How do you know which car brand or vehicle is more reliable? Thanks to RepairPal’s new Reliability Rating, you now have their answer. According to RepairPal’s research, here are the seven most reliable car brands. Each received a score of "Excellent" and a rating of 4.5 out of 5.

Reliability Ratings from RepairPal

RepairPal's Reliability Ratings are determined using the cost, frequency, and severity of the unscheduled repairs and maintenance a vehicle requires.

  • Cost – Determined by the average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and services across all model years.
  • Frequency – Determined by the average number of times a vehicle is brought into a shop for unscheduled repairs in one year.
  • Severity – Determined by the probability that a vehicle’s repair will be a big issue. The fix must require immediate service, be expensive, or present a potentially dangerous or damaging situation.

Top Most Reliable Auto Brands

choosing a reliable carHere are the seven most reliable makes according to RepairPal's Reliability Ratings:

  1. Honda: $398 average repair cost
  2. Lexus: $549 average repair cost
  3. Hyundai: $439 average repair cost
  4. Mazda: $460 average repair cost
  5. Kia: $422 average repair cost
  6. Toyota: $429 average repair cost
  7. Acura: $468 average repair cost

Interestingly, each of the top seven are Asian automakers. Compared to the overall annual repair cost across all cars of $620 per year, which includes both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, the top seven brands carry low repair costs.

Toyota and Honda had the most reliable cars in RepairPal’s analysis. It found that the number one vehicle was the Toyota Yaris due to its infrequent service visits and low cost of ownership. Honda earned the top spot among all brands thanks to the Civic, CR-V, and Accord – each of which ranked in the top 10 most reliable cars. Meanwhile, every single Kia and Mazda model scored a 4.0 or higher.

Getting an Auto Loan

You don’t need an expensive vehicle to get good reliability, as many of the most reliable brands feature reasonably priced models. Having said that, if you struggle with bad credit, you may find yourself feeling down about the idea of not being able to own a reliable car, but that’s just not the case.

If you’re ready to find a dealer that can help you, Auto Credit Express is one of the best tools available. We can guide you toward a local special finance dealer. They can assist people in many types of challenging credit situations. Simply fill out our free, no-obligation auto loan request form to get started today.