Consumer Reports’ 2026 Automotive Brand Report Card places Dodge, GMC, Land Rover, Rivian, and Jeep in its bottom five overall, with Jeep ranked last. That makes these brands worth extra scrutiny when shopping—not automatic no-buy choices. The report card combines several measures of vehicle quality, so check the ratings for the specific model and model year before deciding.
Consumer Reports’ five lowest-ranked car brands
| Brand | What the report says |
|---|---|
| Dodge | One of the bottom five brands in Consumer Reports’ 2026 overall report card. |
| GMC | One of the bottom five brands in Consumer Reports’ 2026 overall report card. |
| Land Rover | One of the bottom five brands in Consumer Reports’ 2026 overall report card. |
| Rivian | One of the bottom five brands in Consumer Reports’ 2026 overall report card. |
| Jeep | Ranked last overall; Consumer Reports says Jeep has been last for three years running. |
These are the lowest-ranked brands in this particular report card, not a finding that every vehicle from each manufacturer is poor. Consumer Reports advises shoppers to look up the Overall Score and predicted reliability for the vehicle they are considering. Consumer Reports’ 2026 Automotive Brand Report Card lists the rankings and explains their scope.
What the overall ranking measures—and what it doesn’t
The report card averages the Overall Scores of each brand’s tested new vehicles. Those scores combine road-test performance, predicted reliability, owner satisfaction, and safety ratings. Reliability matters, but the result is not a reliability-only league table and does not isolate any single cause of a brand’s position.
The underlying survey is broad, but survey scale should not be mistaken for equal representation of every brand or model. Consumer Reports says its 2025 annual survey gathered data on about 380,000 vehicles—27 percent more than the prior year—and covered up to 20 potential trouble areas, including engines, electric motors, transmissions, and in-car electronics. Those figures describe the survey’s reach; they do not establish a failure rate for any one brand.
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Consumer Reports’ senior director of auto testing, Jake Fisher, said, “Our surveys continue to show that the slow and steady approach to vehicle redesigns pays dividends for reliability, while more aggressive changes and the introduction of new technologies often lead to setbacks.” That observation helps explain why a brand’s results can shift as models are redesigned, but it is not a diagnosis of every vehicle from the five brands.
Which car brands are least reliable?
The answer depends on which ranking you mean. Consumer Reports publishes a separate new-car reliability ranking based on problems reported by members who own vehicles from each brand. Toyota led that latest reliability ranking; it is distinct from the overall brand report card, which also includes road tests, owner satisfaction, and safety. See Consumer Reports’ new-car reliability ranking and methodology.
That reliability analysis requires data for at least two models spanning at least two model years among 2023, 2024, 2025, or early 2026. Some brands are excluded for not meeting the minimum. An unranked brand should not be read as either reliable or unreliable based on its absence. Consumer Reports also advises comparing a specific vehicle’s predicted reliability and Overall Score rather than relying on a brand average. Its brand reliability findings explain the difference between brand-level and vehicle-level ratings.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Used-car rankings tell a different story
For used vehicles, Consumer Reports’ cited ranking covers currently owned vehicles that are five to ten years old. Its bottom three in that analysis were Ram, Jeep, and Tesla—not the same five brands at the bottom of the 2026 new-car overall report card. The age of the vehicles and the ranking measure differ, so the results should not be combined into one list. Read Consumer Reports’ used-car brand reliability ranking for that cohort.
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How to use the list when shopping
- Use the brand list as a screening signal. If you are considering one of the five, look more closely at the exact vehicle rather than ruling out every model from its manufacturer.
- Check the model and model year. Compare its Consumer Reports Overall Score and predicted reliability. Brand averages can conceal differences among vehicles and years.
- Match the rating to your question. For overall quality, use the report card; for predicted reliability, consult the separate new-car reliability ranking; for an older used vehicle, use the used-car analysis that covers five- to ten-year-old vehicles.
- Read rankings in context. The report card combines several measures, while reliability rankings depend on member-reported problems and have eligibility requirements. A missing reliability rank is not a positive or negative score.
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