Why Did Subaru Overtake Toyota as the Most Reliable Car?

Consumer Reports (CR) is an organization that conducts surveys about vehicle reliability. CR asks its members about problems they’ve had with their vehicles in the past year. This data is meant to inform vehicle consumers and create insights into the reliability of different vehicle brands and models.

Wondering what’s the most dependable car or the most reliable car brand? CR’s reliability scores are probably the best measure when it comes to answering those questions.

For years, Toyota and Lexus have traded places in having the highest reliability score as a car brand. However, CR has recently released a report citing that Subaruhas overtaken Toyota and Lexus for the first time, becoming the most reliable car brand in 2024.

Why Are Subaru Vehicles More Reliable Now?

Subaru Vehicles Are Under One Platform

Since 2021, Subaru has made all their vehicles under the same Subaru Global Platform. Having most of Subaru’s models are under a single platform means vehicle designers can make incremental changes for yearly updates without drastically redesigning their vehicles. In fact, many reliable vehicle systems can be carried over, continuously making the vehicle more reliable and dependable.

As a result of developing and improving one platform, Subaru has improved most of their models, leading to better car brand ratings.

Some New Hybrid Models Have Affected Toyota’s Overall Score

Toyota has released several hybrid variants for models like the Land Cruiser, Tundra, and Sequoia in their hopes of improving vehicle efficiency and reducing emissions. Historically, brand-new powertrains have a few issues when they’re initially released and this seems to be the case with Tacoma and Tundra.

Meanwhile, Subaru has stuck with their old and reliable powertrains with only a few minor upgrades. Subaru also hasn’t released hybrid variants of their vehicle models, which tends to have lower reliability scores than their traditional internal combustion engine counterpart. This might explain why Sbuaru has a better average reliability score.

Toyota Has Made Several Unreliable Models Recently

Toyota has been renowned for the reliability of their vehicles since the ’80s, when people realized models like the Corolla were incredibly reliable. Since then, they’ve maintained their reputation for making reliable vehicles. However, Toyota has recently made unreliable models that lowered their CR reliability scores.

Some models like the RAV4, Corolla, and Tundra have recalls because of issues, giving customers a headache since they’re concerned with critical vehicle systems like the steering and hybrid battery. At the same time, models like the redesigned Tacoma pickup, the full-size Tundra pickup, and the bZ4X electric vehicle have below-average reliability ratings. Meanwhile, Subaru only has one vehicle with a below-average reliability score, the Solterra EV, which is just a rebranded Toyota bZ4X.

Notes On Reliability Scores

If you’re asking “What is the most reliable car brand?” these scores still don’t show the whole picture. This shift just means Toyota and Lexus lost some reliability points as a whole, but this change doesn’t mean most of their models have become any less reliable. At the same time, Subaru only has 8 models. Meanwhile, Toyota has 30 models. This means Subaru can focus on making its small lineup of vehicles more reliable, compared to Toyota who have to deal with many more designs.

This doesn’t mean that the reliability ratings of all Toyota and Lexus vehicles have plunged.

For example, four Lexus models scored above average and four Toyota models scored well above average. After all, Toyota and Lexus are still runner-ups in a long list of vehicle manufacturers.

This doesn’t mean Subaru vehicles have become exceptional either, as some Subaru models have recalls. For one, the 2023 Legacy has an issue that can cause water to seep through and affect an electrical switch that turns on the reverse light and camera. Subaru’s new EV also has a low reliability score.