The Updated 2010 Reliability Grade Point Averages and Grades for Lines/Brands of Automobiles Sold in North America: The Complete Table and the Top 10 Automobile Brands and the Bottom 10 Automobile Brands
by James Bleeker

Photograph of a 2000 Toyota Echo Coupe on 30 August 2010

The Toyota Echo has a 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of a perfect 4.00 over its 6-year data history and has helped the Toyota line place second among all automobile lines. See the table and bar graph below.

The Complete Table

This page provides detailed 2010 auto brand reliability ratings and auto brand reliability rankings in a reorderable table. It expresses the auto brand reliability ratings and auto brand reliability rankings, and makes available brand reliability comparisons and brand reliability contrasts, using the Auto Reliability Grade Point Average, or Auto Reliability GPA. This auto reliability index is valuable as it is an easy-to-understand, but detailed, auto reliability measure, and is familiar to many having attended secondary school and nearly all who have received some post-secondary education. The page also employs Auto Reliability Grades as a reliability index. This measure of auto reliability differences, although less detailed, is valuable as it is familiar to all persons having attended primary school. The updated Auto Reliability GPA is an automobile reliability statistic that is obtained from Consumer Reports' auto reliability survey data summarized in the reliability tables of (1) Consumer Reports: New Car Buying Guide: 2010, (2) Consumer Reports: Used Car Buying Guide: 2010, and (3) the April 2010 issue of the Consumer Reports magazine. Column reordering on this page is Ajax enabled to make for a convenient and easy-to-use reordering option.

The Average GPA for each car brand is the average of the Average GPAs of its models. The Average Minimum GPA for each car brand is the average of the Minimum GPAs of its models. The Reliable Two, Toyota Motor Corporation and Honda Motor Company, appear first in the table, because of their rather singular stature; the remaining manufacturers are listed alphabetically.

Letter grades corresponding to Average GPAs and Average Minimum GPAs are determined thusly: A if the GPA is 3.50 to 4.00, B if the GPA is 2.50 to 3.49, C if the GPA is 1.50 to 2.49, D if the GPA is 0.50 to 1.49, and F if the GPA < 0.50.

GPAs for 4 age ranges are given so that the visitor may examine more thoroughly the age range that is of greater interest to him/her, if such there be.

To arrange any column in ascending order (smallest value on top), click the header of the column. Arranging a reliability GPA or Grade column in ascending order will place the lowest reliability values and least reliable auto brands at the top (after those with empty cells) and the highest reliability values and most reliable auto brands at the bottom of the table. This automobile brand ranking will permit the visitor to better visualize auto brand differences. The reliability ranking feature is Ajax enabled for ease of use.

To rearrange any column in descending order (largest value on top), click the header one more time. Arranging a reliability GPA or Grade column in descending order will place the highest reliability values and most reliable auto brands at the top. Lists below the table give (1) the 10 most reliable auto brands and (2) the 10 least reliable auto brands.

The Updated 2010 Reliability Grade Point Averages (GPAs) for Brands of Motor Vehicles with Reliability GPAs for Four 4-Year Age Ranges and an Overall Average Reliability GPA Click GPA or Grade Column Header Twice for Auto Brand Reliability Ranking from Best to Worst   ID Auto Manufacturer Line Line GPA for 0-to-4 Year Old Vehicles Line GPA for 2-to-6 Year Old Vehicles Line GPA for 4-to-8 Year Old Vehicles Line GPA for 6-to-10 Year Old Vehicles Average of Reliability GPAs Grade Based on Average Reliability GPA Average Minimum GPA Grade Based on Average Minimum Average Number of Model Years of Data 13 Toyota Lexus 3.12 3.27 3.81 3.83 3.32 B 3.08 B 6.83 38 Toyota Toyota 3.38 3.63 3.72 3.67 3.54 A 3.28 B 6.83 43 Toyota Scion 3.44 3.63 3.69   3.57 A 3.31 B 6.41 52 Honda Acura 3.38 3.51 3.28 3.30 3.36 B 3.05 B 6.14 68 Honda Honda 3.56 3.65 3.49 3.31 3.39 B 3.20 B 6.53 79 BMW BMW 1.52 2.04 2.21 1.78 1.64 C 1.28 D 5.67 83 BMW Mini Cooper 1.00 0.75 1.38 1.00 1.14 D 0.92 D 5.33 93 Chrysler Jeep 1.00 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.13 D 0.68 D 5.50 101 Chrysler Chrysler 1.08 1.06 1.10 1.27 1.20 D 1.02 D 6.29 118 Chrysler Dodge 0.96 0.98 1.10 1.21 1.00 D 0.69 D 5.13 132 Daimler Mercedes-Benz 1.66 1.44 1.94 2.39 1.72 C 1.49 D 5.25 134 Daimler Smart ForTwo 1.00       1.00 D 1.00 D 2.00 160 Ford Ford 2.21 2.02 2.01 2.10 2.15 C 1.84 C 6.29 167 Ford Lincoln 2.03 2.12 1.78 1.97 1.81 C 1.58 C 5.17 175 Ford Mercury 2.35 2.36 1.95 2.08 2.32 C 2.08 C 5.50 186 Ford Volvo 2.20 2.06 1.81 1.77 1.95 C 1.63 C 5.00 195 General Motors Buick 1.79 2.17 1.83   1.81 C 1.57 C 4.00 202 General Motors Cadillac 0.88 1.32 1.43 1.17 1.19 D 0.74 D 5.50 228 General Motors Chevrolet 1.27 1.06 1.41 1.54 1.37 D 1.02 D 6.04 238 General Motors GMC 0.98 1.06 1.50 1.69 1.20 D 0.68 D 7.22 240 General Motors Hummer 0.67 1.00     0.83 D 0.67 D 3.00 244 General Motors Oldsmobile   2.00 1.44 0.75 1.34 D 0.75 D 4.00 256 General Motors Pontiac 1.12 1.29 1.59 1.25 1.27 D 1.05 D 3.64 259 General Motors Saab 1.83 1.13 0.63 1.13 1.18 D 0.63 D 8.50 267 General Motors Saturn 1.40 1.25 1.33 1.00 1.30 D 0.90 D 4.00 281 Hyundai Hyundai 2.55 2.14 2.19 1.63 2.07 C 1.78 C 4.92 284 Isuzu Isuzu     1.00 0.67 0.83 D 0.67 D 3.00 291 Jaguar Jaguar 0.00 1.00 1.50 1.75 1.42 D 1.33 D 2.40 300 Kia Kia 2.39 1.96 1.13 1.00 1.94 C 1.52 C 4.50 305 Land Rover Land Rover 0.33 0.25 0.00 0.00 0.13 F 0.00 F 1.67 319 Mazda Mazda 2.47 2.30 2.48 2.68 2.30 C 1.97 C 5.67 327 Mitsubishi Mitsubishi 3.00 2.88 2.67 2.25 2.60 B 2.33 C 3.83 338 Nissan Infiniti 3.04 3.21 3.17 3.30 3.15 B 3.00 B 4.11 354 Nissan Nissan 2.19 2.05 1.86 2.22 2.13 C 1.84 C 6.47 360 Porsche Porsche 2.58 2.38 1.67 2.38 2.39 C 2.13 C 5.75 370 Subaru Subaru 2.92 2.89 2.46 2.10 2.61 B 2.05 C 7.13 375 Suzuki Suzuki 2.17 2.00   2.00 2.17 C 2.00 C 2.00 384 Volkswagen Audi 1.80 1.05 0.75 1.00 1.29 D 0.68 D 4.29 395 Volkswagen Volkswagen 1.88 1.42 0.82 1.10 1.58 C 1.15 D 5.30

The following bar graph depicts the 2010 Auto Reliability GPAs of the above brands.

There are several important points to be noted from the above bar graph. The first is that Ford Motor Company's Mercury brand is now among the ten most reliable brands and that the Ford brand is not far away. The second is that the 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of the Ford brand exceeds that of the Nissan brand, but only by a very small margin (0.02). The third is that the 2010 Auto Reliability GPAs of the Hyundai and Kia brands exceed the Reliability GPAs of all of the brands of Chrysler LLC and all of the present and past brands of the General Motors Corporation. Also note that only GM's Buick brand has a 2010 Auto Reliability Grade above a D. The fourth is that the only European brand to have a 2010 Auto Reliability GPA exceeding 2.00 is the Porsche brand. The fifth is that many more of the brands have a 2010 Auto Reliability GPA below 2.00 than above 2.00; this reflects the very high concentration of quality in a small number of brands.

The 2010 Top 10 Automobile Brands

Next, we list the 10 most reliable automobile brands. The 2010 Top Ten brands are:

Toyota Motor Corporation's Scion brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 3.57,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Toyota brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 3.54,
Honda Motor Company's Honda brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 3.39,
Honda Motor Company's Acura brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 3.36,
Toyota Motor Corporation's Lexus brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 3.32,
Nissan Motor Company's Infiniti brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 3.15,
Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd.'s Subaru brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 2.61,
Mitsubishi Motors Corporation's Mitsubishi brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 2.60,
Porsche AG's Porsche brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 2.39,
Ford Motor Company's Mercury brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 2.32.

Note that Toyota Motor Corporation's three brands and Honda Motor Company two brands constitute the five best brands. Also note that the difference between the 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of Toyota's Lexus brand, fifth most reliable, and the 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of Nissan's Infiniti brand, sixth most reliable, is very small, although the 1990s' Reliability Percentrank Average differences were rather sizable. Also note that the difference (0.54) between the 2010 Auto Reliability GPAs of the 7th most reliable brand (Subaru) and the 6th most reliable (Infiniti) brand is quite sizable, very sizable relative to the difference (0.04) between the 2010 Auto Reliability GPAs of the 6th most reliable brand (Lexus) and the 5th most reliable brand (Acura).

The 2010 Bottom 10 Automobile Brands

Next, we list the 10 least reliable automobile brands. The 2010 Bottom Ten (11 by tie) brands are:

Land Rover's Land Rover brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 0.13,
Isuzu Motors Ltd.'s Isuzu brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 0.83,
General Motors Corporation's Hummer brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 0.83,
Daimler AG's Smart ForTwo brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 1.00,
Chrysler LLC's Dodge brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 1.00,
Chrysler LLC's Jeep brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 1.13,
BMW AG's Mini Cooper brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 1.14,
General Motors Corporation's Saab brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 1.18,
General Motors Corporation's Cadillac brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 1.19,
Chrysler LLC's Chrysler brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 1.20,
General Motors Corporation's GMC brand, with an overall 2010 Auto Reliability GPA of 1.20.

Note that all of Chrysler LLC's brands are in the bottom ten, although GM has more brands with the worst Reliability GPAs, two of which General Motors plans to continue to market to the North American consumer.

By comparing the 2010 auto reliability rankings, GPAs, and grades on this page, which incorporate the updates from Consumer Reports: Used Car Buying Guide: 2010, with the 2010 auto reliability rankings, GPAs, and grades on the earlier page, where the reliability ratings are based only on Consumer Reports: New Car Buying Guide: 2010 and the April 2010 issue of Consumer Reports magazine, the visitor may see that the reliability differences are rather minor.

A PDF version of the above table of 2010 Reliability GPAs and Grades is available for downloading and/or printing. As the quality standing of each auto manufacturer changes slowly over time, the PDF file may be useful for one or two generations to come.

Also available are PDF files of (1) the graph of the 2010 Auto Reliability GPAs of the major brands and (2) the lists of the ten most reliable automobile brands and the ten least reliable automobile brands.

The method of computation of the GPAs is probably familiar to nearly every college, technical school, and high school student. A Grade Point of 4.00 (that is, an A) is given to a Consumer Reports "Much Better Than Average" auto reliability rating, a GP of 3.00 (that is, a B) is given to a CR "Better Than Average" auto reliability rating, a GP of 2.00 (that is, a C) to an "Average" auto reliability rating, a GP of 1.00 (that is, a D) to a "Worse Than Average" auto reliability rating, and a GP of 0.00 (that is, an F) to a "Much Worse Than Average" auto reliability rating. A Grade Point Average (GPA) is an average of the Grade Points and is computed using Microsoft's Average(a:b,[c:d],...) function.

The table is an immediate import from Microsoft's Access and a more distant import from Microsoft's Excel. The integration of the Access database into Microsoft's Web Expression software makes the reordering of the columns a rather simple task. For Ajax's partial post back, the ScriptManager and UpdatePanel controls were inserted by dragging; <ContentTemplate> was manually inserted into the code immediately after the ScriptManager and Update controls.

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