Want to buy a new refrigerator? They have a ranking for that. Consumer Reports also takes a close look at automotive brands rating them based on a combination of feedback from testing and member surveys.
Each year they release a list ranking all the brands sold in the U.S.
Here’s how Consumer Reports determines their rankings, straight from the horse’s mouth:
Brand report cards are built on an average of the Overall Score for each model tested. A brand must have at least two models tested to be included. The Overall Score is based on four key factors: road test, reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety.
• The road-test scores are for vehicles purchased by CR and run through more than 50 tests.
• Reliability predictions are based on problems reported by CR members in 17 trouble areas.
• Owner satisfaction from surveyed CR members reflects whether drivers would purchase the same car if they had it to do again.
• Safety includes crash-test results and extra points awarded for proven advanced safety features that come standard for the model.
From worst to first, check out how the brands scored below.
No. 33 – Fiat
Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC
Fiat is the lowest ranked brand in the annual Consumer Reports ratings. They earned a 43/100 score and had no vehicles recommended by Consumer Reports.
No. 32 – Mitsubishi
Photo courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors
Mitsubishi sank two spots to the next-to-last position with a score of 46/100. None of their vehicles are recommended by Consumer Reports.
No. 31 – Jeep
Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC
Jeep earned a 49/100 score and sank two places from their 2019 position. The company has only one product Consumer Reports would recommend out of the six they tested.
No. 30 – Land Rover
Photo courtesy of Land Rover
Land Rover earned a 50/100 in the ratings but none of its products are recommended by Consumer Reports.
No. 29 – Cadillac
Photo courtesy of Cadillac
Cadillac’s brand score of 57/100 helped it fall three places in the 2020 rankings. Consumer Reports does not recommend any of Cadillac’s products.
No. 28 – Jaguar
Photo courtesy of Jaguar
Jaguar climes four places in 2020 with a score to 57/100.
No. 27 – Alfa Romeo
Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC
Alfa Romeo scored a 59/100, the same as the No. 26 company. That’s up one place from 2019’s standing.
No. 26 – GMC
Photo courtesy of GMC
GMC is the highest rated brand that scored a “zero” in the question of which products Consumer Reports would recommend. They tested six. Overall, the company earned a 59/100.
No. 25 – Chevrolet
Photo courtesy of Chevrolet
Chevy is down one place in 2020, scoring 61/100.
No. 24 – Acura
Photo courtesy of Honda of American Mfg., Inc.
Acura has the same score as the No. 23 place brand (66/100) but had higher road test scores.
No. 23 – Ford
Photo courtesy of Ford Motor Company
Ford has fallen three places in 2020 with a 66/100 score, the same as what Acura got.
No. 22 – Volvo
Photo courtesy of Volvo Car Corporation
Volvo pops up one spot in Consumer Reports’ rankings with its 67/100 score.
No. 21 – Dodge
Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC
Dodge is up four places in 2020 earning a 68/100 score.
No. 20 – Mercedes-Benz
Photo courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
With its 68/100 score, Mercedes-Benz finds itself three spots lower on the list than where it ended up last year.
No. 19 – Buick
Photo courtesy of Buick
Buick slid down one spot with its 69/100 score, but still played better than most of the luxury brands on the list.
No. 18 – Chrysler
Photo courtesy of FCA US LLC
Chrysler is up four places with a score of 69/100 for 2020. Its vehicles earned a very good 85/100 in road testing.
No. 17 – Nissan
Photo courtesy of Nissan North America
Nissan jumped four places to No. 17 earning 70/100.
No. 16 – Volkswagen
Photo courtesy of Volkswagen AG
No. 16 and 17 achieved the same 70/100 score. Volkswagen had better road-test scores, however.
No. 15 – Honda
Photo courtesy of Honda of America Mfg, Inc.
Honda fell two places and earned a 72/100 score in this year’s rankings.
No. 14 – Infiniti
Photo courtesy of Infiniti Motors
Infiniti maintained its spot from 2019 getting a 73/100.
No. 13 – Lincoln
Photo courtesy of Lincoln Motor Company
Lincoln fell five spots in this year’s rankings getting a 73/100 score despite earning a respectable 81/100 in road testing.
No. 12 – Toyota
Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.
Toyota fell three places in this year’s rankings, scoring the same as the Nos, 14, 13, and 11 place brands with a 73/100.
No. 11 – Tesla
Tesla was the biggest mover in this year’s rankings, gong up eight places to end up at No. 11. The company scored 73/100.
No. 10 – MINI
Photo courtesy of MINI
Mini is up five places in the 2020 rankings compared to 2019 earning a 74/100 score.
No. 9 – Kia
Photo courtesy of Kia Motors
Kia hopped up three spots in the rankings earning a 74/100, the same as the tenth place finisher.
No. 8 – BMW
Photo courtesy of BMW
BMW slipped one spot from their 2019 ranking, but earned the same score as the seventh place brand. The company earned high road test scores (88/100).
No. 7 – Hyundai
Photo courtesy of Hyundai Motor America
Hyundai jumped three spots in the 2020 rankings, earning a 75/100 score.
No. 6 – Audi
Photo courtesy of Audi AG
While Audi scored the same as the brand in the fifth position (77/100), the automaker had higher owner satisfaction scores than the No. 5 place company.
No. 5 – Lexus
Photo courtesy of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc.
Lexus bested its mass market counterpart with its 77/100 score. The luxury automaker is in the same position this year as they were in 2019.
No. 4 – Mazda
Photo courtesy of Mazda North American Operations
Mazda moved up two spots from where they placed in 2019 thanks to a 79/100 score.
No. 3 – Subaru
Photo courtesy of Subaru of America Inc.
Subaru moved down two places from their 2019 ranking coming in third with a score of 81/100.
No. 2 – Genesis
Photo courtesy of Genesis Motors
Genesis placed second with an 84/100 score, keeping their placement unchanged since 2019.
No. 1 – Porsche
Photo courtesy of Porsche AG
Porsche scored 86/100, moving them up two places from 2019 and securing the German automaker the top spot in Consumer Reports’ rankings.
