This Car Brand Has Dethroned Subaru As Consumer Reports’ Most Reliable

Subaru has dropped to second place in Consumer Reports’ annual vehicle reliability report, making way for Toyota. Subaru, Lexus, and Toyota have been in a constant battle for the top spot over the years, with Subaru breaking a back-and-forth fight between Lexus and Toyota in 2024 by snatching top spot from the two Toyota Motor Corporation brands. However, 2025 sees Toyota back in the number one spot.

Toyota reclaimed top spot primarily due to reliability improvements for its models in recent years. Consumer Reports noted that the Camry was significantly more reliable in 2025, making it the second-most reliable sedan in its study, tied with the Honda Accord (and behind another Toyota, the Crown). Another vehicle with improved reliability was the Toyota Tundra: its all-new platform and engine, introduced in 2022, suffered from manufacturing woes, but Toyota looks to have figured things out, and the pickup’s 2026 model was much more reliable. Subaru fell to second place since most of its lineup is considered to have just “above average” reliability in CR’s estimation.

One surprising change in 2025’s reliability study was Tesla, which sat in ninth place. The controversial electric vehicle company moved up eight spots, largely due to the Model 3. Tesla still has a concerning number of quality issues, especially with the Cybertruck, which has below-average reliability. Still, the rate at which people have been reporting electrical, exterior, and software-related issues has lessened in 2025. 

Overall, Consumer Reports’ study found that EVs are generally unreliable compared to hybrids. Twenty-eight out of 30 studied hybrids were rated with average or higher reliability (only the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid ranked below). Meanwhile, many EVs landed at the bottom of the reliability rankings, alongside PHEV vehicles. This includes the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6, which suffer from reliability issues with their integrated charging control unit (ICCU), as well as the Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Blazer EV, and Honda Prelude. Rivian and Lucid are also considered to produce unreliable vehicles overall.

All three of Consumer Reports’ most reliable car brands saw recalls in 2025, proving that no vehicle is perfect. However, Consumer Reports has certain criteria it uses to calculate the reliability scores for its study. For 2025, Consumer Reports collected data from owners covering 380,000 vehicles from the 2000 to 2025 model years, along with a few 2026 models. The experts on Consumer Reports’ panel then studied the data, weighing the severity of the reported issues according to how significantly they impact the owner’s finances and safety. Vehicles with such issues received a lower score than those with more minor issues like faulty interior trim. The collected data from drivers is then combined with Consumer Reports’ own track testing as well as crash-test data, listed safety features, and owner satisfaction surveys. 

It’s worth noting that Consumer Reports’ experience shows that newer models are often more trouble since carmakers haven’t ironed out all the issues quite yet. “Even the second-year examples of a new model can have issues,” Consumer Reports warned. “When a car has a low score in its first year, it sometimes takes its automaker more time to address the problems. For example, both the gasoline and PHEV versions of the Mazda CX-70 and CX-90 remain unreliable in their second year, as do the Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Blazer EV and Colorado, and the GMC Canyon.” You may be better off buying a used car, although there are still things to watch out for.