Consumer Reports (CR) ranked Subaru (7270.T) as the top brand for the second year in a row in its 2026 Overall Brand Report, with BMW (BMW.DE) in second place, although the German brand scored highest in the luxury car category.
CR’s Automotive Report Card scores the best and worst on vehicle reliability (new and used), owner satisfaction and road test performance. CR tests about 50 new vehicles at its test center and surveys its members to collect data on reliability and owner satisfaction.
“While Subaru models offer good performance and comfort, they also excel in areas that may not be immediately apparent during a test drive,” said Jake Fisher, senior director of automotive testing at CR.
“Over the years, BMW has built extremely popular models whose reliability easily exceeds that of all its European rivals,” Fischer added.
Judging from the overall report card, Porsche, Honda, Toyota, Lexus, Lincoln, Hyundai, Acura, and Tesla are among the top ten, with Lincoln making the biggest jump, rising 17 places to become the number one domestic brand.
On the contrary, Audi suffered the biggest decline, falling 10 places to 16th. Dodge, GMC, Land Rover, Rivian and Jeep rounded out the bottom five overall.
CR said this year’s survey data covers 380,000 vehicles across 25 model years, which the consumer nonprofit claims is the largest number of vehicles it has ever covered.
“It allows us to drill down into the details when an owner has a problem,” Steven Elek, head of CR’s data analytics program, said in a speech to reporters.
Toyota(TM) ranks high in reliability, with the Camry entering its second year following a major redesign and drivability improvements to the Tundra and Tacoma trucks. Subaru remains in second place, unchanged from 2025.
Tesla (TSLA) Model Y and Model 3″[overcame] Past construction quality issues” ranked ninth, its highest ranking ever.
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However, Mazda (MZA.F) saw the biggest drop in reliability, ranking 14th overall. Elek said the CX-90 and CX-70 SUVs “were a drag on Mazda” at the brand level.
Buick (GM) ranks highest domestically, ranking eighth in reliability, while Ford (F) moves up to 11th, its best performance in 15 years, according to CR.
Interestingly, the Rivian (RIVN) had the lowest reliability scores but the highest owner satisfaction, with 85% claiming they would buy one again, according to owners surveyed by CR. CR says Rivian owners are willing to put up with the growing pains of new technology.