As the saying goes, some people see the glass half full, and some people see the glass half empty. So when Consumer Reports (CR) publishes an article about which brands make the best cars, the Half-Empty crowd might use the data to focus on which brands make the worst cars. But for pessimists and optimists alike, knowing this information is actually important because it can help them check potential ride items off their shopping lists if they want to have a better chance of avoiding buyer’s remorse.
To arrive at the ratings – with Alfa Romeo, Dodge, GMC, Land Rover and Jeep ranking last – CR looked at the average overall vehicle score of each brand’s participating vehicles, which takes into account performance, reliability, satisfaction and safety. Additionally, at least two vehicles from a particular brand need to be tested before they can be included here.
Consumer Reports also noted that, in general, “new models for any brand tend to present reliability risks.” And vice versa. Consider Lincoln. Ford’s luxury division jumped 17 spots in the rankings “in part as its aging lineup becomes more reliable.” If you are considering purchasing a specific vehicle, you should review its unique CR data. After all, even lower-ranked brands are likely to have higher-ranked vehicles — although the site isn’t recommending any of the bottom five brands for 2025.
Read more: These are the most dangerous cars our readers have ever driven
Alfa Romeo Giulia’s overall rating is the worst in its class
A 2025 Alfa Romeo Giulia Intensa parked under a tree – Alfa Romeo
There may even be outliers among vehicles with low overall CR scores, such as the 120,000-mile Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio sold earlier this year. That’s a lot of mileage for a car that ranks near the bottom of its class in predicted reliability in 2025. Drivers really like the Guilia when it hits the road. When we got our hands on a Giulia in 2023, we said the Giulia was better than you thought, in part because of its well-tuned chassis and powerful 2.0-liter turbo engine. On the other hand, reliability is difficult to measure in a short road test.
Like the Giulia, the 2026 Alfa Romeo Tonale compact SUV also received the worst rating. It has lower overall scores and predicted reliability ratings compared to the nine other luxury entry-level SUVs in the CR segment. Also, a few years of production didn’t do much to improve reliability in this case. The Tonale is based on what Consumer Reports calls an “aging platform,” the same “mediocre” SUVs from Jeep and Dodge, which helps explain why those brands fare so poorly on the list. The Alfa Romeo Stelvio tested by CR was the only model not to rank at the bottom of its segment, performing better than four other luxury compact SUVs.
Dodge hit by Hornet SUV’s poor results
Front 3/4 view of a 2026 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat Jailbreak parked diagonally on an unmarked sidewalk in the mountains – Dodge
Next (or in this case, below) is another Stellantis brand: Dodge. Technically, the overall score in this department is the same as the Alfa Romeo, and as we just hinted, it has an almost identical entry-level SUV to its Italian corporate cousin (and Jeep). Dodge’s versions of the Hornet are listed separately in gasoline-only and plug-in hybrid versions. The score of the former is significantly lower than that of the latter, but neither achieved very good results. Among the 29 models in the compact SUV category, the plug-in Hornet ranked 25th and the non-electric Hornet ranked 27th.
CR hasn’t fully tested the Dodge Durango or Dodge Charger, but it did include predicted reliability scores in its quick review of the former. Unfortunately, Dodge’s long-running SUV is buried behind 14 other three-row midsize cars. That score likely won’t change anytime soon, either, as the next-generation Dodge Durango won’t debut until 2029, 19 years after the current car was produced. It’s not all bad news for SUVs, however, as all 2026 Dodge Durangos come with the Hemi, although consumers in certain states can only purchase models with the smaller 5.7-liter engine.
CR does not recommend GMC vehicles
Pre-production 2026 GMC Acadia Denali Ultimate front view – GMC
GMC promotes professional-grade vehicles, but Consumer Reports was less than impressed with them. CR gave GMC an overall rating as low as Alfa Romeo and Dodge, and declined to make recommendations on all GMC vehicles tested. Perhaps more surprisingly, the CR has a slight edge in overall scores over some Chevy versions of the GMC lineup. For example, the Equinox and Suburban had slightly higher overall scores than the Terrain and Yukon XL.
While these examples are only a few points apart, the Chevrolet Traverse scores significantly higher overall than the GMC Acadia, with predicted reliability more than twice as high as its GMC counterpart. In fact, the Acadia’s predicted reliability lags behind more than 20 other SUVs. In pickup trucks, the GMC Sierra 1500 and Canyon rank higher than the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Colorado, as well as the Ram 1500, but they can’t keep up with the Ford F-150 or Ford Ranger.
Ultimately, GMC ranked 29th out of 31 brands in CR’s rankings and 16th out of 17 when considering mainstream non-luxury brands. Note that neither of GMC’s electric vehicles have been fully tested by CR at the time of this listing, but if you’re looking to buy one, now might be a good time. Dealers are currently selling new 2024 Hummer electric vehicles at discounts of more than $40,000.
Land Rover’s reputation for reliability lives up to expectations
2025 Land Rover Discovery Gemini 3/4 front view on the road – Land Rover
Consumer Reports pulls no punches when describing Land Rover. The website first praises Land Rover’s impressive history of offering off-road capability and luxurious cabins, before saying that Land Rover still maintains a reputation for making SUVs that break down “frequently and expensively”. Ouch. A look at the CR numbers is telling, with the brand ranking last among all other luxury competitors. Additionally, the Discovery Sport, Discovery and Defender rank at the bottom of their CR segments, while the Range Rover Evoque only scores better than the Discovery Sport in its segment.
The CR further highlights just how much it costs to keep a Land Rover on the road. When the publication ranked brands by maintenance and repair costs over time, Land Rover again ranked at the bottom. The Discover, Discovery Sport and Evoque are also among the 10 cars with the most buyer regret in 2025 (as measured by the percentage of people who sell their car a year or less after buying it).
In the past, people often expected this kind of picky behavior from luxury brands. But automakers like BMW and Porsche have sold their share of pricey performance cars and ranked second and third, respectively, on CR’s annual list of best car brands. In fact, every BMW and Porsche model that was fully tested this year was recommended by CR, including 14 models from the former and 4 models from the latter.
Jeep Wrangler is the lowest rated SUV overall
A 2026 Jeep Wrangler Whitecap parked in the snow – Jeep
If there’s one brand that can compete with Land Rover for rugged off-road cred, it’s Jeep — the same brand that trails Land Rover on Consumer Reports’ rankings. Of all current SUVs Consumer Reports tests, its 2026 Wrangler received the worst overall score. Needless to say, it didn’t get CR’s recommendation, like every other Jeep vehicle fully tested at the time.
Other highlights for Jeep included the Gladiator and Grand Cherokee 4xe ranking last in their respective segments, and the Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L ranking second to last. As for the Jeep Compass, despite being redesigned for 2026 and now allowing you to choose a hybrid or electric version with up to 375 horsepower, it ranked 26th out of 29 compact SUVs. Consumer Reports says that no matter what the new Compass has to offer, it still “falls short of the competition in almost every way.”
The Jeep Wagoneer was a bright spot, finishing on the podium in the large SUV category with a third-place finish, despite having one of the worst predicted reliability scores in the segment. The Grand Wagoneer’s overall score trailed just a bit behind its shorter variant, but its predicted reliability had the same rating. Additionally, as this article was published, CR was testing the redesigned 2026 Cherokee, an SUV that is typically the most reliable of the latest Jeep models.
Want more like this? Join the Jalopnik newsletter to get the latest automotive news delivered straight to your inbox and add us as your preferred search source on Google.
Read the original article on Jalopnik.
