Buying a new car can be a truly daunting task. There are hundreds of models to choose from across dozens of brands, and sifting through reviews of quality, performance, design, and more can be overwhelming, even before working out the financials.
Fortunately, we at 24/7 Wall St. have already identified the 10 car brands that, based on their combined performance in the nation’s premier ratings of quality, are the most likely worth your attention.
We reviewed recent surveys and studies by leading review agencies J.D. Power and Consumer Reports as well as customer satisfaction ratings by the American Customer Satisfaction Index to find the 10 best-rated car brands. The majority of the car brands on this list are owned by South Korean or Japanese automakers, including Hyundai’s new luxury brand, Genesis.
Volkswagen Group also owns several brands on this list. The German automaker’s reputation may still be recovering from a recent scandal in which the company falsified carbon emissions on several of its diesel vehicles. Volkswagen’s scandal ranks as one of these 42 most outrageous product claims of all time.
While car quality and reviews are not the only factors affecting sales, the higher-rated cars tend to have strong or growing sales. Sales of Genesis, for example, have increased by more than 37% in the first six months of the year compared to the same period in 2018. Other brands on this list, like Subaru and Kia, have had a promising 2019 so far. Here is the full list of 26 cars Americans can’t buy fast enough.
Click here to see the best car brands of 2019
Click here to see our methodology.
10. Lincoln
> 2019 Sales: 50,815
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 9 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 73 out of 100
Lincoln’s 2019 line of automobiles was consistently rated highly, particularly by J.D. Power, which gave it an overall quality score of 9 out of 10. The car scored a perfect 10 for its mechanical features, a rating that is based on reported problems of owners related to the engine, transmission, and driving experience.
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9. Audi
> 2019 Sales: 101,440
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 7 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 77 out of 100
Of Audi’s six car models, Consumer Reports recommended five and ranked the car maker fourth overall out of 33 major automakers. Audi received a 10 out of 10 score for the dependability of the interior and exterior designs of its cars from J.D. Power.
8. Subaru
> 2019 Sales: 339,525
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 7 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 81 out of 100
Consumer Reports recommended seven of Subaru’s eight models, a higher share than any other car brand on the road. It also gave Subaru an overall grade of 81 in its brand report, the highest of any car brand Consumer Reports ranked.
7. BMW
> 2019 Sales: 156,439
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 9 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 76 out of 100
The main selling point of BMW vehicles is their engine. J.D. Power gave the brand perfect 10s for its mechanical durability and quality, and an overall score of 9 out of 10. BMW also received a rating of 87 on its Consumer Reports road-test score, the second highest among all car brands.
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6. Kia
> 2019 Sales: 304,844
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 10 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 70 out of 100
Kia is one of just three automakers to score a perfect 10 in J.D. Power’s overall quality rankings. Consumers reported high levels of satisfaction with the features and controls in their Kia models. Yet Consumer Reports rated Kia a 70 out of 100, just 12th overall.
5. Toyota
> 2019 Sales: 1,016,373
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 8 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 73 out of 100
Toyotas have been lauded for their dependability in recent years. The brand took home the top spot in the Consumer Reports 2019 Brand Reliability Ranking and scored a perfect 10 in J.D. Power’s overall dependability rankings. Their reliability may be part of the reason Toyotas are so popular, with over 1 million sold in the U.S. through the first six months of 2019
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4. Hyundai
> 2019 Sales: 333,328
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 10 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 73 out of 100
For Hyundai, 2019 has been a banner year. Hyundai, along with its luxury brand brand Genesis, was one of just three carmakers to take home a 10 out of 10 in overall quality from J.D. Power. Hyundai also ranked fifth among the 28 cars Consumer Reports rated on reliability, jumping five spots from the previous year.
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3. Porsche
> 2019 Sales: 30,257
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 9 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 79 out of 100
The sporty Porsche family of vehicles is among the most reliable on the road, earning a 10 out of 10 dependability score from J.D. Power. Porsches are also among the best cars to drive. The brand scored a 90 on its Consumer Reports road test — no other car received a higher score than 87.
2. Lexus
> 2019 Sales: 135,735
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 9 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 76 out of 100
Lexus is one of just two car brands to receive scores of 75 or higher on both Consumer Reports’ brand report card and reliability score. It is also one of just three brands to earn a 10 out of 10 in J.D. Power’s dependability awards, and it’s tied for the highest score in the ACSI’s automobile rankings for the second straight year.
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1. Genesis
> 2019 Sales: 10,008
> J.D. Power overall quality score: 10 out of 10
> Consumer Reports brand score: 80 out of 100
Genesis is far and away the best-reviewed car brand of 2019. It received a perfect 10 out of 10 score from J.D. Power in overall quality and came in second in Consumer Reports’ ranking with an 80, behind only Subaru’s 81. Consumers seem to be taking notice of these reviews — Genesis sales spiked more than 37% through June of 2019, as compared to the same time span the year prior. No other car brand had a sales increase of more than 12%.
Methodology
To determine the best car brands of 2019, 24/7 Wall St. created an index consisting of ratings of car brands from Consumer Reports, J.D. Power, and the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Included in our index were: the 2019 J.D. Power quality report score; the 2018 J.D. Power dependability score; the 2019 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study; the February 2019 edition of Consumer Reports’ brand report card; the 2019 edition of Consumer Reports’ brand reliability rankings; and the 2018 figures from the American Customer Satisfaction Index. Car sales figures are through the first six months of 2019.
We excluded those car brands for which more than two measures included in the index were not available.
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