Which Car Brands Make the Best Vehicles?

Our annual rankings of 34 automakers can steer you in the right direction when making a new-car purchase. These rankings are based on the average Overall Score, a combination of our road-test scores, predicted reliability and owner satisfaction data, and safety for all of the models from each automaker. 

The top two brands this year are the same ones as 2023, with BMW leading the pack with an 82 point score, followed by Subaru—the leading mainstream brand—at 80. The key for both companies is their consistent combination of high road-test scores and very good predicted reliability. Porsche takes the third position with a score of 80. Both Porsche and Cadillac moved up 10 positions this year due to their improved reliability. 

Keep in mind that even high-scoring brands can have some lower-performing models, so be sure to check the ratings (see page 36) for the autos you’re interested in. This is especially true for bigger brands like Ford and Toyota, which have some models that performed far better than others in our tests. 

Of the 34 brands CR ranked this year, we’re recommending every model tested from seven: BMW, Porsche, Honda, Mini, Kia, Mazda, and Acura. Simply put: You can buy any tested model from those companies with confidence. (There are nine brands that don’t have a single model recommended by CR, including Dodge, Maserati, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes-Benz, Rivian, GMC, Jaguar, Land Rover, and Jeep. Consider carefully when buying one of those.)

To be included in the brand ranking, CR has to have tested at least two current models from a company. We’ve tested only one model from Lucid, Polestar, and Ram, so they aren’t included this year.

In the interactive chart below, you can see the full brand ranking, or you can see how the brands look when split into Mainstream and Luxury groups, which may better reflect how you shop. These distinctions are made at the brand level, of course, reflecting how the cars are positioned in the market, rather than the attributes of individual cars. The Overall Scores are calculated in the same manner and are comparable.