The most popular SUVs are compact. Their combination of small-car efficiency and station wagon utility is attractive to practical consumers. But the selection of compact SUVs is increasing every. The Tesla Model Y is a compact, fully electric SUV that offers up to 326 miles of emissions-free driving range. It can be recharged at home or one of the thousands of roadside stations. Essentially a taller version of Tesla's popular Model 3 family sedan, the Model Y has the same great blend of driving performance and interior comfort.

Consumer Reports (CR) has published its annual vehicle reliability survey. The survey ranked cars, trucks, and SUV models on 17 potential trouble spots including engine, power equipment, body, and electronics. The cumulative score of a company’s models determines the brand’s overall reliability ranking for 2021 models.

The CR survey, which includes over 300,000 vehicles, determines predicted reliability for new vehicles on a 0-100 scale, with the average vehicle being between 41 and 60 points. The fewer the problems, the higher the score. Due to insufficient data, or brands not having enough vehicles, some brands and models were not included in these ratings.

The Most Reliable 2021 SUV

In the survey findings, the Lexus NX. The NX is the company’s entry-level compact crossover with a starting price under $40,000.

The NX blends interior comforts, with lots of standard safety features, and great reliability. It was just one model that helped push Lexus to 3rd overall in brand reliability ratings.

Overall, the top 5 most reliable SUVs in the reliability survey were the NX, Buick Encore, Lexus GX, Honda HR-V, and Hyundai Kona. These models cover the subcompact, compact, luxury, and full-size SUV categories.

The Least Reliable 2021 SUV

The CR survey found that the Ford Explorer was the least reliable SUV. The Explorer was plagued with problems in its engines, electronics, power equipment, body, and transmission. It scored a paltry 1 out of 100 in the reliability survey.

The Explorer, which was redesigned for 2020, was plagued by a rushed production. More specifically, this caused problems with faulty seats, digital displays with buggy software, and loose wiring harnesses.

“The Ford Explorer, redesigned for 2020, is one of the lowest scoring models from any manufacturer — domestic or foreign — this year” – Consumer Reports

The redesigned Ford Escape compact crossover didn’t perform much better. And the subcompact Ecosport crossover was another downer. Overall as a company, Ford did poorly finishing in the bottom 5.

The other lease reliable SUVs based on the survey were the Subaru Ascent, Volkswagen Atlas, Jeep Compass, and Volvo XC90.

The Least Reliable Car Brand

Ford’s luxury brand, Lincoln, finished as the lowest-rated brand for reliability overall. However, there were other manufacturers they didn’t have enough data to rank including Fiat, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, Mitsubishi, and Land Rover.

Lincolns were plagued with similar problems as described with the Explorer with the Aviator and Corsair having poor reliability.

Mazda Has the Most Reliable Cars

Overall, for the first time ever, Mazda ranked first as the brand with the most reliable vehicles. This is a big win for the Japanese automaker to dethrone Toyota and Lexus at the top spot of the annual vehicle reliability survey.

Mazda’s small CX-3, still subcompact CX-30, and compact CX-5 also performed well in reliability ratings, all scoring 85 or better.

These types of consistent results helped push Mazda into the most reliable car brand spot. We recently ranked the CX-30 on our best SUV list.

The Top 5 Most Reliable Car Brands

In 2020, Lexus took the top spot in the survey. The LS model didn’t fare as well this year and that contributed to dropping the luxury automaker to the third spot. Lexus’ parent company Toyota finished second in the reliability survey for 2021 models.

Buick and Honda rounded out the top five most reliable car brands. Honda’s midsize crossover, the Passport, had reported reliability problems.

What Helped Mazda Have the Most Reliable Vehicles?

Based on the survey Mazda’s success with reliable vehicles is due in part to their use of more durable, six-speed automatic transmissions in lieu of continuously variable transmissions (CVTs).

CVT use is growing in popularity among automakers but they tend to be more fragile and less reliable. That means more repairs, more expense, and a lower reliability score.

Mazda has accomplished while still maintaining above-average fuel economy in their vehicles. And with their crisp handling and quality fit and finish, their vehicles are known to be fun to drive.

CR also noted that Mazda takes an iterative approach to vehicle design. Instead of making wholesale changes on models, they take a more gradual approach to change. This has lead to less flaws with defects and other unexpected flaws due to new technology.

Despite having less emphasis on cabin tech, Mazda still garners excellent safety ratings. It’s subcompact CX-3 model earned an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Top Safety Pick+ award for its crash test ratings.

However, if you like touch screens, large infotainment systems, or other advanced tech, Mazda may not be the brand for you. Adobe acrobat mac free trial download.

The Most Improved 2021 SUV

Buick was the most improved brand for reliability, jumping up 14 spots to the 4th spot overall among carmakers. Its subcompact crossover, the Encore, showed significant improvements in reliability and came in as the second most reliable crossover model.

Other brands that showed improvement in reliability included BMW, with its midsize X5 model making gains, Volvo, with its XC40 performing well, and Jeep with the Wrangler doing better.

German SUV Reliability

Porsche was the highest-ranked European automaker finishing 9th overall among automotive brands in the reliability survey.

Audi was in the middle of the pack. The A5 and A4 models both rated above average. However, its reliability rating was hurt by the subcompact Q3 crossover, the new tech-heavy midsize coupe crossover Q8, and its e-tron electric SUV. These models were found to have below or well below average reliability in the study.

Download macos el capitan usb. Mercedes may do well on the innovation, comfort, and technology side but they didn’t fare well in reliability. Mercedes finished last among German automakers in the 20th spot.

Tesla Reliability

Tesla’s new Model Y crossover, unfortunately, didn’t fare so well in the CR reliability survey. Reported issues with fit and finish including misaligned body panels and mismatched paint tanked its rating.

The Model Y’s rating was much worse than average. It dragged the electric automaker down to the penultimate spot in the reliability rankings, ahead of only Lincoln.

Keep Reliability in Mind When Buying an SUV

Reliable Compact Suv 2019

Vehicle reliability is important as not only is it a major headache when your SUV is in the shop, it can be downright costly. Not only can it increase your maintenance and repair costs, but it also can decrease the resale value of your vehicle.

You can learn more about the CR reliability survey and get the overall brand ratings list here. To view how rating have changed over the past year, check out our most and least reliable 2020 SUVs article.

Had a good or bad experience with a 2021 SUV model? We want to hear from you. Please share your experience in the comments below.

These days small SUVs are the cars to be seen in. However, you don't want to be seen stranded by the side of the road in one, so here we reveal the most – and least – reliable models..

Small SUVs are among the most desirable, practical and affordable cars to own. However, all that can change if you end up with one that frequently breaks down and costs you a small fortune in repair bills.

Using feedback from nearly 13,000 car owners, we've rated 175 models from 31 brands, based on the number of faults suffered in the previous 12 months, how long each problem kept the car off the road and the cost of any repairs.

Here, we've used our data to name the most and least dependable small SUVs, aged one to five years old.

The most reliable small SUVs

Reliable Compact Suv 2017

7. Audi Q2 (2016-present)

Reliability rating 94.6%

Owners told us that 14% of their Q2s had gone wrong, with bodywork and brakes the most commonly cited problem areas, followed by the infotainment system and other non-engine electrical systems.

Although three quarters of cars could still be driven, more than half took over a week to fix. While 83% of work was done under warranty, the remaining 17% of bills all topped £1500.

Reliability rating 94.7%

A quarter of 2008s suffered a fault, with the car's electrics the main culprit, accounting for 14% of problems. Other areas of concern included the bodywork, exhaust and suspension.

Although all cars could still be driven, 75% spent more than a week in the garage. However, a third of the work was done for free and no bills exceeded £500.

5. Renault Captur (2013-2019)

Reliability rating 95.0%

Only 14% of Capturs had a problem and the biggest areas of complaint were the exhaust and engine electrics. There were also small proportions of issues with the bodywork, engine and non-engine electrics.

Most cars could still be driven, but two thirds took more than a week to put right. The good news for owners is that all work was done for free.

4. Seat Arona (2018-present)

Reliability rating 95.1%

Although 21% of Arona owners reported a fault with their car, the majority (10%) were just minor electrical niggles. There were also some issues with the battery, bodywork, brakes, engine electrics and interior trim.

Four out of five cars remained driveable, but almost half spent more than a week in the garage. On a positive note, all work was done under warranty.

Reliability rating 96.0%

Owners told us that 19% of T-Rocs went wrong, with the biggest areas of concern being the engine and non-engine electrics. There were also some issues with engine electrics, brakes and air-con.

Free family tree maker software for mac. However, four out of five cars could still be driven and a third were repaired the same day; 90% of work was done under warranty and no bills exceeded £50.

2. Mada CX-3 (2016-present)

Reliability rating 98.0%

Only 12% of CX-3s had a fault, and electrical gremlins were the only issue, with problems split evenly between non-engine electrics in general and the infotainment system.

All of the affected cars remained driveable, while 75% were put right in a day or less and all work was done for free.

1. Mini Countryman (2017-present)

Reliability rating 98.3%

The latest Countryman is proving dependable; only 10% of cars went wrong and electrical issues were the only bugbears.

All of the stricken cars could still be driven and two-thirds were put right in less than a week. All work was carried out under warranty.

Owner’s view: “This is my fourth Mini. I have never had any problems with any of them and the dealer support is excellent.”

Next: the least reliable small SUVs >>

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