Letting someone else take the depreciation hit
If you're shopping for a barely-used vehicle — one that's lost the new-car smell but not much else — the smart play is to find a model with a track record of staying out of the shop. Below is our 2024 reliability ranking, drawn from the latest data at vehiclereliability.com.
A quick note on the numbers before we get into it: every model is scored on two indices.
Frequency Index measures how often verified issues are reported, normalized against the number of that model on the road. Lower is better. Severity Index measures how serious those issues tend to be when they do occur. Lower is better.
A vehicle can score well on one and poorly on the other — a car that breaks rarely but catastrophically isn't the same story as one that has frequent minor gripes. For the full breakdown of how these are calculated, see our Methodology page.
Toyota Camry Hybrid & Camry. The 2024 Camry Hybrid outsold the regular Camry for the first time, which is a milestone in itself — and the reliability data backs up the buyer behavior. The hybrid drivetrain on one of the most dependable sedans ever built is now proven in its own right.
Frequency Index: 0.01 · Severity Index: 0.78
Chevrolet Malibu. A Chevy mainstay that continues to earn its reputation.
Frequency Index: 0.10 · Severity Index: 0.97
Subaru Forester.
Frequency Index: 0.11 · Severity Index: 0.73
Mazda CX-30.
Frequency Index: 0.21 · Severity Index: 0.86
Ford Explorer. This one surprised us. The Explorer doesn't carry a strong reliability reputation, but our methodology weighs verified issues against the size of the fleet on the road — and on that basis, the 2024 model is performing well.
Frequency Index: 0.01 · Severity Index: 0.86
Acura RDX. Not a shock here. Acura's consistency year over year is hard to argue with.
Frequency Index: 0.02 · Severity Index: 0.71
Lincoln Aviator. Beyond the sleek, aerodynamic design, the 2024 Aviator delivers on the metrics that actually matter.
Frequency Index: 0.05 · Severity Index: 0.74
Lexus TX. No surprises.
Frequency Index: 0.38 · Severity Index: 0.67
Nissan Leaf. Still going strong.
Frequency Index: 0.37 · Severity Index: 0.65
Kia Forte. A strong 2024 showing — currently edging out even the Corolla on the frequency side. That said, the Corolla has decades of data behind it and the Forte does not, so we'll see how this holds up as the years roll in.
Frequency Index: 0.25 · Severity Index: 0.92
These rankings reflect the 2024 model year specifically, which means the data is still relatively young. A model with one good year is encouraging; a model with ten good years is a track record. Where surprises appear in the data — the Explorer being the clearest example — I'd encourage readers to weigh that against the longer-term reputation of the vehicle before drawing firm conclusions. The methodology is sound, but no single year of data is the last word.
To compare all 2024 models across every make and class, and to explore the underlying data yourself, unlock the full dataset below.
EXPLORE THE DATA
The dashboard behind this analysis lets you filter by make, model, year, and component. Try the free sample or unlock the full dataset.