CARFAX: Which Vehicles are the Most Reliable?

Staff Report From Georgia CEO

Tuesday, August 18th, 2026

CARFAX has compiled a ranking of the most reliable vehicle types based on billions of records from across the country. On the CARFAX Vehicle Research Pages, future Reliability uses year, make, model, and other factors to estimate the likelihood of unexpected repairs over the next year. This can help consumers avoid unpleasant surprises, from unexpected breakdowns to costly repairs like engine failure.

Across millions of vehicles, these are the Top Three Most Reliable Vehicles per segment:

  • Cars: Kia Rio, Mitsubishi Mirage G4, and Toyota Camry
    • Each ranked among the most reliable cars with an estimated likelihood of unexpected repairs of roughly 2%, less than half the segment average of 5.5%.
  • SUVs: Honda CR-V, Kia Sportage, and Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
    • Each ranked among the most reliable SUVs with an estimated likelihood of unexpected repairs under 2.5%, well below the segment average of 7.8%.
  • Trucks: Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma
    • Each ranked among the most reliable trucks with an estimated likelihood of unexpected repairs under 4%, well below the segment average of 9.1%.

"With the power of more than 177,000 data sources behind our Reliability, we found that smaller, less complex vehicles tended to have fewer unexpected repairs, and therefore higher dependability," said Paul Nadjarian, Chief Product Officer at CARFAX. "If someone is comparing similar cars and about to make one of the biggest purchases of their life, future Reliability data helps shoppers see a clearer picture of what ownership may look like over time."

The rankings come as the CARFAX Report and Carfax Car Listings now includes future Reliability insights, helping shoppers estimate the likelihood of repairs for a specific vehicle over the next three years. Using VIN-specific information, future Reliability data helps consumers predict what may lie on the road ahead, including what repairs they may encounter and what they could cost, so they can shop with greater confidence.

These CARFAX Reliability rankings evaluated model years 2019–2023, a five-year period which represent a large share of today's used-vehicle inventory. Because these vehicles have been on the road long enough to establish a repair history, CARFAX was able to assess Reliability across each model year and calculate an average for each vehicle. CARFAX provides future Reliability insights at the individual vehicle level, helping millions of people make better informed decisions when buying and owning a vehicle. See millions of new and used car listings, all linked to a free CARFAX Report, only at Carfax.com and the CARFAX app.

Editor's note: Learn more about other segments on our CARFAX Research PagesInterviews are available upon request. Please contact Em Nguyen at [email protected].