2016
Make & Model Rankings
Published by CarMD, December 2016
Update May 01, 2017: Did you know that CarMD has a new FREE tool that helps vehicle owners maintain their cars, find out about recalls, Technical Service Bulletins (TSBs), warranty status, and likely repairs you’re going to need within a year? Check it out at www.Carmd.com/garage
CarMD.com Corporation, a leading provider of car repair data and solutions, is pleased to release its 2016 CarMD® Vehicle Health Index™ Make & Model Reliability Rankings. This is the only Index to offer an annual ranking of manufacturers and vehicles using actual in-use, statistically-based check engine-related failures and repair costs – unlike other industry reports and rankings that often rely on subjective survey data. Over the past five years CarMD has ranked parent manufacturers and vehicles on a combined average rating of fewest check engine-related problems and lowest repair costs.
Based on feedback from the industry and our customers, this year we have decided to dive deeper into how the individual makes rank by breaking them away from their parent manufacturers where applicable. With this 2016 Index we rank vehicles for frequency of check engine light problems and then separately on average cost of repairs. This Index also ranks the 100 vehicles with fewest repair incidents, 100 vehicles with lowest repair cost, top vehicles by category and lists the most common repairs by make. Historical rankings are not necessarily indicative of future vehicle reliability.
More than 4 million model year 1996 to 2016 vehicles reporting in-use repairs were analyzed to prepare this Index. CarMD reports on these findings to help consumers and fleet managers identify the vehicles with a tendency toward lower upkeep. This Index has also been shown to help vehicle manufacturers; OE and aftermarket parts manufacturers and providers stay abreast of year-over-year trends and identify common failures and parts needs for improved reliability, service and bottom line.
Highlights
At least 10 percent of the cars and trucks on the road in the U.S. have a check engine light on at any given time, so chances are good that most vehicle owners will experience the hassle of needing a check engine light-related repair at some point. But which vehicle makes are least likely to need check engine repairs? Which vehicle owners have fewer trips to the repair shop or parts store? To rank these vehicles, CarMD developed a formula that accounts for those with the lowest percentage of repair incidents per percentage of vehicle population. Based on this data, an Index frequency score is assigned. The lower the score the higher the vehicle make ranking.
CarMD found that when it comes to repair frequency Toyota ranks no. 1 followed by Honda (no. 2), Nissan (no. 3), Audi (no. 4) and Volkswagen (no 5.). Rounding out the top 10 vehicle brands with low repair frequency are BMW (no. 6), Mercury (no. 7), Buick (no. 8), Jeep (no. 9) and Hyundai (no 10).
The lower the Index frequency score, the higher the ranking.
(Top 10 vehicle makes by repair frequency based on model year 1996-2016 vehicles inspected between Oct. 1, 2015 and Sept. 30, 2016, and determined to have the fewest percentage of CarMD repair incidents, per vehicle population. Sources: CarMD.com Corp., with vehicle population data provided by R.L. Polk. )
Any given brand can have a mix of very reliable vehicles along with some that are inherently known to have more frequent issues. For this reason, our Index drills down to rank vehicles by year, make and model. Four SUVs, two sedans, two trucks, one compact and one hybrid comprise this list of 10 vehicles with the lowest repair frequency among the 8,500 different types of model year 1996 to 2016 vehicles on the road today.
Scroll down to see the 100 vehicles with the lowest repair frequency in our full report. It is important to remember that even the 99th or 100th ranked vehicle on the list is a significant achievement, as this puts it in the top 1 percent of all vehicles being ranked.
Cars and trucks will need repairs from time to time. Of the 4.7 million vehicles reported to CarMD as needing repairs this past year, which makes cost their owners the least? CarMD found that the make with the lowest average check engine light related repair cost was Hyundai ($318), followed by Mazda ($334) then Kia ($338). Chevrolet and Chrysler rounded out the top five, ranking fourth and fifth respectively in a virtual dead heat at $347 and change.
Top 10 vehicle manufacturers based on model year 1996-2016 vehicles inspected by CarMD’s network, found to need repairs and receiving
parts and labor estimates between Oct. 1, 2015 and Sept. 30, 2016.)
The make with the lowest average repair cost for CHECK ENGINE problems?
Hyundai, which had an average recommended parts & labor estimate of $318
The following are the 10 vehicles with the lowest average repair cost among the 8,500 different types of model year 1996 to 2016 vehicles on the road today. You can see the 100 vehicles with the lowest repair costs in our full report.
Different vehicle makes tend to have unique sets of problems and common failures. The CarMD Vehicle Health Index points out common problems by manufacturer, providing a helpful resource for vehicle owners as they maintain and repair their vehicles.
The following is a list of the top three vehicles by category in 2016 according to CarMD, which based its ranking on the vehicles with the fewest and lowest cost “check engine”-related problems:
Wait, there’s more
If you’re interested in more info on the current state of vehicle health, download the PDF below. What you see on this page is only about 10% of all the info we have to offer – don’t miss the rest!
Stats
By ranking vehicles
By vehicle category
By common repairs…
Common Repairs by Brand/Make (MY 1996-2016) – 2016 CarMD® Vehicle Health Index™
Different vehicle makes tend to have a unique set of problems and common failures. The CarMD Vehicle Health Index points out common check engine-related problems and repairs by brand.
- “Replace oxygen sensor” accounted for 13 percent of Hyundai repairs over the past year at an average cost of $259. Earlier this year, CarMD revealed that the most common repair on vehicles in the U.S. is “replace O2 sensor,” accounting for 7 percent of all check engine-related repairs last year and costing on average $279 across all makes.
- “Replace ignition coil” accounted for nearly 24 percent of Lincoln vehicle repairs.
- “Replace ignition coil and/or spark plugs(s) accounted for nearly 19 percent of Mini repairs.
- Roughly 18 percent of recommended Subaru check engine repairs were “replace catalytic converter(s) with new OE catalytic converter(s).” While catalytic converters can cost upwards of $1,100 to replace, it is more commonly seen on vehicles as they age. Subarus age 10-20 years old accounted for 71 percent of Subaru vehicles in CarMD’s database, telling us owners often keep their Subarus longer than the average vehicle age of 11.5 years.