Buying a used car can save money, but some brands bring more problems once they age. Reliability changes a lot from one maker to another, and choosing the wrong one can lead to repairs that wipe out the savings. Knowing which companies build long-lasting cars helps avoid that.
Consumer Reports’ newest long-term study shows a wide gap in how brands perform. Tesla came in last out of 26 brands with a score of 31, ranking behind Jeep at 32, Ram at 35, and Chrysler at 36. The study looked at models between five and ten years old to see how they hold up after long use.
Part of Tesla’s low score ties back to the early Model 3 ramp-up, when the company built cars in a large tent next to its Fremont, California, plant. Working that fast and in that setting hurt build quality, and many of the cars from that time now fall into the age group tested.
Newer Teslas tell a different story. Consumer Reports says the current lineup shows better-than-average reliability, placing the brand in the top ten for new-car predictability. Buyers still interested in Tesla will likely have a better experience with recent models instead of older ones from the rush-build years.
Lexus and Toyota led the long-term study with scores of 77 and 73. Mazda followed at 58, while Honda and Acura scored 57 and 53. Here is the full list:
Consumer Reports Long-Term Reliability
- Lexus — 77
- Toyota — 73
- Mazda — 58
- Honda — 57
- Acura — 53
- BMW — 53
- Buick — 51
- Nissan — 51
- Audi — 49
- Volvo — 48
- Mercedes-Benz — 47
- Subaru — 47
- Volkswagen — 46
- Lincoln — 46
- Mini — 46
- Cadillac — 45
- Hyundai — 43
- Chevrolet — 40
- Ford — 39
- Dodge — 39
- Kia — 39
- GMC — 37
- Chrysler — 36
- Ram — 35
- Jeep — 32
- Tesla — 31
Consumer Reports analyst Steven Elek says brands like Lexus and Toyota stay on top because they improve their cars little by little instead of making huge changes that can bring new problems. Their cars start out reliable and stay reliable as they age.
Tesla’s new-car numbers also show progress. It ranks ninth with a predicted score of 50, just behind Buick at 51 and Acura at 54. That places Tesla ahead of Kia at 49, Ford at 48, Audi at 44, Volvo at 42, and Cadillac at 41. Rivian sits at the bottom of the new-car list with a score of 24, followed by Ram at 26, Jeep at 28, and GMC at 31.
