- Honda Accord
- Subaru Legacy
- Toyota Avalon
- Honda Odyssey
- Nissan Maxima
- Toyota Camry
- Ford Taurus
- Honda Civic
- Acura TL
- Subaru Outback
Interestingly, the list is made up almost entirely of mainstream sedans, with the only
exceptions being the Honda Odyssey minivan and Subaru Outback
wagon—although Subaru has offered a low-selling Outback sedan in the
past.
These are all vehicles purchased
for everyday use and family duty, and not sophisticated luxury models
laden with electronic features or vehicles designed for extreme
performance or heavy towing. Notably, all but the Taurus are Japanese
models.
And no European brands made the list.
Our own annual autos reliability
survey of more than a million vehicles routinely finds that some of
these vehicles, including the TL, Avalon, Camry, and Civic, are
reliability all-stars, with many years of very good or better scores. It
is worth noting that while the Civic has a long track record of
reliability, for certain years, the Civic Hybrid has developed
significant battery pack failure rates.
The list doesn’t include some
cars, such as the Toyota Prius, that have excellent reliability. It
could be that the Prius hasn’t reached that mileage in great volumes,
and it could also mean that owners aren’t ready to sell y
et. (Read: “Hybrids Hang Tough as the Miles Rack Up.”)
In its recently published study
of all vehicles, iSeeCars found that the models most likely to be
advertised with more than 200,000 miles overall were overwhelmingly work
trucks and large SUVs, with the Ford F-250 leading the pack.
But most large SUVs have not
performed as well in our reliability surveys as pickups. The Chevrolet
Suburban and GMC Yukon, Dodge Durango, Ford Expedition, Jeep Grand
Cherokee, and Lincoln Navigator cited in the study have all had sub-par
reliability most years in our surveys. The Toyota Sequoia is an
exception, landing in second place in the iSeeCars study and with a
solid reliability record in our surveys.
The prevalence of trucks may be
due to several factors, including: commercial users are diligent about
maintenance and willing to make major repairs, and acceptance of a truck
in rough condition that would have seen a regular car retired. For
these reasons, we requested this special view of passenger cars from
iSeeCars to inform consumers.
In the end, its data largely
aligns with our own findings. Whether you’re looking for a car, truck,
or SUV that’s good for the long haul, the best bet is to choose a model
with a solid reliability record and keep up with regular maintenance.
Learn how to go the distance yourself, with our special feature on how to make your car last 200,00 miles.
