The best 2025 model in each of eight vehicle classes, scored against every other vehicle in its class — now a year old and on the used market.
October 2026 · 2025 model year · 4 min read
These are the most reliable 2025 models in each vehicle class — now a year old, coming off first leases and trade-ins, and on the used market. Eight classes had enough 2025 models to rank, and the winners come from seven different makers. No single brand owns the 2025 model year.
Each vehicle is scored against its own class and model year, so a pickup is measured against pickups and a minivan against minivans. Each class gets its winner and the next-best different model.
Combined index — one number accounting for both how often a vehicle needs fixing and how costly those fixes are, measured against its class average for 2025. 1.00× is typical; lower is better. The matrix further down plots the two separately.
gas · #1 of 42 · combined 0.53× · frequency 0.17× · severity 0.89× · open in the lookup →
Fix frequency 0.17× the class average, fix severity 0.89× — better than its class on both counts. Effectively a dead heat with the runner-up. And on 132,045 sold, which makes the result harder to earn.
Runner-up: Subaru Crosstrek (gas) · #2 of 42 · 0.54× · look it up →
hybrid · #1 of 66 · combined 0.48× · frequency 0.16× · severity 0.79× · open in the lookup →
Fix frequency 0.16× the class average, fix severity 0.79× — better than its class on both counts. Effectively a dead heat with the runner-up.
Runner-up: Toyota Highlander (gas) · #2 of 66 · 0.48× · look it up →
mild hybrid · #1 of 42 · combined 0.34× · frequency 0.18× · severity 0.51× · open in the lookup →
Fix frequency 0.18× the class average, fix severity 0.51× — better than its class on both counts. A clear winner: 44% ahead of the runner-up.
Runner-up: Dodge Durango (gas) · #2 of 42 · 0.62× · look it up →
gas · #1 of 18 · combined 0.64× · frequency 0.46× · severity 0.81× · open in the lookup →
Fix frequency 0.46× the class average, fix severity 0.81× — better than its class on both counts. Ahead of the runner-up by 10%.
Runner-up: Subaru Impreza (gas) · #2 of 18 · 0.71× · look it up →
gas · #1 of 18 · combined 0.51× · frequency 0.15× · severity 0.86× · open in the lookup →
Fix frequency 0.15× the class average, fix severity 0.86× — better than its class on both counts. Ahead of the runner-up by 13%. And on 98,425 sold, which makes the result harder to earn.
Runner-up: Ford Mustang (gas) · #2 of 18 · 0.58× · look it up →
gas · #1 of 12 · combined 0.59× · frequency 0.21× · severity 0.98× · open in the lookup →
Fix frequency 0.21× the class average, fix severity 0.98× — better than its class on both counts. Ahead of the runner-up by 12%.
Runner-up: Lexus ES (gas) · #2 of 12 · 0.68× · look it up →
gas · #1 of 21 · combined 0.56× · frequency 0.31× · severity 0.82× · open in the lookup →
Fix frequency 0.31× the class average, fix severity 0.82× — better than its class on both counts. A clear winner: 27% ahead of the runner-up.
Runner-up: Jeep Gladiator (gas) · #2 of 21 · 0.77× · look it up →
gas · #1 of 6 · combined 0.63× · frequency 0.12× · severity 1.14× · open in the lookup →
Fix frequency 0.12× the class average, fix severity 1.14× — it rarely needs fixing, though repairs run at or above class cost. A clear winner: 34% ahead of the runner-up. And on 94,273 sold, which makes the result harder to earn. A small class of 6, so first place is a narrower claim.
Runner-up: Toyota Sienna Hybrid · #2 of 6 · 0.95× · look it up →
Two of the eight winners are electrified — the Lexus RX Hybrid and the Toyota Sequoia (mild hybrid), both from Toyota or Lexus. That matches the hybrid shortlist, where Toyota and Lexus full hybrids beat their own gas versions 7 of 7 times.
Every combined score above folds two measures into one. This chart pulls them back apart for every winner and runner-up — fix frequency across the bottom, fix severity up the side, good corner bottom-left.
The two halves of the combined score, plotted separately: left is less often, down is less costly. Each vehicle is scored against its own class, not against other classes.
Look up any vehicle →The same chart exists for every class and model year back to 2004, with the vehicle you are researching highlighted in it. Open the lookup →
A 2025 model has less than two years of reported history. That is enough to rank, not enough to call a track record, and young model years move more than old ones. For a settled view, check the year-by-year table on each model's page, or the 2024 rankings.
Four classes — city cars, luxury cars, small cars and subcompact SUVs — had too few 2025 models to rank against each other, so they are left out rather than guessed at.
The Toyota Sequoia — #1 of 42 large SUVs at 0.34×, the lowest combined score of any 2025 class winner. The most reliable 2025 car is the Nissan Altima, #1 of 18 mid-size cars.
By class: the Ford Bronco Sport (compact SUVs, 0.53×), the Lexus RX Hybrid (mid-size SUVs, 0.48×) and the Toyota Sequoia (large SUVs, 0.34×).
By class: the Mazda3 (compact cars, 0.64×), the Nissan Altima (mid-size cars, 0.51×) and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (executive cars, 0.59×).
The Nissan Frontier, #1 of 21 pickups at 0.56×, ahead of the Jeep Gladiator at 0.77×.
Failure reports filed with NHTSA, weighted against US sales volumes and benchmarked within segment and model year. Full methodology.
All 12 systems scored, the whole class plotted, and every model year back to 2004 — 6,000+ vehicles in the dashboard.
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