How Reliable Are Subarus? Here's What Consumer Reports Data Says

Through the years, Subaru has earned a name for itself for reasons ranging from its stable boxer engines to symmetrical all-wheel drive system, decent economy, safety, practicality, and success in the World Rally Championship. It's now also starting to stake a claim as something of an important model of reliability. According to a Consumer Reports ranking based on a subscribers survey, Subaru is the best car brand for reliability, leading a contingent of Japanese car brands that includes Lexus, Toyota, Honda, and Acura, in that order.

Subaru being named the most reliable car manufacturer by CR could spark varied reactions from those familiar with the six stars bearing car brand. As, despite their rugged designs, Subarus tend to receive mixed reliability feedback in real-world owner reviews, especially at high mileage. While on the one hand, many say they had no problems with their Subies and that they just keep on going despite lots of abuse, others have described them as a nightmare, with head gasket issues and continuously variable transmission (CVT) failures often mentioned as major pain points in older models. Certain Subaru cars are also known to suffer from relatively high instances of excessive oil consumption, parasitic battery drain, and cracked windshields.

Neither of those issues should significantly detract from Subaru's fine performance here, though. Consumer Reports attributes the Japanese brand's good reliability rating to its use of the same reliable components within many of its vehicles. Plus, the fact it makes small, incremental updates rather than taking a revolutionary approach that may introduce fault-riddled features and attendant reliability headaches.

Based on the very same Consumer Reports survey data, the Forester and Impreza were the brightest of Subaru's six stellar performers, with both models said to have received "well-above-average reliability scores." Unsurprisingly, these two are among the most popular Subaru cars, with its reliability likely contributing to them being the default recommendation for those after a Subaru vehicle. After all, no one wants an unreliable car. The Forester, in particular, seems to be well-liked. It topped Consumer Reports ranking of the most popular new cars, finishing above forever favorites such as the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, and Highlander.

The Outback, Crosstrek, Legacy, and Ascent didn't perform as strongly in CR's reliability rating, but did enough to receive above average and average verdicts. The Solterra EV, on the other hand, was deemed to be the least reliable of the Subaru models in the survey, with a below-average reliability rating. Still, as someone who's looking to avoid all the stress that comes with an unreliable car, it's helpful to take extra steps to research each model more in-depth. This does not suggest by any means that the Subaru you're getting is guaranteed to be reliable or less so.