Reliability

Vehicle reliability ratings

Transparent derived index (0–100 + letter grade) for 500 models from NHTSA complaint, recall, and severity rates, not an official NHTSA rating. Minimum floor: 3 model-years of data.

136 models

168 models

121 models

42 models

33 models

#1: BMW 635 scores 90 (grade A+) against a cohort median of 70 (+20 pts). Small changes in a three-year window can move a model several places, treat the #1 slot as a filing-activity signal, not a settled defect ranking.

How We Calculate Reliability Scores

Our reliability score (0-100) combines three NHTSA data signals:

Complaint Rate (50%) - Complaints per year of production. Fewer complaints = higher score.
Recall Rate (25%) - Recalls per year. Fewer recalls = higher score.
Severity Score (25%) - Weighted incidents: deaths × 100, injuries × 10, fires × 5, crashes × 2 per year.

Models with fewer than 3 years of data are excluded (minimum-denominator floor). Each score is anchored against the cohort median (70 in the current build).

Limitation: rates are normalized per year of production, not per vehicle sold or registered, NHTSA doesn't publish per-model sales/registration counts we can join against. A high-volume seller can accumulate more complaints per year than a low-volume model even at an identical or better per-vehicle defect rate. Treat scores as a signal from complaint and recall filing activity, not a precise per-car defect probability.

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database and Recall Campaigns. Transparent derived index from those public extracts, not an official NHTSA reliability or safety rating.

Top 25 Most Reliable Vehicles

#	Vehicle	Grade	Score	Complaints/yr	Years
1	BMW 635	A+	90	1	1985–1989
2	FERRARI FERRARI	A+	90	1	1990–2002
3	FORD F250 LD	A+	90	1	1988–1990
4	GMC C2500 PICKUP	A+	90	1	1988–1995
5	LINCOLN MARK VI	A+	90	1	1982–1992
6	SUZUKI GS1100	A+	90	1	1990–2001
7	SUZUKI GSF1200	A+	90	1	2002–2005
8	WORKHORSE P3500	A+	90	1	2001–2005
9	CHEVROLET K1	A+	90	1	1992–1998
10	SUZUKI DR-Z400S	A+	90	1	2000–2007
11	SUZUKI GS650	A+	90	1	1994–2001
12	CHEVROLET T7500	A	89	1	1998–2009
13	FORD L SERIES	A	89	1	1991–1998
14	FORD B SERIES	A	89	1	1988–1998
15	DODGE D50	A	89	1	1984–1990
16	HONDA CB250	A	89	1	1991–2008
17	CHEVROLET K30	A	89	1.1	1981–2000
18	BMW 325ISA	A	88	1	1987–1994
19	BMW 850CI	A	88	1	1992–1997
20	LOTUS ESPRIT	A	88	1	1987–1998
21	VOLVO GL	A	88	1	1982–1990
22	SUZUKI KATANA	A	88	1	1999–2006
23	BMW R100	A	88	1.2	1979–1994
24	CHEVROLET EL CAMINO	A	88	1.2	1978–1986
25	MERCURY XR7	A	88	1.2	1979–1994

25 Least Reliable Vehicles

#	Vehicle	Grade	Score	Complaints/yr	Severity/yr	Years
1	BMW 440I	F	8	6.3	20	2017–2019
2	VOLVO VNL (4)	F	17	3.3	64.3	2023–2026
3	FORD GT	F	19	3.3	39	2004–2006
4	MERCEDES-BENZ S 450	F	23	5	1.3	2018–2020
5	JAGUAR XKR	F	24	4.5	21.3	2001–2010
6	MERCEDES-BENZ GLC 350	F	25	5.3	7	2018–2020
7	BMW XM	F	25	5.7	0	2023–2025
8	AUDI SQ7	F	27	4.5	2.5	2020–2025
9	MERCEDES-BENZ S320	F	28	4.7	76.3	1995–1997
10	WESTERN STAR 4700	F	30	2	62.8	2017–2024
11	ASTON MARTIN DB9	F	31	3.5	7.5	2007–2015
12	MERCEDES-BENZ GLC 300 4MATIC	F	31	3.8	5	2023–2026
13	MERCEDES-BENZ AMG S63	F	31	3.2	9.5	2015–2020
14	MAZDA MAZDA TRUCK	F	32	4.3	41.3	1986–1988
15	MERCEDES-BENZ AMG CLA35	F	33	3.7	4	2020–2022
16	AUDI RS E-TRON GT	F	33	4	2	2022–2024
17	AUDI E-TRON SPORTBACK	F	33	6.3	0	2020–2022
18	MACK RD	F	34	2.7	106	1987–2000
19	RAM C/V TRADESMAN	F	34	4.7	6.7	2013–2015
20	NISSAN VAN	F	34	5.3	13	1987–1994
21	BMW K 1300 S	F	35	4	0	2009–2012
22	CHRYSLER CHRYSLER TRUCK	F	35	4	36.7	2000–2002
23	MERCEDES-BENZ AMG GLB35	F	35	4	0	2021–2023
24	GMC CONVENTIONAL	F	35	4	27.5	1994–2003
25	HONDA CRX	F	35	6	12	1989–1991

Data from NHTSA. Reliability scores are statistical calculations from public data, not editorial opinions.

Compiled by PlainCars