Consumer Reports ranked Subaru first and BMW second in its 2026 Automotive Brand Report Card, followed by Porsche, Honda and Toyota. The ranking compares brand averages—not every model—so use it to narrow your search, then check the score and predicted reliability of the specific car you may buy.
Consumer Reports’ 2026 car-brand rankings
The report, published December 4, 2025, ranks 31 brands. Scores can tie even when the brands have different ranks; a tied score does not mean a shared position.
| Rank | Brand | Overall score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Subaru | 82 |
| 2 | BMW | 82 |
| 3 | Porsche | 79 |
| 4 | Honda | 76 |
| 5 | Toyota | 75 |
| 6 | Lexus | 75 |
| 7 | Lincoln | 75 |
| 8 | Hyundai | 74 |
| 9 | Acura | 73 |
| 10 | Tesla | 72 |
| 11 | Mini | 72 |
| 12 | Kia | 72 |
| 13 | Nissan | 70 |
| 14 | Mazda | 69 |
| 15 | Genesis | 69 |
| 16 | Audi | 69 |
| 17 | Cadillac | 68 |
| 18 | Ford | 67 |
| 19 | Mitsubishi | 67 |
| 20 | Buick | 65 |
| 21 | Volvo | 65 |
| 22 | Volkswagen | 65 |
| 23 | Mercedes-Benz | 64 |
| 24 | Chevrolet | 62 |
| 25 | Chrysler | 61 |
| 26 | Rivian | 58 |
| 27 | Alfa Romeo | 55 |
| 28 | Dodge | 55 |
| 29 | GMC | 55 |
| 30 | Land Rover | 52 |
| 31 | Jeep | 48 |
Scores and ranks are from the 2026 Consumer Reports Automotive Brand Report Card.
How Consumer Reports calculates its brand scores
Consumer Reports averages the Overall Scores of a brand’s new vehicles to produce its brand ranking. Each vehicle’s Overall Score combines four dimensions:
- Road tests: CR says its experts put vehicles through more than 50 tests.
- Predicted reliability: Member survey reports cover problems in 20 possible trouble areas.
- Owner satisfaction: CR uses members’ reports of whether they would buy the same vehicle again.
- Safety: The rating includes available crash-test results from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and whether proven crash-prevention systems are standard or available as upgrades.
For this 2026 report card, CR said it reviewed road-test scores for more than 200 new vehicles and used member-survey data representing about 380,000 vehicles, a reported 27 percent increase in survey vehicle data over the prior year. Those are CR-reported counts; they do not establish that the survey represents all U.S. vehicle owners. CR included a brand only if it had tested at least two current models, so Fiat, Infiniti, Jaguar, Lucid, Maserati, Polestar and Ram do not appear in the ranking. Consumer Reports’ December 2025 press release describes the report-card data.
What stands out in the results
Subaru leads; BMW is close behind
Subaru ranked first with 82, while BMW ranked second with the same score. CR’s senior director of auto testing, Jake Fisher, said Subaru models perform well in areas that may not be obvious on a test drive, including reliability, safety systems, emergency handling and braking. On BMW, Fisher said its reliability “easily outshines all of their European rivals.” These comments explain CR’s view of the brands; they do not establish that every Subaru or BMW model is a top choice.
Lincoln had the biggest upward move
Lincoln rose 17 positions, the largest increase, while Tesla moved up eight. CR attributed the changes partly to improving reliability. It also cautioned that entirely new models can bring reliability risks and that a small lineup can make a brand’s average more sensitive to individual models.
Jeep ranked last for a third consecutive year
Jeep placed 31st. CR cited below-average brand reliability, its lowest average road-test score in CR’s testing, and the lowest owner-satisfaction score.
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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesHow to use the ranking when shopping for a car
A brand’s average is a starting point, not a promise about the car you will own. A highly ranked manufacturer can sell a model that does not suit your needs, while a lower-ranked brand may have a particular vehicle worth considering. Consumer Reports itself notes, “Even companies known for high quality can produce bad cars.”
- Identify models that fit your needs and budget. Consider how you will use the vehicle, the space you need and the total cost you can afford; those personal factors are not part of this brand ranking.
- Compare each model’s own ratings. Look at its road-test score, predicted reliability, owner-satisfaction information and safety assessment rather than relying on the manufacturer’s position.
- Check the exact model and year. A newly introduced vehicle may not have the same reliability history as established models, and brand averages can be especially affected by individual vehicles when a lineup is small.
- Make the decision at the vehicle level. Compare the specific candidates on features, price and suitability for your needs; the brand table cannot determine which one is right for you.
Sources and scope
The ranking and detailed methodology above are from Consumer Reports’ 2026 report card, reprinted in Subaru of America’s document library; the data counts are from CR’s December 2025 press release. The published materials cited here do not provide a full analysis of survey sampling and representativeness, so the vehicle count should not be read as proof that every U.S. owner is represented.
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