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The eight leading used-car brands
Consumer Reports updated its used-car reliability ranking on December 4, 2025. Its order and scores are based on owner-reported problems across vehicles in the 2016–2021 model-year range. The scores are CR reliability verdicts, not percentages or the odds that a vehicle will avoid a repair.
| Rank | Brand | CR 2025 reliability verdict score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lexus | 77 |
| 2 | Toyota | 73 |
| 3 | Mazda | 58 |
| 4 | Honda | 57 |
| 5 | Acura | 53 |
| 6 | BMW | 53 |
| 7 | Buick | 51 |
| 8 | Nissan | 51 |
CR’s top two are separated from the rest by a noticeable score gap in this edition. The other six brands are more tightly grouped, so their close scores do not support treating one as decisively more reliable than the next. Buick and Nissan share a score of 51; the ranking lists Buick seventh and Nissan eighth.
What the ranking measures—and what it misses
CR surveyed members about problems they had experienced in the previous 12 months and analyzed more than 140,000 vehicles from model years 2016 through 2021. It considered 20 areas, ranging from squeaky brakes and broken trim to serious engine, transmission, electric-vehicle battery and charging problems. Problems were weighted by severity, and brand scores averaged the reliability verdicts across included model years. CR required at least five years of data for each brand; some models were excluded when there was not enough data.
That method makes the ranking useful for comparing brands across an older-vehicle sample, but a brand average can conceal substantial differences between models and years. CR points to the Chevrolet Equinox, where only certain years had above-average reliability, and to years of a Silverado generation that were below average. Steven Elek, CR’s program leader of auto data analytics, advises shoppers to check ratings for the exact model year.
CR also cautions against treating used- and new-car rankings as interchangeable. Mazda placed third in this used-car list but 14th in CR’s newer-car reliability ranking; recently introduced CX-70 and CX-90 family models affected the newer-car results. A ranking for older vehicles does not predict how every current model will perform.
How JD Power’s results compare
JD Power’s 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study offers a separate reference point, but it measured a different age group and used a different method. It surveyed 34,175 original owners of 2022-model-year vehicles after three years of ownership; the study was fielded from August through November 2024. It covered 184 problem areas across nine categories.
Lexus ranked highest overall in that study, at 140 problems per 100 vehicles (PP100), while Buick led mass-market brands at 143 PP100. Mazda ranked second among mass-market brands at 161 PP100, and Toyota was third at 162 PP100. The study’s industry average was 202 PP100, 6% higher than in 2024 and the highest problem level since 2009. Those figures describe the study’s three-year-old vehicles, not the long-term reliability odds for each make’s used cars. JD Power director of auto benchmarking Jason Norton noted that the vehicles were built during a period of major industry disruptions.
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The results broadly reinforce Lexus and Buick as strong performers, but they are not a direct validation of CR’s 5- to 10-year-old sample. JD Power’s separate ratings page describes its annual dependability ratings as drawing on responses from more than 80,000 verified owners of three-year-old vehicles; the specific 2025 study release gives the 34,175-owner sample used above.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to use the list when shopping
Use a brand ranking to narrow the field, then evaluate the particular car you may buy. Because CR’s aggregate scores can hide year-to-year variation, its model-year ratings are more relevant to a specific shortlist than the make-wide order.
- Compare reliability information for the exact model and model year, rather than assuming every car from a high-ranking brand performs alike.
- Review the vehicle’s maintenance and repair history, and have its physical condition assessed. An owner-survey ranking does not inspect an individual car for you.
- Consider any diagnostic scan as one screening aid, not a certification: a scan cannot establish overall reliability or rule out every problem.
The cited rankings do not establish an apples-to-apples comparison of repair costs, fuel economy, resale value, safety or parts availability among these eight brands. Nor do they provide a probability that a specific used car will avoid a major repair. Treat the list as a reliability-oriented shortlist, not a complete cost-of-ownership ranking.
Quick Recap
Sources
- Consumer Reports’ 2025 used-car reliability ranking
- JD Power’s 2025 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study
- JD Power dependability ratings context
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