Subaru makes the best vehicles. This is based on Consumer Reports’ annual brand ranking which tracks down which carmaker produces the most well-performing, safe, and reliable vehicles.
Mazda, which was number one in 2021, finished second this year followed by BMW, Honda, and Lexus. Six of the top 10 brands this year were Japanese, while the lowest ranked brand is Jeep which replaced fellow Stellantis brand, Alfa Romeo. Other low scorers were Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Genesis, Volvo, Cadillac, and Jaguar.
According to Consumer Reports, one of the reasons why luxury brands did so poorly in the rankings is due to tech gimmicks that complicate the driving experience rather than make it better.
The publication zeroed in on Mercedes-Benz’s capacitive controls, for example, that turns a simple task of adjusting the climate controls or radio into a multi-step procedure. Moreover, packing a car with the latest technology features often hurts reliability because it typically takes a year to identify and correct glitches.
A similar problem is showing up in electric vehicles with Tesla dropping more than any other nameplate this year. It fell seven spots to 23rd place due to problems such as a “difficult to use” yoke-like steering wheel on the Model S and Model X.
On the other hand, with Japanese brands, they follow a lower product change cadence and share many platforms and powertrains across vehicles. This, Consumer Reports says often reduces quality problems.
For the second year in a row, Consumer Reports also gave Green Choice designations to the cleanest, lowest-emitting passenger vehicles. Toyota led with 11 Green Choice models, even though it does not have any battery-electric vehicles currently on the market.
Consumer Reports also announced its annual list of 10 top picks for cars, SUVs and trucks. Five of the cars are new to the list this year: Nissan Sentra, Nissan Rogue Sport, Honda Accord/Accord Hybrid, Toyota RAV4 Prime, and Ford Mustang Mach-E. The other cars on the list are the Subaru Forester, Toyota Prius/Prius Prime, Kia Telluride, Honda Ridgeline and Lexus RX/RX Hybrid.
The Toyota Prius is on the list for the 19th year in the row, longer than any other model.
To be among Consumer Reports’ top picks, a vehicle must deliver the latest safety features and have some of the highest overall scores in other tested categories, the press release said. It conducts more than 50 tests on each vehicle it evaluates, including braking, handling, comfort, convenience, safety and fuel economy.
Consumer Reports 2022 Brand Ranking Overall Scores
Subaru (81)
Mazda (78)
BMW (78)
Honda (77)
Lexus (77)
Audi (75)
Porsche (74)
MINI (74)
Toyota (74)
Infiniti (72)
Buick (72)
Acura (72)
Chrysler (71)
Hyundai (70)
Nissan (68)
Dodge (67)
Volkswagen (67)
Kia (65)
Genesis (64)
Volvo (64)
Cadillac (63)
Ford (62)
Tesla (60)
Chevrolet (60)
Mercedes-Benz (60)
Lincoln (57)
Jaguar (54)
Alfa Romeo (50)
Land Rover (49)
Mitsubishi (49)
GMC (48)
Jeep (45)
Keyword: Subaru Makes The Best Vehicles In 2022