is at the top of your list of new car concerns, then you need to read this. Based on Consumer Reports’ Annual Reliability Study, we’ve compiled the highest ranking vehicles from each market segment to help simplify your next shopping experience.

Earning the honor of being the most reliable car in the compact/subcompact cars category was the Scion xB, which is a sharp contrast to its stablemate, the FR-S that ranked as one of the least reliable cars in the reliability study. According to the publication, the Scion xB was actually the most reliable new car rated in this year’s survey and if you’re interested on finding out more on the Scion xB, click here.

When it comes to hybrid and electric cars, Toyota and Lexus dominated the category. Ranked highest was the Lexus CT 200h but not far behind was the ES 300h and the entire fleet of Prius models. Also earning praise for reliability in the hybrids/electric cars category was the Toyota Camry hybrid. It wasn’t an all Toyota and Lexus sweep as the Honda Insight also received recognition. You can learn more about the Lexus CT 200h here.

In the midsized cars category, the Volkswagen Passat equipped with the 1.8-liter turbo engine took top honors while both the Mazda 6 and Toyota Camry were praised for their reliability as well. According to Consumer Reports, the Volkswagen Passat 1.8T had above average reliability helping the German automaker improve its overall brand ranking three spots to 17th place. In the market for a Volkswagen Passat? Click here to learn more.

Leading the large/luxury/luxury compact cars category was the Lexus IS 350 that was also joined by the Acura ILX in second. The ILX is expected to show off some major improvements at this year’s LA Auto Show, but it’ll take some work for the other luxury brands to dethrone Lexus. Toyota’s luxury arm was the highest ranking brand on the 2014 reliability study. Find out more about the Lexus IS 350 here.

The current-generation Honda Civic might have got off to a bumpy start, but the Civic Si coupe has hit its stride in the marketplace. Earning the title of most reliable in the sporty cars/coupes and convertible category, the Honda Civic Si might not be as fun to drive as the Subaru BRZ and Scion FR-S, but it’s certainly way more reliable. Also worthy of a mention is the Mazda MX-5 Miata, which also earned recognition in the category. Learn more about the Honda Civic coupe here.

Over the past decade, Audi has really worked hard in changing its image when it comes to reliability. This year, despite dropping one spot to fifth place, Audi is the highest ranked German automaker with the Audi Allroad named most reliable in the wagons/minivans category. The company continues to stay well ahead of its German counterparts with BMW ranked 14th overall while Mercedes-Benz plummeted 11 spots to 24th place this year. See what the Audi Allroad is all about here.

While Mitsubishi as a brand isn’t ranked since Consumer Reports doesn’t have sufficient data on at least two models, the one vehicle it did have data for was ranked most reliable in the small SUVs category. The Mitsubishi Outlander Sport bested a pair of Subaru models including the Forester and XV Crosstrek while the Mazda CX-5 was also recognized for its reliability. Helping Audi was the Q5, which was also ranked among the highest in the small SUV category. See more about the Mitsubishi Outlander Sport here.

In the midsized SUVs category, Toyota was the only automaker to be recognized with the Highlander V6 ranking most reliable followed by the popular 4Runner. In total, the Japanese automaker 14 models landing on the most reliable list, helping it rank second overall among 28 automakers. It’s worth noting that the Highlander performed well despite only having data for one model year, a scenario that plagued other automakers with troublesome first-year problems. Click here for more information on the Toyota Highlander.

In the luxury/large SUVs category, it might not even come as a surprise at this point that the Lexus RX was most reliable followed by the Lexus GX. As the top-ranked brand in the survey, Lexus had five different models that received nods as most reliable in their categories. In other words, if you’re in the market for a reliable luxury car, you should be taking a closer look at what Lexus has to offer. To learn more about the Lexus RX, click here.

Often when you think of pickup trucks, you probably think of American manufacturers. But when it comes to reliability, not even the best-selling vehicle in American can top Toyota’s Tundra. The V8 model earned most reliable honors in the pickup trucks category while the Tacoma was also recognized for its reliability. If you’re curious as to why Toyota and Lexus leads on the reliability study, Consumer Reports attributes it to the fact that the automaker tends to introduce new technologies slowly and on proven platforms. Find out more about the Toyota Tundra here.