There is a longstanding belief that Japan builds essentially the most reliable cars within the auto industry, and lots of modern studies proceed to bear that out. For instance, within the 2025 Consumer Reports honor roll of brands with one of the best reliability, the highest six names were all Japanese: Subaru, Lexus, Toyota, Honda, Acura, and Mazda led the best way, in that order. The outcomes were particularly impressive for that first company, as we discovered once we checked out the info on how reliable Subarus are. The outcomes from this yr’s J.D. Power Vehicle Dependability spread the highest honors further, geographically, but Lexus was primary here, too, with Mazda and Toyota ranked third and fourth. (As for the number two brand, well, you might be surprised at how reliable latest Buicks are.)
Many of us chalk this success as much as a Japanese manufacturing philosophy referred to as “kaizen,” which became popular with automakers like Toyota within the years after World War II. The word means “continuous improvement” and here refers back to the idea of everyone in the corporate pulling together to make ongoing small enhancements to their vehicles with a goal of getting a big overall effect on quality.
But here’s the thing: While many vehicles from Japan-based automakers do perform well on today’s reliability studies, so do those from other countries’ brands. So it could be higher to say that, overall, Japan still makes the most-reliable cars in most classes, however the leaders in some different segments now come from different countries.
Does Japan make essentially the most reliable trucks?
Consider the pickup segment, where the Toyota Tundra finished near the very bottom of the anticipated reliability rankings, behind the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, Ford F-150, GMC Sierra 1500, and Ram 1500. The Nissan Titan is dead, remember, with the corporate saying in 2024 that it will concentrate on EVs as a substitute. Meanwhile, within the Vehicle Dependability Study — which takes under consideration three years of information and this time features vehicles from the 2022 — the one full-size pickups to even qualify for “Most Dependable” status were the Silverado/Sierra siblings.
Within the midsize segment, the Ford Ranger checked in with one of the best predicted reliability. And to be clear, the Ranger greater than doubled the reliability scores of the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier, which also trailed the South Korean Hyundai Santa Cruz. The Honda Ridgeline is the one beneficial truck in its class, yet it trailed the Ranger as well. Note that the Tacoma was considered the most-dependable midsize pickup by the J.D. Power team. J.D Power further takes under consideration heavy-duty pickups, unlike each CR and the Japanese brands. On this class, it again selected the Silverado/Sierra range as segment leaders for dependability.
Other CR segments with non-Japanese reliability leaders
Cherry-picking from the CR results turns up a couple of other vehicle classes where Japan trails the remaining of the world for reliability, starting with luxury cars opening above $40,000. The leader on this segment was perhaps unexpected, and it does show up one other area during which the Japanese brands have not yet found their footing. We’re talking concerning the all-electric BMW i4 that bested each EVs and gas-powered cars — from Lexus, amongst others — for reliability. The i4 also won one of the best luxury EV segment, where a Japanese presence is sorely lacking. At the identical time, CR predicted the Audi A4 would have the best reliability of any luxury compact cars, with its fastback version, the Audi A5, right behind — and each ahead of rivals reminiscent of the Lexus IS and Acura TLX.
Nor did CR’s most reliable minivan come from a Japanese automaker. After updates to make what we called one of the best minivan even higher, the Kia Carnival has likewise ascended to the highest of the leaderboard for predicted reliability. Furthermore, CR tested each the usual Carnival and the hybrid version individually, and each configurations clocked in with higher scores for predicted reliability than the Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna.
Which Japanese SUVs are most reliable?
In case you’re searching for a vehicle that really carries the flame for Japanese auto reliability, look no further than the Subaru Forester and Forester Hybrid. Listed individually, but with the identical reliability numbers, the Foresters not only led their segments, they posted a number of the highest scores even possible in CR’s proprietary testing.
Amazingly, when CR tried to discover potential trouble spots for the Forester, owners couldn’t find any. Based on their survey responses, the Forester achieved perfect grades in each category, from in-car electronics to engine/transmission to the sort of easy noises and leaks that may drive owners crazy. Five flavors of the RAV4 — which is goes hybrid-only for Toyota in 2026 — and two of the Mazda CX5, were the second and third nameplates for predicted reliability amongst compact SUVs.
The Japanese brands also showcased especially strong predicted reliability in subcompact and midsize SUVs. Turning first to subcompacts, 4 of the five highest-ranked rides for reliability were Japanese, with the Subaru Crosstrek at primary and the third-place Chevy Trax because the one non-Japanese model in the combo. The Toyota Crown Signia proved the top-ranked midsizer, followed by seven more models from brands based in Japan.
Essentially the most reliable cars from Japan
Japan began finding success within the U.S. with its small cars, they usually’re still known for being great decisions backed by impressive reliability. This yr, as an example, Japanese brands were chargeable for eight of the highest 10 compacts as ranked by CR’s predicted reliability rating. The Subaru Impreza secured the best rating, with the Toyota Corolla and Corolla hatchback tied for second — and Corolla as an entire getting the nod for dependability in its class from J.D. Power. The Hyundai Elentra hybrid held down the fourth place from CR, nevertheless it was followed by one other run of seven Japanese models, including the Toyota Prius, Mazda3, Nissan Sentra, and Honda Civic.
Finally, while Hyundai — which finished tenth overall in CR’s list of most reliable brands — showed its stuff within the midsize segment, where the Hyundai Sonata/Sonata Hybrid ranked highest, Japan filled out the highest five with the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry holding down the slots three through five. (Which is further proof that it is time the Altima got some respect.) Second place? That went to the Subaru Legacy that is now in its last yr. But you may bet this would possibly not be the last time Japan shows up well for predicted reliability.
This Article First Appeared At www.jalopnik.com
