Adjust Text Size

Ten Most Reliable Cars

Written by Nickel - 10 Comments

Here’s a quick rundown of the most and least reliable new cars (according to Consumer Reports) in ten different categories… Not many surprises here, but it’s still an interesting list to look at. All cars are 2007 models unless otherwise indicated…

Small Cars
Best: Honda Fit
Worst: Chevrolet Cobalt

Family Cars
Best: Honda Accord Hybrid (slightly better than the 4 cyl Accord)
Worst: Volkswagen Passat

Upscale/Large Cars
Best: Lexus ES350
Worst: Jaguar X-Type

Luxury Cars
Best: 2006 Lexus LS
Worst: Cadillac STS

Sporty Cars
Best: Lexus SC
Worst: Pontiac Solstice

Wagons/Minivans
Best: Pontiac Vibe (the Toyota Matrix is essentially the same car)
Worst: Buick Terraza

Small SUV
Best: Toyota FJ Cruiser (though I’ve never thought of this as being particularly small)
Worst: Kia Sportage

Midsized SUV
Best: Toyota Highlander Hybrid (slighly better than the regular Highlander)
Worst: Mercedes-Benz M-Class

Large SUVs
Best: Toyota Land Cruiser
Worst: Nissan Armada

Pickup Trucks
Best: Subaru Baja (this is hardly a truck!)
Worst: Nissan Titan

Interestingly, the hybrid version of a couple of cars aced out the standard version. Not by much, but still.

[Source: CNN/Money]

Disclaimer: Discover is a paid advertiser of this site.
Reasonable efforts are made to maintain accurate information. See the Discover online credit card application for full terms and conditions on offers and rewards.

Published on November 16th, 2006 - 10 Comments
Filed under: Automotive

About the author: is the founder and editor-in-chief of this site. He's a thirty-something family man who has been writing about personal finance since 2005, and guess what? He's on Twitter!

Related articles...

» Most and Least Reliable Cars – 2009 Edition
» Most Reliable Cars – 2008 Edition
» Get the Best Mileage for Your Car-Buying Dollar
» The Least Safe Cars of 2006
» Best High Mileage Cars
» Dipping Into Our Emergency Fund
» Average Price of a New Car?
» The Best of August 2008

Was this article useful? Please sign up to receive our content via e-mail:

You will receive only the daily updates, and can unsubscribe at anytime.

10 Responses to “Ten Most Reliable Cars”

  1. 1
    kurt Says:

    They added a four cylinder camry convertible (solara) to the list for sporty! My S2000 would be even higher without that garbage. :-)

  2. 2
    Vans girl Says:

    It would seem that Japanese and German cars seem to be more reliable.

  3. 3
    Jesse Says:

    “It would seem that Japanese and German cars seem to be more reliable.”

    With the exception of the Volkswagen – I owned a Passet for 6 months last year, only two months of that time was it in full working order.

    I second the remark on Japanese cars though – I’ve owned Toyotas, Hondas & a Mazda – other than routine maintenance they just keep going!

    (Admittedly I traded my VW for a Saturn – FWIW) :)

  4. 4
    Lakerman Says:

    This is the 2nd article I’ve read that backed up the fact that Mercedes & some asian companines is having a reliability problems and that the domestic companies are continuing to make some strides!! A recent article researching reliability of vehicles from 2004 (Top 5) found that Buick TIED Lexus for the # 1 spot and Cadillac & Mercury were included, not Mercedes, Nissan, BMW, Sabb or Infiniti!!

  5. 5
    nickel Says:

    Lakerman: With the exception of the Pontiac Vibe (which is a rebranded Toyota Matrix), all of the “best” (and none of the “worst”) cars are foreign. The only way this list can be viewed as a positive for domestic car manufacturers is that only some of the “worst” cars are American-made.

    (Then again, many of the “foreign” cars are built in America, so…)

  6. 6
    Eric Says:

    @nickel:

    Don’t forget the exception of the Kia Sportage ranking as “Worst small SUV”. It’s Korean. :)

  7. 7
    malcolm st.pete florida Says:

    Lexus knows styling they know the road to success lexus is the most reliable car in the world 13 years in a row. Lexus creates real luxury cars the Lexus ls600hl check it out

    The owner of the M-class is likely to experience 10 times as many problems as the owner the Highlander Hybrid, the magazine said.

  8. 8
    Tucson Arizona Car insurance Says:

    Excellent post. I am facing a few of these issues as well.
    .

  9. 9
    cars Says:

    Are you feeling like you do not have the car you deserve?
    This is because the salesman is trying to
    get a great commission out of you. Don’t treat a salesperson like a friend. Continue reading for some valuable tips and information.

  10. 10
    htc titan unlock Says:

    I drop a leave a response when I like a article on a site or I have something
    to valuable to contribute to the discussion. Usually it is caused by the fire
    displayed in the article I looked at. And on this post Ten Most Reliable Cars.
    I was actually excited enough to leave a thought :-P I do have 2 questions for you if you do not mind.
    Is it just me or does it look like some of these responses look
    like they are left by brain dead individuals? :-P And, if you are posting on
    additional sites, I would like to follow you. Would you make a
    list the complete urls of all your communal sites like your twitter feed, Facebook page or linkedin
    profile?

Leave a Reply

Top Cards by Category

The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*

Bonus Miles: Earn 30,000 bonus miles toward Award Travel after you spend $500 on the Card within the first three months of Cardmembership. Earn As You Spend: Get 2X miles on Delta purchases and 1X miles for all other eligible dollars spent.

The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*

The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*

The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*

The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*

The SimplyCash(R) Business Card from American Express aims to help your business succeed with a generous cash-back rewards program. Many businesses can benefit from cash back categories such as U.S. office supply stores, wireless telephone services purchased directly from U.S. service providers and U.S. gas stations. This card not only offers a low introductory purchase APR but also doesn't charge an annual fee.

The new Discover it card is out to change the way people think about credit cards. No annual fee. No overlimit fee. No foreign transaction fee & no pay-by-phone fee. No late fee on your first late payment. And Discover won't increase your APR for paying late.*

Previous
Pause
Next

FiveCentNickel User Survey