The 10 most reliable car brands in 2026

If you buy a new vehicle, you don’t want to have to make regular trips to the workshop after a short period of time. In our ranking, we reveal which ten car brands are currently ahead in terms of reliability.

In today’s economic situation, expensive purchases need to be carefully considered. In addition to a house, it is the car that people spend a lot of money on. Even if performance and design are all that matter to some buyers, reliability is what matters most to most drivers. In our gallery we show the car brands that are particularly durable.

This is what makes reliable car brands in 2026

There is a clear difference in quality, which can also be determined by the origin of a vehicle. Japanese manufacturers such as Toyota and Subaru dominate the ranking. At the other end are American companies like Rivian, Ram and Jeep. German companies, on the other hand, can be found everywhere on the list – although Mercedes, Volkswagen and Audi do not make it into the top ten.

Proven concepts obviously have an advantage when it comes to reliability. Teething problems are avoided, maintenance costs remain calculable and the resale value is high. If you want to get a good rating, you must above all have the electronics of your own models under control, which is responsible for most problems these days.

The Consumer Reports portal (via Visual Capitalist) has created a list of the most reliable car brands based on data on around 380,000 vehicles. It is important to the experts that the technology remains stable even after high mileage and that mechanical components function smoothly for over 200,000 miles (around 320,000 kilometers). All of these aspects are included in the “Predicted Reliability Score”, which is a maximum of 100.

10th place: Kia

Kia opens our top ten with a score of 49 points. The brand has established itself as a reliable player and scores with a balance between modern design and technical durability.