Consumer Reports’ best and worst car brands in 2015
Updated January 27, two thousand sixteen 11:11 AM
The Consumer Reports two thousand fifteen Car Brand Report Cards ranks automakers across the world by reliability, road test spectacle and other factors. For the 2nd year in a row, Lexus topped the list, almost matched by Mazda, and followed by Toyota and Audi. The bottom of the list included Ford, Dodge, Mini, Jeep and Fiat.
1. Lexus
Getting the best overall score with 78, Lexus leads this year’s best brands list. Consumer Reports called Lexus a company “known for making quiet, plush, and very reliable cars.” The carmaker also received the highest rating for reliability and a road test score of 76.
Two. Mazda
Mazda was given an overall score of 75. Consumer Reports said Mazda is a brand that “understands itself and replicates its sporty DNA in every fresh car it makes.” The automaker received a road test score of 76, tying with Lexus, and was one of the better rated companies in terms of reliability.
Three. Toyota
Toyota was ranked third with an overall score of 74, a road test score of seventy two and a high predicted reliability rating. “Toyota concentrates on building solid, reliable cars that are pleasant, convenient, and very popular,” Consumer Reports said.
Four. Audi
With an overall score of 73, road test score of eighty one and high reliability rating, Audi was ranked No. Four. Consumer Reports said it is a “luxury brand that markets itself on available technology features as much as spectacle, luxurious interiors, or its Quattro all-wheel-drive system.”
Five. Subaru
Subaru was ranked No. Five on the best brands list with an overall score of 73. The carmaker received a road test score of 80, and a high predicted reliability rating. Consumer Reports said, it can “eventually count itself as one of the automakers known for competent technology.”
6. Porsche
With the highest road test score of 84, Porsche was ranked No. Six among the best auto brands. Overall, the German automaker had a score of seventy and a middle reliability rating. “It will be interesting to see how the fuel-saving Porsches hold up to the brand’s spectacle standards, and how the complicated models fare reliability-wise,” Consumer Reports said.
7. Buick
Buick received an overall score of sixty nine with a road test score of seventy six and a high predicted reliability rating. Consumer Reports said, the company “is in the process of shedding its stodgy picture with a product resurgence led by the sporty, refined, competitive, and affordable Regal.”
8. Honda
With an overall score of Sixty nine, a road test score of seventy one and a high predicted reliability rating, Honda ranked No. 8. Consumer Reports commented that the carmaker “typically offers competitive fuel economy, very good reliability, and good resale value.”
9. Kia
Kia received an overall score of 68, a road test score of seventy three and a high predicted reliability rating. Consumer Reports said, “Kia supplies competent cars sold for less than the leaders in their respective segments.”
Ten. BMW
Described as “responsive, comfy, and fuel-efficient” by Consumer Reports, BMW just made the top ten brands, ranking at No. Ten. The German automaker received an overall score of 66, road test score of eighty two and a middle reliability rating.
11. Acura
Acura ranks at No. Eleven for 2015, receiving an overall score of 65, with a road test score of seventy eight and a middle predicted reliability rating. Consumer Reports says the brand is marketed as upscale, but “Acuras don’t have the panache or inviting interiors of certain other true luxury brands, and the driving practice is often more ordinary than engaging.”
12. Volvo
Volvo is ranked No. Twelve with an overall score of 65, a road test score of seventy six and a middle predicted reliability rating. “Solid and staid, Volvo sedans, wagons, and SUVs have secure if not particularly sporty treating and many of the latest electronic safety and collision-avoidance systems,” Consumer Reports said.
13. Hyundai
“Hyundai has left its bargain-basement photo well in the rearview mirror. The styling and fit-and-finish of many of its vehicles are on the rise, yet they remain the more affordable choices in their respective segment.” The carmaker received an overall score of 64, a road test score of seventy three and a middle predicted reliability rating from Consumer Reports.
14. GMC
GMC is ranked No. Fourteen on the best brands list. It received an overall score of 61, a road test score of seventy three and a middle predicted reliability rating. “Despite their ‘professional grade’ ad slogans and some styling differences, the GMCs don’t indeed stand out from their Chevrolet siblings,” Consumer Reports said.
15. Volkswagen
Volkswagen received an overall score of 60, a road test score of seventy six and a middle predicted reliability rating, putting it at No. Fifteen on the best brands list. According to Consumer Reports, most of the automaker’s vehicles “feel more premium than their competitors, thanks to responsive treating, hard and comfy rails, and an overall solid feel.”
16. Lincoln
Ranked at No. 17, Lincoln received an overall score of 59, a road test score of seventy four and a middle reliability rating from Consumer Reports. Lincoln “reliability has been spotty of late, largely because of the soon-to-be-replaced MyLincoln Touch electronic control interface. Most Lincoln models land no better than midpack in our ratings,” Consumer Reports said, “lacking the spirited driving practice and luxury ambience of class leaders.”
17. Infiniti
“Fit and finish is usually very good, and the powertrains are first-rate, but for a few years now most Infiniti vehicles haven’t struck us overall, and reliability has never been up to Lexus standards,” Consumer Reports said, providing Infiniti an overall score of 59, a road test score of seventy six and a middle reliability rating.
Legal. Nissan
Nissan received an overall score of 59, a road test score of seventy and a middle predicted reliability rating, ranking it at No. Legal. Consumer Reports said that Nissan has the most inconsistent product line, and the company has had a “quality falloff in cars such as the subcompact Versa and compact Sentra.”
Nineteen. Chevrolet
Famous American automaker Chevrolet ranked No. Nineteen among the best brands for 2015. The company received an overall score of 59, a road test score of seventy one and a middle predicted reliability score. Consumer Reports calls Chevrolet cars “a mixed bag,” adding that it “doesn’t suggest a car that gets superb gas mileage” and has a well below average and average reliability track record.
20. Cadillac
Cadillac ranks No. Twenty on Consumer Reports’ best brands list with an overall score of 58, a road test score of seventy seven and a low predicted reliability rating. “Many of the models are let down by shaky reliability and the brand’s infuriating Cue touch-screen infotainment system, which is buggy and difficult to use,” Consumer Reports said.
21. Mercedes-Benz
German automaker Mercedes-Benz received an overall score of 56, a road test score of eighty one and a low reliability rating, putting it at No. Twenty one on the best brands list. Consumer Reports criticized the company for a lack of consistency inbetween some models, such as the CLA which as a “harsh rail and unrefined behavior,” making it seem like Mercedes “mailed it in.”
22. Scion
Scion ranks No. Twenty two on the best brands list with an overall score of 54, a road test score of fifty seven and a middle predicted reliability rating. “Toyota’s stepchild offers puny, fuel-efficient (but noisy) vehicles that are somewhat practical and a bit edgier than the mainstream models from the Toyota brand,” Consumer Reports said.
23. Chrysler
Receiving an overall score of 54, a road test score of seventy three and a low reliability rating, Chrysler landed No. Twenty three on the best brands list, with Consumer Reports telling: “Reliability has often been iffy, however. It’s good one year but bad the next.”
24. Ford
Another American automaker low on the best brands list, Ford received an overall score of 53, a road test score of seventy two and a low reliability rating. “Ford’s more latest car designs drive like European sports sedans, with agile treating, an absorbent rail, and a solid feel. Reliability of most has been below average,” Consumer Reports said.
25. Dodge
Dodge received an overall score of 52, a road test score of seventy one and a low reliability rating, ranking it at No. 25. Consumer Reports said Dodge’s renewed emphasis on styling “is let down by unrefined power trains. Newer Dodges are much improved since the Fiat takeover but, except for the Charger and Durango, still lag most competitors overall, and reliability remains a brief suit.”
26. Mini
Mini had an overall score of forty six with a road test score of seventy two and the lowest possible reliability rating from Consumer Reports. “The Mini version of BMW’s iDrive system offers comprehensive connectivity but is confusing at very first. Fuel economy for the line is pretty good but not stellar. Reliability hasn’t been very good,” Consumer Reports says.
27. Jeep
With an overall score of 39, a road test score of fifty nine and the lowest possible reliability rating, Jeep comes in near-last at No. Twenty seven on the best brands list. Consumer Reports says that “the Jeep brand has been the very essence of rugged, go-anywhere vehicles for decades. Reliability, fuel economy, convenience, and build quality have often lagged, but the brand has a long history of customer loyalty despite all of that.”
28. Fiat
Coming in last place at No. 28, Fiat received the lowest overall score of 32, the lowest road test score of fifty five and the lowest possible reliability rating. “Despite attractive looks and a joy driving practice, various crudities limit its appeal and reliability has been dismal,” Consumer Reports said.
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